12 Best UX Communities (Free & Paid) to Join in 2024
UX communities are the best-kept secret of the world's most successful designers. After all, where else can you crowdsource honest opinions on your work from people who really know what they're talking about?
Both free and paid UX design communities offer a chance to learn from your peers in the industry while building your professional network.
Here's a summary of each community to help you learn who it's for and why it's great, and to help you find a group of other UX Designers to learn from and share your insights with.
Best UX Communities Shortlist
Here's a shortlist of the best UX communities I think are worth joining in 2024:
- Interaction Design Foundation - For affordable UX education and courses
- UX Mastery - For beginners to learn and get mentorship
- Stack Exchange - For Q&A on usability, accessibility, and UX research
- UX Magazine - For trends and insights in UX design
- UXPA - For networking and professional growth
- Smashing Magazine - For web design and UX development resources
- r/UserExperience - For community discussions and advice
- Google Design - For insights from Google’s UX experts
- Ladies that UX - For women in UX looking to foster community
- Leaders of Awesomeness - For UI and UX designers to explore new ideas
- r/UXDesign - For discussion and sharing of UX design resources
- Practical UX - For actionable UX design techniques and tips
Find more details about each community below.
The 12 Best UX Communities
Whether you’re a senior UX executive, a freelance UX designer, or anywhere in between, you’ll find a UX community that caters to your needs below.
1. Interaction Design Foundation - For affordable UX education and courses
The Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF) is the world's largest online design school. Founded in 2002, it offers a wide range of UX design courses and a global community for networking and professional growth.
- Audience: UX designers, researchers, and professionals
- Size: 174,928 members
- Membership Cost:
- Basic Membership: Free
- Professional Membership: $10/month - $20/annually
- Platform: UX meet-ups
Why Join:
The Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF) community is a valuable resource for anyone passionate about UX design. It provides access to a vast library of UX courses taught by industry experts, webinars, and articles, making it a valuable resource for continuous learning.
2. UX Mastery - For beginners to learn and get mentorship
The UX Mastery is a community focused on helping beginners learn UX design and get mentorship from experienced professionals.
- Audience: UX designers, researchers, and professionals
- Size: 5,500 members
- Membership Cost: Free
- Platform: Community forum
Why Join:
UX Mastery is not only an online learning platform but also a thriving community that hosts regular events and webinars to keep members engaged and informed. Their commitment to continuous learning and professional development is evident through their rich library of content, including articles, eBooks, and video tutorials, all aimed at helping fellow designers at any stage of their careers.
3. Stack Exchange - For Q&A on usability, accessibility, and UX research
Stack Exchange is a network of question-and-answer communities covering various topics where users can ask questions, share knowledge, and vote on answers.
- Audience: Experts, enthusiasts and learners
- Size: 100 million visitors
- Membership Cost: Free
- Platform: Stack Overflow, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
Why Join:
Stack Exchange is an invaluable resource for anyone involved in UX design, usability, and accessibility. It provides a robust Q&A platform where you can get answers from experienced professionals and contribute your knowledge. Members benefit from a wealth of shared expertise and a collaborative environment that fosters learning and problem-solving.
4. UX Magazine - For trends and insights in UX design
UX Magazine is a publication dedicated to exploring and discussing the latest trends and insights in UX design.
- Audience: UX designers, product managers, developers, and CX/EX professionals
- Size: 800,000 members
- Membership Cost: Free
- Platform: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
Why Join:
The UX Magazine is an essential resource for staying updated with the latest trends and insights in UX design. It offers expert articles, podcasts, thought leadership, and practical advice from leading professionals in the field. UX Magazine provides the terms and context needed to stay competitive and innovative in the UX sector.
5. UXPA - For networking and professional growth
The UXPA (User Experience Professionals Association) community is an international organization that supports UX professionals through educational resources, networking opportunities, mentorship programs, and events such as conferences and webinars.
- Audience: UX researchers, designers and evaluators
- Size: 2,400 members
- Membership Cost:
- Global Sustaining Membership: $139
- Associate Membership: $69
- Student Membership: $35
- Platform: Online and in-person (local chapters, conferences)
Why Join:
UXPA is a valuable place for networking and professional growth in UX. It offers opportunities to connect with fellow professionals, access to the latest research through publications like the Journal of User Experience, and participation in events like the annual international conference. UXPA helps you stay current with best practices and trends, making it an essential community for professional development and career advancement.
6. Smashing Magazine - For web design and UX development resources
The Smashing Magazine community is a comprehensive platform that offers practical and actionable resources for web design and UX development professionals.
- Audience: Web designers, front-end developers, UX designers, and UI designers
- Size: 1,900+ members
- Membership Cost:
- Member: $5
- Smasher: $9
- Team: $30
- Platform: Online Publication, Slack and Twitter
Why Join:
Smashing Magazine is a go-to resource for anyone involved in web design and UX development. It stands out by providing well-researched articles, digital books, job opportunities, and organizing conferences that help improve your web development and design skills. It is also known for its dedication to quality and practical advice that can be directly applied to projects.
This community helps you stay current with design tools and techniques, making it an indispensable part of your professional toolkit.
7. r/UserExperience - For community discussions and advice
r/UserExperience is a subreddit on Reddit where UX professionals and enthusiasts share insights, ask questions, and discuss topics related to user experience design.
- Audience: UX professionals, visual designers, researchers, and enthusiasts
- Size: 123,000 members
- Membership Cost: Free
- Platform: Reddit
Why Join:
r/UserExperience is a community for UX professionals and enthusiasts to connect, share knowledge, and stay updated on the latest trends in user experience design. Joining r/UserExperience ensures you remain at the forefront of UX developments, supported by a vibrant and knowledgeable community.
8. Google Design - For insights from Google’s UX experts
Google Design is a platform that showcases Google's design work and offers resources and inspiration for designers.
- Audience: Designers, developers, and creatives interested in Google's design principles
- Membership Cost: Free
- Platform: Google Design website and Twitter
Why Join:
Google Design is a premier resource for designers and developers to stay updated with cutting-edge design practices. It offers a wealth of knowledge through articles, case studies, and guidelines directly from Google's design team. This community helps you keep pace with the latest innovations and methodologies, ensuring you have the tools and knowledge to excel in your projects.x
9. Ladies that UX - For women in UX looking to foster community
Ladies UX is a global organization supporting women in UX design through monthly meetups, workshops, and mentorship opportunities, aiming to foster a diverse and inclusive community within the industry.
- Audience: Women in user experience (UX) design
- Membership Cost: Free
- Platform: Meetups, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Why Join:
Ladies UX is a community for women in UX design to come together, share knowledge, and advance their careers. Whether you're new to UX or an experienced pro, LTUX gives you a place to meet others from around the world who share your interests. It helps everyone grow and promotes diversity in the field.
10. Leaders of Awesomeness - For UI and UX designers to explore new ideas
The Leaders of Awesomeness is an online community designed for UI and UX designers to explore and develop innovative ideas.
- Audience: UI/UX designers, research, and content leaders
- Size: Hundreds of UX leaders
- Membership Cost: Free
- Platform: Online (website, webinars, forums)
Why Join:
Leaders of Awesomeness connect with a vibrant community of UX professionals seeking to explore new ideas and push the boundaries of design. It offers unique opportunities to engage with cutting-edge ideas and methodologies through webinars, interactive discussions, and resources provided by the Center Centre – UIE (User Interface Engineering).
Joining helps you stay ahead in the UX sector by accessing cutting-edge content and connecting with like-minded professionals.
11. r/UXDesign - For discussion and sharing of UX design resources
r/UXDesign is a thriving Reddit community where UX professionals and enthusiasts can share knowledge, ask questions, and discuss the latest trends in user experience design.
- Audience: UX professionals and enthusiasts
- Size: 148,000 members
- Membership Cost: Free
- Platform: Reddit
Why Join:
The r/UXDesign community is a helpful place to learn and share insights about UX design. It provides a platform for professionals to discuss design challenges, seek career advice, and share valuable resources. Joining this subreddit gives you free access to valuable resources, different viewpoints, and a supportive network to improve your skills and move forward in your career.
12. Practical UX - For actionable UX design techniques and tips
Practical UX is a resource platform offering articles, tutorials, and tools to help UX professionals enhance their skills and stay updated with industry trends.
- Audience: UX professionals and enthusiasts
- Size: 1,700+ members
- Membership Cost: Free
- Platform: Practical UX Websites
Why Join:
Practical UX is an invaluable resource for anyone involved in product design within the UX industry. Joining allows you to stay updated on the latest trends, gain practical advice, and connect with a community focused on achieving good design practices. The platform's emphasis on actionable techniques ensures that members can immediately apply them to their projects.
Join For More Insights
Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more product management resources and guides, plus the latest podcasts, interviews, and other insights from industry leaders and experts.