User Experience Professionals Association
User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) is a Texas-incorporated 501(c)(6) nonprofit founded in 1991 that serves a global community of UX practitioners through tiered membership, annual international conferences, virtual summits, instructor-led courses, and peer-reviewed publications.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What User Experience Professionals Association does
User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) is a Texas-incorporated, IRS Section 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional association founded in 1991 (originally as the Usability Professionals' Association, rebranded to UXPA in 2013) that serves UX practitioners globally. Its core products are organized around three pillars: membership tiers (Global Sustaining $139/yr, Associate $69/yr, Student $35/yr) granting access to discounts, working groups, awards, and governance participation; a conference and events portfolio (annual UXPA International Conference rotating internationally — 2025 Amsterdam, 2026 Las Vegas — plus UXPALOOZA virtual summits and World Usability Day, which marked its 20th anniversary in November 2025); and educational and editorial assets including instructor-led short courses via Zoom, a 90+ video Webinar Library, the peer-reviewed Journal of User Experience (JUX), and User Experience Magazine (quarterly since 2002). Distribution is hybrid: self-serve digital enrollment, local chapters and Special Interest Groups across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and direct enterprise sales channels for organizational sponsorships and conference registration.
The business model is a multi-stream association revenue engine rather than a SaaS or technology revenue model. There is no proprietary technology platform described; UXPA is not an AI/ML vendor, API provider, or software developer. Revenue is generated from membership dues (subscription/recurring), organizational sponsorships at $20,000 per year plus an ala-carte menu (newsletter ads $1K each, webinar sponsorships $2K each, magazine ads $400–$1K, Web Patron $5K/yr, chapter grants $5K each), conference registration and workshop fees (transactional), short course fees ($75 member / $200 non-member), and job board listings bundled into sponsorship or sold a la carte. Customer segments are individual UX practitioners (primary), UX students and recent graduates (primary), and a secondary B2B segment of UX vendors, publishers, and recruiters who purchase sponsorship for access to the 15K+ newsletter subscriber base and ~600-person in-person conference audience. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the organization acquires and retains members through global chapters, webinars, conferences, and publications rather than through paid acquisition or enterprise sales motions.
User Experience Professionals Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- User Experience Professionals Association
- Legal name
- Usability Professionals' Association
- Website
- https://uxpa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) is a Texas-incorporated 501(c)(6) nonprofit founded in 1991 that serves a global community of UX practitioners through tiered membership, annual international conferences, virtual summits, instructor-led courses, and peer-reviewed publications.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
User Experience Professionals Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- UX, Design Thinking & Customer Research for PMs (EDABAHAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design (BPAFAEAI), Learning Experience Platforms (LXP) & Learning Portals (EDAFAAAB)
Keywords
Where User Experience Professionals Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
User Experience Professionals Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from three tiers: Global Sustaining ($139), Associate ($69), and Student ($35). Membership provides access to publications, webinars, conferences, networking, and professional development resources.
- Organizational Sponsorship: Annual organizational sponsorships at $20,000 per year, including logo placement, newsletter ads, webinar introductions, and conference visibility. Also offers ala-carte sponsorships for specific channels.
- Short Courses: Instructor-led short courses offered via Zoom. Members pay $75, non-members pay $200 per course. Fall 2025 course on AI-Augmented Design featured 4-week interactive format.
- Conference Fees: Annual international conference generates revenue through registration fees. UXPA 2025 was held in Amsterdam, UXPA 2026 in Las Vegas.
- Job Board Listings: 10 free job listings included in organizational sponsorship; additional listings available for fee.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Global Sustaining Membership - $139/year for experienced UX professionals seeking leadership role |
| Subscription | Annual | Associate Membership - $69/year for developing UX professionals |
| Subscription | Annual | Student Membership - $35/year for current students and recent graduates |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | AI-Augmented Design Short Course - $75 members / $200 non-members |
| Subscription | Annual | Organizational Sponsorship - $20,000/year |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Ala-Carte Sponsorships |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
User Experience Professionals Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1991 that supports the user experience (UX) profession globally. It offers individual memberships, the annual UXPA International Conference, the UXPA Magazine, short courses, webinars, a job board, and local chapter programs aimed at advancing UX knowledge, networking, and career development for UX practitioners.
Product overview
UXPA International is a professional association offering a membership-based platform with interconnected products and services for the user experience community. The core offerings include international conferences (UXPA Conference), virtual summits (UXPALOOZA), and World Usability Day events; educational programs via short courses and monthly webinars; and publications including the Journal of User Experience (JUX) peer-reviewed journal and User Experience Magazine. Additional services include career resources with a job bank, mentorship programming, and a global network of local chapters and Special Interest Groups. Membership tiers (Global Sustaining, Associate, Student) provide access to discounts, governance participation, and networking opportunities. The association also publishes newsletters and maintains a blog for community engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- User Experience Magazine: A quarterly publication featuring articles on usability and user experience, in print since 2002 and online since 2013.
- Journal of User Experience (JUX)
- UXPALOOZA
- World Usability Day
Products and services
- UXPA Individual Membership
- UXPA International Conference
- UXPA Magazine
- UXPA Short Courses
- UXPA Webinars
- UXPA Job Board
- Local Chapter Memberships
Companies that use User Experience Professionals Association
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
User Experience Professionals Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
User Experience Professionals Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Similar Professional OrganizationscoreUXPA seeks to build relationships with other similar types of organizations for mutual value at both organizational and individual member levels. Partnerships typically include cross-promotion of activities, joint training opportunities, speaking and writing opportunities for members, and a forum for sharing new ideas. UXPA also encourages chapters to establish partnerships at local levels.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
User Experience Professionals Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nielsen Norman Group: NN/g is a leading UX research and training firm offering paid courses, conferences, and reports that directly compete with UXPA's educational offerings, conferences, and publications for the same UX professional audience.
- Interaction Design Association: IxDA is a global UX professional association with local chapters, an annual conference (Interaction), and community programming that closely mirrors UXPA's structure and target membership.
- Interaction Design Foundation: IxDF is a large online UX education platform offering paid courses, certifications, and member content; it competes directly with UXPA's short courses, webinars, and accreditation programs.
Broad incumbents
- ACM SIGCHI: ACM SIGCHI is the premier academic HCI community within ACM, hosting CHI conference and publishing related journals; it serves an overlapping research-oriented UX audience with comparable conferences and publications.
- AIGA: AIGA is the largest U.S. professional association for designers, offering similar membership tiers, conferences, and publications; it overlaps with UXPA on design professionals and competes for some shared design-adjacent membership.
- Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES): HFES is a professional association for human factors and ergonomics professionals, with annual conference, publications, and local chapters; it overlaps with UXPA's usability and human-centered design community.
Emerging players
- Smashing Magazine: Smashing Magazine is a web design and UX-focused publishing and training platform offering conferences, books, and online courses that overlap with UXPA's educational content for working UX professionals.
- The UX Design Institute: The UX Design Institute provides accredited UX diplomas and certifications online, competing with UXPA's short courses, mentorship, and emerging UX accreditation initiatives for professional credentials.
- CareerFoundry UX Program: CareerFoundry offers structured UX design bootcamps and career-change programs targeting UX students and career switchers, overlapping with UXPA's student membership and entry-level career resources.
Others
- User Experience Magazine / UXPA Magazine: Listed as a sub-brand of UXPA itself; included to acknowledge the publication arm and its place in the UX media landscape alongside peer outlets like Smashing Magazine.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
User Experience Professionals Association social profiles
Digital presenceUser Experience Professionals Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
User Experience Professionals Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
User Experience Professionals Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
User Experience Professionals Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about User Experience Professionals Association
What does User Experience Professionals Association do?
The User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1991 that supports the user experience (UX) profession globally. It offers individual memberships, the annual UXPA International Conference, the UXPA Magazine, short courses, webinars, a job board, and local chapter programs aimed at advancing UX knowledge, networking, and career development for UX practitioners.
Is User Experience Professionals Association a public or private company?
User Experience Professionals Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was User Experience Professionals Association founded?
User Experience Professionals Association was founded in 1991. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is User Experience Professionals Association based?
User Experience Professionals Association is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does User Experience Professionals Association make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are organizational Sponsorship, short Courses, conference Fees and job Board Listings.
Who are User Experience Professionals Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nielsen Norman Group, Interaction Design Association and Interaction Design Foundation. Broad incumbents are ACM SIGCHI, AIGA and Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES). Emerging players are Smashing Magazine, The UX Design Institute and CareerFoundry UX Program. User Experience Magazine / UXPA Magazine is listed as an others.
Does User Experience Professionals Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for User Experience Professionals Association.
What industry is User Experience Professionals Association in?
User Experience Professionals Association's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABAHAK, UX, Design Thinking & Customer Research for PMs, with a secondary code of BPAFAEAI, Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8600.