The technology skills gap
Technology changes faster than most classrooms and workplaces can adapt. Students graduate without applied experience, and small organizations are left behind by tools that were never designed with them in mind.
501(c)(3) nonprofit
Technology Education for Real-World Impact
User Experience University (UXU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing technology education through hands-on learning, community programs, and applied projects. We help young people, professionals, small businesses, nonprofits, and communities use technology, design, and user experience to grow and create meaningful impact.
Our Mission
Technology skills should be within reach of every community.
UXU exists because access to technology education is uneven. The people and organizations doing the most for their communities often have the least access to modern digital skills.
Communities growing through education
When a business district, a school, or a nonprofit gains digital capability, the benefit compounds locally. Education is the most durable form of community investment we can make.
Learning through real experience
We teach by doing. Every UXU program pairs instruction with a real audience, a real constraint, and a real outcome, so learners leave with evidence of what they can do.
What We Do
Four ways UXU advances technology education.
Technology Education
Hands-on education that builds practical technology skills people can use immediately in school, work, and community life.
Community Programs
Technology initiatives that strengthen communities, from local business support to public-space research and civic collaboration.
Applied Projects
Real-world projects where learners work with actual organizations, so learning produces measurable impact instead of theory.
Professional Development
Continuing education for working professionals who need to keep pace with technology, research, and product practice.
Who We Serve
One mission, five audiences.
UXU programs are designed so learners and organizations can work side by side rather than in separate tracks.
Students
High school and college learners exploring technology, design, and research careers with mentorship and real projects.
Professionals
Working practitioners building new skills in UX, product thinking, AI literacy, and applied research.
Small Businesses
Local businesses that need practical digital help — websites, customer research, and clearer service experiences.
Nonprofits
Mission-driven organizations that need design and technology capacity they cannot easily hire for.
Communities
Neighborhoods and civic groups using research, design, and technology to shape shared spaces and local economies.
Our Programs
Three flagship programs, one shared purpose.
Each program applies technology education to a different part of the community — local economies, individual skills, and the wider professional field.
Fenton Village Project
A community development initiative using technology, research, design, and collaboration to strengthen local businesses, improve public spaces, and support long-term economic growth.
UX Workshops
Hands-on educational workshops covering technology, AI, UX, research, product thinking, and practical digital skills.
UXCON
UXU's flagship annual conference connecting technology professionals, researchers, designers, product leaders, educators, students, nonprofits, and businesses to learn, collaborate, and build community.
Get Involved
There is a place for you in this work.
UXU runs on practitioners, partners, and participants who believe technology education belongs to everyone.
Volunteer
Mentor a student, facilitate a workshop, or lend your research, design, or engineering skills to an applied project.
Learn morePartner
Bring UXU into your school, business district, or nonprofit to co-design programs that serve your community.
Learn moreAttend
Join a workshop, a community session, or UXCON and learn alongside practitioners from across the region.
Learn moreHave a project, a classroom, or a main street that could use technology support?
We collaborate with schools, small businesses, nonprofits, and civic groups across the region. Tell us what you are working on and we will find the right program.
Contact UXU