Are you interested in improving your product toolbox? This group will explore what Steve Jobs referred to as the "tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product." Each session will focus on a particular tool or method, and apply it hands-on to a real project. There are no experts here, just makers who want to dig in and learn from each other. Welcome software product managers, experience designers, marketers, entrepreneurs, and lone rangers -- let's have fun pract …

Why are there so few women leading and influencing the UX & design industry? Why can we count on one hand the number of female UX/design leaders in Chicago? Our goal is to provide a safe place for women to learn, mentor, and support each other in UX/design and related fields. Through this community, we can build women up and empower them to make an impact in both our industry and the world. Do I have to be a lady? Some dude: "I can always tell a lady when I see one." Mae West: "Yeah? What do you …

The Chicago Lean Startup Circle is a group of smart and driven high-tech entrepreneurs that have learned how to discover customers and build products they want. Lean Startups (which can include for profit and not for profit organizations, new product/innovation organizations within larger companies and even government agencies) achieve success faster than most because they get out of the building to talk to customers, validate business model assumptions as quickly and cheaply as possible, use ag …

Creative Chicago is a relaxed ecosystem of designers, strategists, architects and developers for web, mobile and desktop platforms, connecting great people and helping to build valuable industry relationships. Our events will vary, but we will always focus on creating a casual and friendly environment for people to build great relationships without the added hassle of on-the-spot recruiters and unwanted services. Whether it's a night out for drinks or a networking event with speakers, we're out …

Leaders who are passionate ambassadors for Chicagoland’s innovative people, products, places, services and experiences. We network using innovative methods and techniques that facilitate thought-provoking conversations and meaningful relationships. Members are invited by Chicagoland innovation leaders that include Gerald "Soloutionman" Haman of SolutionPeople.com, InnovatorsDigest.com and the Chicago Thinkubator.

For Pragmatic Marketing alum. Are you using Pragmatic Marketing in your workplace? How are you using Pragmatic Marketing in your workplace? Do you want to use Pragmatic Marketing at your company, but don't know how to roll it out? This meetup is for Pragmatic Marketing alumni that would like to share ideas and tips on how to use Pragmatic Marketing and best practices in the workplace.

Chicago Electronic Music Meetup Guidelines for members - updated 2013.05.25 MEETUPS for this group can now be categorized into TWO EVENT TYPES. EVENT HOSTS will classify each meetup so standard expectations can be met by both members and event hosts. TYPE 1 MEETUP: Those that RSVP will be given contact info to the host and will meetup on a case by case basis. No meetup beforehand is scheduled and it is up to the member and host to coordinate. TYPE 2 MEETUP: Those that RSVP will be given time …

June 15, 2013 7 to 11pm Ignite Glass Studios 401 N. Armour Street, Chicago, IL 60642 $85 per ticket It’s the hottest event for young professionals this year. Join us for an evening of fashion and fun inspired by our upcoming production of The Jungle Book, hosted by Goodman Theatre's Scenemakers Board. You’ll experience fashions from local designers Borris Powell, JToor and Crystal B. Designs and watch professional glassblowers create works of art while enjoying an open bar, hors d’oeuvres an …

Meet other local Adobe InDesign, InCopy and Acrobat users. Our meetings will focus on the core-capabilities and synergy between Adobe InDesign, InCopy, and Acrobat. We will discuss current best-practices for design and production and develop new strategies for multichannel projects. We will also have interactive industry leaders and guest speakers/presenters. The Guest-speaker presentations contain meaningful tips for all experience levels. Case-history and member presentations are encouraged …

Meet with other local floor and online traders (face to face or online to your PC through our state of the art webinar tools) who engage in futures, index's, stocks, commodities and forex trading. The goals is to create a supportive environment where all group members can share their ideas, learn something new and ultimately achieve success in their trading plan. Our group includes experienced local floor and online traders and newbie’s looking to start out on the right trading foot. We will …

The official Embassy Facebook page for Appsterdam Chicago. The best place in the world to be an app maker. Our goal is to bring app makers together, and our mission is to support their interests worldwide. We established Amsterdam as the capital of Appsterdam - the world capital of apps - to establish a centre of gravity for our industry, to provide a place where all app makers can gather, and to create a framework for people to give back and support the community. Stichting Appsterdam is a non- …

Meet with other local saké enthusiasts! Gather to taste, discuss and share your favorite types of saké, as well as interesting aspects of Japanese culture, history and cuisine. This Sake Meetup group will be casual, social and educational. The group is intended to bring people together to share their knowledge and curiosity regarding all things having to do with saké, the people who make it and the land that it comes from. We also have some sub-groups which cover Raku Pottery, Japanese Tea Servi …

This group will be focused on discussing and learning about UX Strategies. This group is distinct in the sense that it will discuss bigger picture UX involvement as opposed to day to day UX activities that may be project related. Since UX is starting to take more influential roles and earlier in the development life cycle, I think it would be valuable to discuss different strategic outlooks and experiences.

I started this group to share and collaborate my true passions with others interested in SEO, SEM, social, WordPress, Web Dev and everything in between. Over the past couple years I have been building WordPress websites and experimenting with how the technical aspects of web design and social influences search engine rankings, conversions and ultimately sales. Furthermore, it would be great to converse about new web products, software, ideas and how to "connect the dots" in this web 2.0 world. …

We meet twice a month to discuss designated during the taping of Insight Radio.  (If you have not listened, here is the last show:  Insight Radio is looking for guests for our next show on current events.  Here are recent shows: Guest: Fran Hawthorne, Author of Ethical Chic: The Inside Story of the Companies We Think We Love. Award-winning journalist Fran Hawthorne has been a writer or editor at Fortune, BusinessWeek, Institutional Investor, Crane's and other publications. She is the author of …

The Chicago International Social Change Festival was created for filmmakers to showcase films that heighten public consciousness and provide a film forum for their productions to be screened on an international level. In addition, the festival is dedicated to the art of filmmaking and the filmmakers who make each and every work possible. This is a Chicago film festival with a specific focus on the issues facing society and how social change can make an incredible impact. Every day, society is i …

Have you ever wondered how something was made? Or how to take your fantastic solution from idea to prototype? Perhaps you want to develop a solution to a problem but don't know how to get started? Maybe you want to learn how to develop a design package for someone else to make your idea? Do you want to learn to use social media to spread the word about your products or events? Are you interested in learning more about building, making, drawing, creating or using your hands to their upmost potent …

While some are independently motivated to study diligently in quiet places for weeks and months, there are others of us who study best in the company of others who are studying and with scheduled times that will hold us accountable in such a long process.  Don't succumb to the isolation of EPPP-land! This group is for anyone who has graduated and is ready to study for the EPPP. It doesn't matter whether you are currently a postdoc or have your fellowship, if you are just starting to study or are …