My name is Shannon Broden, and this Fall I am part of the UX Student Group at SJSU iSchool as the Membership Coordinator. Having already been involved with the group for a year, I wanted to help try and build bridges between existing members, new membership and alumni for the long-term growth and wellness of the organization.

One of the things that I really like about the membership diversity in the UX Student Group at the iSchool is the diversity of students from within the program that can come together with the same goals in mind. We are even open to the iSchool students that are in the bachelor’s program for Data Science.

Now being toward the end of my studies for my MLIS degree, I have been extremely grateful for all of the opportunities I have had to learn to improve user experience.

Though my primary background is technology, as emphasized by receiving the Technology New Leader Award from the California Library Association in October of 2024, I have learned that user experience means so much more than that in library and information systems. No matter what the experience, I still believe it is important to meet people where they are, and make sure everything is easy to understand.