There are many professional organizations with an interest in usability. Alongside the UPA (creators of this site) you can also find your peers in the following areas:

• HCI and Human Factors<
• Technical Communication and Information Design<
• Information Architecture and Design<
• Training and Human Performance<
• Software Development and Project Management<
• Other Societies<

<HCI and Human Factors

UPA<

Usability Professionals' Association International

UPA supports people who research, design, and evaluate the user experience of products and services. Many local chapters around the world.

HFES<

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

Theory, principles, data, and other methods applied to design to optimize human well-being and overall system performance

ACM SIGCHI<

Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction

Human technology and human-computer interaction (HCI)<

AIS SIGHCI<

AIS Special Interest Group on Human-Computer Interaction

Human-computer interaction (HCI) for business information systems

The British HCI group<

The British HCI group

Analysis, design, implementation and evaluation of technologies for human use

The Ergonomics Society<

The Ergonomics Society

Application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use.

IEA<

International Ergonomics Association

Federation of ergonomics and human factors societies

ITG<

Internet Technical Group

Internet technologies and related behavioral phenomena

 

<Technical Communication and Information Design

STC<

Society for Technical Communication

 

Advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication

STC UUX<

STC Usability and User Experience

 

Usability and usability assessment of technical communication

STC Information Design SIG<

STC Information Design and Architecture SIG

 

Application of design principles to translating complex, unorganized, or unstructured data into valuable, meaningful information, combining skills in areas including graphic design, writing and editing, instructional design, human performance technology, and human factors.

IEEE-PCS<

Professional Communication Society of IEEE

 

Understanding and promoting effective communication in engineering, scientific, and other technical environments

ACM/SIGDOC<

ACM Special Interest Group for Documentation

 

Teacher, researcher, or practitioner of technical communication, computer science, user interface design

 

<Information Architecture and Design

AIGA-ED<

AIGA Experience Design

 

Organizational connection and communication, understanding people, in ways useful for business and design, and conceive, envision, and inform what products, services, and communications to make.

IxDA<

Interaction Design< Association

 

Defines the structure and behaviors of interactive products and services and user interactions with those products and services

IAI<

The Information Architecture Institute

 

The art and science of organizing and labeling web sites, intranets, online communities, software, and hardware controls to support usability and findability.

ACM SIGGRAPH<

Association for Computing Machinery special interest group on computer graphics and interactive techniques

 

Promote the generation and dissemination of information on computer graphics and interactive techniques

IIID<

International Institute for Information Design

 

Design of visual information

ASIS&T SIGUSE<

American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) Special Interest Group Information Needs Seeking and Use (USE)

 

People's behavioral and cognitive activities as well as their affective [many people don’t know what this means – should we use a synonym (emotional) ?] states as they interact with information

ASIS&T SIGIA<

American Society for Information Science and Technology Special Interest Group Information Architecture

 

Art, science, and business of organizing information so that it makes sense to people who use it

AIGA<

American Institute of Graphic Arts

 

Includes book and type design, communication design, interaction design, experience design and motion graphics.

DMI<

Design Management Institute

 

To advocate the economic and cultural importance of design, and to make accessible a body of knowledge on design effectiveness in business

IDSA<

Industrial Designers Society of America

 

Creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer

 

<Training and Human Performance

ISPI<

International Society for Performance Improvement

 

Improving productivity and performance in the workplace

ASTD<

American Society for Training and Development

 

Workplace learning and performance professionals

 

<Software Development and Project Management

ACM<

Association for Computing Machinery

 

Advancing the skills of information technology professionals and students worldwide

IEEE CS<

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society

 

Provider of technical information, community services, and personalized services to the world's computing professionals

PMI<

Project Management Institute

 

Project management professionals worldwide

ASQ<

American Society for Quality

 

Advances learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange to improve business results, and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide

IFIP<

International Federation for Information Processing

 

Umbrella organization for national societies working in the field of information processing.

ASIS&T<

 American Society for Information Science & Technology

 

New and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information

<Other Societies

MRA<

Marketing Research Association

 

Your link to a world of powerful resources

PDMA<

The Product Development and Management Association

 

Resources for professional development, information, collaboration and promotion of new product development and management.

APA<

American Psychological Association -

 

Professional and scientific organization for psychologists in the USA.  [note that there is probably an international organization but I’m not up on that.]

 APA Division 21<

APA Division of Applied and Experimental and Engineering Psychology

 

The division of APA that focuses on applied experimental and engineering psychology research to improve the ability of humans to operate more effectively in a technological society.

CPSR<

Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility

 

A public interest group that is concerned about the impact of technology on people.