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My proposals for SXSW 2010
SXSW has quickly become one of my favorite spring traditions, so I made it a perennial goal to submit at least one presentation for consideration each year.
For 2010, I am proposing three sessions — two solo talks and one interview-style conversation with my friend Maura Thomas. Please take a look and by all means, vote or leave a comment if you are interested!
User Experience Without Design
Matt Shobe and I developed this talk for last year’s Tech Cocktail Conference in Chicago. Since then, we have presented it (separately and together) at the University of Illinois, ORD Camp and Sitter City. Hopefully I will get the chance to take this show on the road to Austin.
Web user experience is virtually synonymous with design. But there are plenty of other factors that will make or break the user experience of your web-based product, service, or publication. This presentation introduces holistic user experience design and proposes a number of ways to improve the user experience… without design.
Design Workshops That Really Work
A big part of my job at Google is working with groups of engineers, product managers and other stakeholders to collaboratively design products. I hope to share some of those experiences in this new session.
Design doesn’t happen in a vacuum — it requires active participation from a variety of stakeholders. Learn how to lead workshops that build trust, foster teamwork and create an environment for great design. Hear about John Zeratsky’s experiences using design workshops in large-scale projects at Google.
Win the War Against Information Overload (with Maura Thomas)
After my talk on productivity techniques last year, Maura approached me and we started working together on ideas for SXSW 2010. Maura is an expert on personal productivity and has a dedicated following of happy customers. This should be a great session!
Join productivity trainer Maura Thomas of RegainYourTime.com and Google designer John Zeratsky for an interview-style conversation about productivity processes and tools, why people are drowning in information, the difference between information and knowledge, a new definition of “work-life balance,” and why it all matters.