Denver 2019

We'll get settled, talk about the day, and get the scoop on our fabulous sponsors.

What can design contribute to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) initiatives? How can we leverage inclusive perspectives to create better design? In this talk I’ll sketch out the natural alliances between Design and D+I, particularly how Design is inherently suited to helping further Diversity and Inclusion initiatives through its ability to bring multiple perspectives to the table. I’ll explain some of the potential roadblocks for collaboration between traditional design practices and D+I initiatives as I see them, and will outline areas of potential collaboration suggesting concrete ways design professionals might insert themselves into to D+I conversations using design methods and skills. While Workday is young in its ethical and inclusive design journey, I’ll speak to some of the ways in which we are embarking on our journey in inclusive design and reflect on my own personal experiences venturing into this new space.

As designers, we are always looking for tools to help us create excellent experiences for our very unique users. You often start by identifying your goals and audiences. You conduct extensive research around your different user types. You learn their needs and preferences, but now what? How do you plan out the content these users need? During this case study, we’ll explore the Core Model exercise—one of the tools Aten uses to bridge the gap between user research and information architecture.

We'll be providing lunch – details to come.

The articles on LinkedIn are everywhere these days, singing the praises of telecommuting, as more companies are increasing their remote workforces and “dispersed teams” is a new buzz phrase. But how does that trend translate into the field of UX? After all, our work is highly collaborative. And how does one get a UX job when working remotely? What tools does one need to make this happen? For a look at these questions and more, join us for a discussion on the realities of what it means to work outside of an office and away from your colleagues.

Full details will be shared on WIAD.

As information architects, we love diving into our craft. We spend time learning about research methods, discovering wayfinding patterns, and optimizing the information scent to make the lives of our users easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable. Today, I'm going to share with you how to turn those same methods on ourselves. We'll be looking into two popular IA methods and use them to optimize the  ease, efficiency, and enjoyability of how we show up in the world.

Every day, thousands of transgender and nonbinary people interact with digital products and services that don’t recognize their gender identity or support their gender experience. Simple features such as the ability to change one’s display name or select a third gender from a dropdown just don’t exist on most websites and web apps. This talk and workshop highlights the fundamental need for designers to rearchitect digital experiences so that they support a multitude of gender identities. Participants will be challenged to view common web patterns in a new light—as anti-patterns—and redesign them to become gender-inclusive universal design patterns.

Sponsored by our pals at Renegade Brewing.