Category: Events

State of the Web

As Annette said in a previous post, we just spent two days in Denver at WebDirections North with some of the web’s brightest minds. The conference itself was tightly organized and highly professional, which is always a relief.

One of the main themes throughout was to define the “state of the web.” That’s a heavy question, especially given the uncertainty surrounding everything else in the world right now — but let’s take a look at just a few of the exciting things that are happening. Who knows, perhaps today’s innovations will play a role in dragging the world’s economy out of the doldrums.

• Mobile: In the past 18 months the iPhone has revolutionized the way the world views mobile computing and mobile web use. Why does that matter?
• Well, roughly 80% of the world’s population is not yet online — and a great many of them live in developing countries with no broadband access. One mobile expert here predicted that by Q3 2009, mobile devices will reach the threshold of 10% market share. That’s a big deal.

• Internet Explorer 6 Strategy: There’s a consensus that the time has come to change the way we approach Internet Explorer 6. By combining new technologies such as font embedding and CSS3 with old techniques, we can begin to move beyond the great anchor.
• In these times we must consider and communicate the costs of designing for IE6. So, what is the new approach for forward-thinking and cost-conscious organizations? Show IE6 users a site that works, but do not demand an exact replica of the site that is shown in modern browsers. That’s not so bad, really…

• Open Web Platform: This got me excited because more than ever, we need to be efficient — and like all web designers, I spend too much time searching for answers on the web.
• Mozilla announced that they’re working on a centralized “open web platform” for developers. Designers and developers could go there to get help documentation for any technology, look up the current browser usage stats, interact and save lots of time.
• They also previewed a new text editor called Bespin that works like Google Docs. Why does that matter? Well, it’s free — putting development in the hands of more people, it makes it more efficient to collaborate with with others in the code, and it demonstrates the amazing things that can be done using the vector-graphics based Canvas. They expect Bespin to be released in Labs this coming week.

Posted in Conferences, Events, Interface Design & Prototyping, Internet, Mobile

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Larisa wins.

One of our own, Larisa Brandt, won a scholarship from The IA Institute to attend the Interactive Session of SXSW!

Here’s a tasty morsel from her essay:

I have never had the opportunity to attend SXSW but I suspect that it is rooted in the quirky, creative art world so many of us came from. The fact that Austin is its birthplace says that we will have the opportunity to connect with creative, innovative people – and I believe that is one of our practice’s most valuable attributes.

I have always tried to be active in defining and furthering the practice. I participate and volunteer where I can, but just attending is still giving back to the community.

It’s magically inspiring to find yourself surrounded by passionate people who do what you do! I believe it is vitally important to be eye to eye with our peers on a regular basis.

Ah, so that’s why I like Larisa so much—she’s passionate about her work, she constantly seeks knowledge, and she has respect for her peers.

I would love to tell you that she’s been doing victory laps around the office all day yelling “Woot! Woot!” but I’d be lying. She’s  humbler than that. Congratulations, Larisa!

Posted in Events, Fun, Information Architecture, News, News & Announcements

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My Best Conference Experience

In 1996 I attended the American Center for Designs, Living Surfaces conference in Chicago. I was young print designer, in the fray of the internet. I had the good fortune of encountering many thought leaders at this particular event, talks that really made sense to me, and helped me see how important it was to move information into this three dimensional world. I first learned about taking an architectural approach to organizing information, about Meta design, and the importance of heirarchy in interface work.

One talk stood out to me, and has stayed with me. I had the pleasure of listening to Richard Saul Wurman for the first time and his directions to “make it BE good, don’t just make it look good” have motivated me ever since. Why was it so good? His delivery was lively and funny. His attitude was/is cantankerous. He was one of us, and he had a VERY big opition.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Wurman about a conference that I was helping to plan. When I asked him what he might like to talk about, he told me the message was still the same, that after all this time “we” hadn’t really learn a lot. I think his message is still the most relevant.

Posted in Conferences, Events, Information Architecture, Inspiring

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