Category: Meetup

The collaborative craft of content design  – Mel Flanagan

Content, data, information, are the foundation of all products and services. Whether you are building a product, making a digital service, running a campaign, words and language are how we interact with each other – they can either connect, engage or alienate people.

As the UK Government eloquently states “Content is the user experience”. There is a growing movement of content strategists. A content designer is the person who does the doing. And it’s important to get them on early.

Creating content is a collaborative craft. Mel will take you on a whirlwind tour of Nook’s content design process, case studies, and the different entry point of how content fits into projects and products. She’ll explain why the ‘I’ is before the ‘T’ in IT. And why, if you want to make great products (and avoid a content crisis), everyone in your organisation needs to understand the value of content design, what needs to be done when, with who.

Recap of interaction20, Milan

As you may or may not know,Feb 3-7 is Interaction week and this year it was in Milano, Italy. Three Australians presented, including Tim Yeo, who took his October Leadership for Introverts to new shores. Joe will be giving a quick recap of the highlights as well inviting you to submit your ideas to next year’s interaction21 in Montreal.

About the speakers:

Mel Flanagan

Mel is a creative technologist, storyteller, information experience and service designer, and founder of Nook Studios. She used to be a film and theatre maker. Now she is an open government and transparency revolutionary – using content to bring complex information life, making data accessible to combat corruption – and designing products that people love. Her favourite past time is changing the status quo by making useful, strategic content and raising awareness about the value of participatory design.

Joe Ortenzi

Joe has been a local leader for IxDASydney since 2013 and an interaction designer for a very long time. Yes, I remember both Flash and Dial-up modems and Mosaic. As well as running the #IxDASyd for years, bringing the best of Sydneysider, Australian and global presenters, workshop facilitators and ideators to us, he’s led projects, teams and businesses to the bright side of better interactions and services.

Tickets

In order to share some of the excellent presenters coming to Sydney for UXAustralia, Six Sydney Meetups are teaming up to bring a little taste of some of the stellar people speaking at the conference to some of you who might not be able to make it. Two nights before UXAu kicks off, we’ll be hosting up to 6 of the presenters to give a lightning talk, then break off into groups so people can Q&A and discuss more specifically with each of them.

Hosted by Arq group at World Square: L23 / 680 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

We’ve not done this before so fingers crossed it will all work out!

Agenda

• 5:30 – 6:10 PM Check-in, nibbles, chatting
• 6:15 – 725 PM Quick intro, then Lightning talks
• 7:30 – 8:00 PM Break out sessions
• 8:00 – 8:30 PM Recap and wind up
• 8:30 PM Exeunt! Out to the pub (The Cidery)

Participating Sydney meetup groups include:

• Enterprise UX Sydney
• IxDA Sydney
• Sydney Design Thinking
• UX Book Club
• Web Accessibility and Inclusive Design Sydney

The Presenters

A number of presenters from UXAustralia have agreed to give a lightning talk, then we will separate out into groups around each speaker to dive into each topic in more detail. Details of exactly which presenters will follow shortly.

Aral Balkan (@aral)

Aral is a cyborg rights activist, designer, and developer. He’s one-third of Indie, a tiny not-for-profit working for social justice in the digital age.

Aral is a designer and programmer who has been making things with computers for the past 35 years. He’s spent the last five of those working on the problem of technologically regulating the abuses of surveillance capitalism as well as designing freedom-respecting alternatives to it. In this talk, he presents his latest thinking on how we can create alternatives to surveillance capitalism that cannot be co-opted. His suggestion is simple: think small.

Liz Jackson (@elizejackson)

Liz Jackson is the founder of The Disabled List, a design organization that engages in disability as a creative practice. She is also the co-founder of Thisten, a live speech to text app that makes conferences and live events more accessible. In 2018, Jackson created The WITH Fellowship, which partners disabled creatives with top design studios and creative spaces for three-month fellowships. You can learn more about Liz in her personal website, The Girl with the Purple Cane.

Joe MacLeod (@mrmacleod)

Joe Macleod has decades of product development experience across digital, physical and service sectors. Previously Head of Design at the award-winning studio Ustwo. He then spent 3 years on the Closure Experiences project researching, writing and publishing the Ends book. He is now founder of andEnd – The world’s first business helping companies end their customer relationships.

Chris Noessel (@chrisnoessel)

Christopher is the Senior Lead Designer for the Embedded Agent AI within Watson Customer Engagement with IBM. He teaches, speaks about, and evangelizes design internationally. His spidey-sense goes off semi-randomly, leading him to investigate and speak about a range of things from interactive narrative to ethnographic user research, interaction design to generative randomness, and designing for the future. He is co-author of Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction (Rosenfeld Media, 2012), co-author of About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design, 4th Edition (Wiley, 2015), keeper of the blog scifiinterfaces.com, and author of Designing Agentive Technology: AI That Works for People (Rosenfeld Media, 2017). He is also on the advisory board of the ASU-OTI AI Policy Futures initiative. He is currently contemplating books about meaning machines and interfaces that improve their users.

Grace Turtle Polifroni (@grace_polifroni)

Grace L Turtle Polifroni is a post-disciplinary designer, exploring critical becomings, futures and transitions produced through experimentation, collaborative storytelling and performative action. Grace currently plays in a few worlds; as the Experimental Futures practice lead within Deloitte Digital Customer Strategy and Design, working across foresight strategy, service and experience design. Grace also works with Becoming and Holon, both transitions oriented research and design studios based out of Barcelona, developing experimental and performative design research – creating the conditions to imagine worlds otherwise, a focus she has transferred to teaching Futuring within Design Studies at the University of Technology Sydney UTS.

Venue Sponsor

Arq Group, previously Melbourne IT Group, is Australia’s leading digital solutions partner. Arq Group is the dynamic space for smart thinkers. Creating unforgettable experiences, solving complex challenges and providing seamless, end-to-end solutions – from design thinking to customer solutions, leading mobile, cloud and analytical insights, digital marketing to web design – Arq Group powers the growth of businesses, big and small.

Main photo by Perry Grone on Unsplash

We work and live in an extraordinary age of connectedness. The products that we create communicate experiences that form the basis of our relationship to them, and ultimately to their success. As we move toward more agile processes, with an emphasis on shipping products to market, how do we structure teams to practice in a connected, software-and-services age?

Peter will address the shortcomings of typical product management, the opportunity that experience-driven thinking provides, and new organizational structures to support products that focus on the experience. He’ll also share stories of experience-driven success.

Agenda (TBC)

• 6:00-6:30 PM Check-ins, nibbles, chatting
• 6:30 – 6:45 PM Welcome, and Intros
• 6:45 – 6:55 PM Shoutouts (one minute each, roles and projects and other meetups)
• 7:00 – 7:45 PM Peter Merholz, and questions
• 7:45 – 8:00 PM Wind up and thank yous
• 8:00 PM Out the door and up the road to the pub for continued discussions.

Arq group: L23 / 680 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

Presenter

Peter Merholz

Peter Merholz is an experience design and product management executive with 20 years experience across a broad range of digital media. In 2016 he co-wrote, with Kristin Skinner, Org Design for Design Orgs, the first book to address building and managing effective in-house design teams.

In 2001, Peter co-founded Adaptive Path, perhaps the world’s premier firm dedicated to user experience. Since leaving Adaptive Path in 2011, he’s been a design and product executive, and has recently embarked on a consulting, coaching, and training practice around matters of design organizations and design leadership.

In 1999, Peter coined the word “blog.” Really. In the OED and everything.

Host Sponsor

Arq Group, previously Melbourne IT Group, is Australia’s leading digital solutions partner. Arq Group is the dynamic space for smart thinkers. Creating unforgettable experiences, solving complex challenges and providing seamless, end-to-end solutions – from design thinking to customer solutions, leading mobile, cloud and analytical insights, digital marketing to web design – Arq Group powers the growth of businesses, big and small. 

Main Photo by Kipras Štreimiki

This month’s IxDASyd meetup is focussing on the role of design in an organisation. To kick the evening off, Melanie Hambarsoomian will be discussing the relationship and transition modes between UX and Product Manager/Owner. Many are making that transition and Melanie asks what it means for design, specifically, and the oganisation more generally. Following that, Kate Towsey is bringing her years of insights as a “researcher of user researchers” to share the opportunities and challenges of the emerging field of Research Ops. 

This is one of the usual IxDASydney events, at Macquarie Bank as usual, 1 Shelley Street, Barangaroo.

Kate Towsey: The State of ResearchOps – More Than Just Theory 

Over the past decade, user research has matured significantly. It’s increasingly more common for large organisations to have dozens of people doing user research, whether as part of a dedicated team of researchers or other design roles. Growing team sizes and increasing organisational demand has meant that the pressures placed on people doing research have grown too. To meet demand and be efficient, impactful, compliant (and happy, lest we forget), researchers need more rigorous operational support.

In 2018, through the work of the ResearchOps Community and its #WhatisResearchOps initiative, the nascent practice of ResearchOps was given shape: via a series of global workshops by researchers and for researchers, the Community explored what ResearchOps should look like and produced a framework to map its various parts.

But what’s behind the theory? What does ResearchOps actually look like in the world today? And who are the people leading the way? In this talk, Kate will share insight into the state of ResearchOps today, talk about current and potential ResearchOps opportunities and challenges, and share what she thinks the future holds for this emerging practice.

Melanie Hambarsoomian : Why designers are moving into the product career path

When there’s no seat at the table for design, some designers are taking the product seat. Why is this happening and what does this scenario reflect about an organisation’s design maturity? How might we increase design’s influence in organisations, from the strategic level through to the execution?

Agenda, roughly

• 5:30-6:25PM Entry, drinks, food, networking
• 6:30-6:45PM Intro and welcome and general IxDA informatio
• 6:45-7:10PM Melanie Hambarsoomia
• 7:10-7:20PM Shoutouts (roles available, projects seeking volunteers, other events of interest)
• 7:20-8:00PM Kate Towsey
• 8:00PM- Exeunt and downstairs to for drinks and further discussions/networking, etc.

Presenters

Kate Towsey

Kate Towsey has been a consultant specialist in ResearchOps for more than half a decade. The instigator of the ResearchOps Community and the #WhatisResearchOps initiative, she’s been instrumental in amplifying and shaping the conversation around this emerging practice. Originally a content strategist, she’s known as the researcher of user researchers and has designed and delivered labs, participant recruitment services, research panels, media archives and research communications for large organisations around the world. Kate now walks the talk as Atlassian’s Research Operations Manager in Sydney, Australia, where she’s building out a team and delivering a seamless ecosystem to support people who do research.

Melanie Hambarsoomian

Mel is a Product Designer who’s been working in UX design and research for over 8 years. She spent a few years working in London, for Telegraph UK (being in the newsroom when the EU referendum/Brexit votes were being counted) and MOO. She’s passionate about design being a peer to other disciplines, advocating the design discovery process and ensuring teams are driven by outcomes, not solutions. She’s about to start a podcast with two friends to talk about all things related to design & product.

Main photo by Sven Read on Unsplash

June’s meetup brings a subject we haven’t approached for a while, design in the physical space. In addition, we have an IxDASydney discount for two more events keeping design physical. Sarah Forde and colleagues bring it to the IxDA Sydney community, just for you!. We have a 10% discount for the Vivid Sydney – Creative thinking and inventing for kids as well as a 10% discount for the Play Academy’s LEGO™ Serious Play™ Facilitation Workshop

Physical prototyping to design a future workplace

A team from AMP will share how they used physical prototypes in real office spaces, to help design and develop the future workplace for its employees. They explore the concept of an organic test and learn environment, where employees are expected to adopt an experiential mindset and contribute to the future design of their workplace.

Tickets to be released on Thursday 30 May , here and on Humanitix.

Agenda

• 5:30-6:25 PM Check in, drinks, food, networking
• 6:30-6:45 PM Intro and welcome and general IxDA Sydney information
• 6:45-7:10 PM interaction19 Redux – Joe
• 7:10-7:20 PM Shoutouts (roles available, projects seeking volunteers, other events of interest)
• 7:20-8:00 PM Physical prototyping to design a future workplace – Sarah Forde and Tom Treffry
• 8:00 PM- Exeunt and downstairs for drinks and further discussions/networking, etc.

The presenters

Sarah Forde

Sarah Forde transitioned in to service design from management consulting in 2017 , with an enquiring mind and a passion for transforming services through the discipline of human centred design. She has developed her passion and skills over nine years, delivering complex transformation projects through service and system re-design, both in Australia and the UK.

Tom Treffry

Tom Treffry is a corporate sustainability expert, committed to helping organisations address environmental issues and create positive social impact through wellbeing and responsible procurement. Tom is an MBA candidate at AGSM and passionate about using design thinking to help organisations create shared value.

Main Photo by VanveenJF from Unsplash

April’s event will be the first run of IxDASydney’s invitational, where our call-out to the community to submit short presentation ideas bore immediate fruit. The first one joins Oli Weidlich to share their insights into creating an effective highlight reel to better communicate your findings. Then Oli will share his extensive experiences about effective intelligent agents. If you’re interested in bringing your 15 minute talk to the IxDA Sydney posse, just fill out our invitation to speak at IxDASydney.org/speaking to be considered.

The presentations

Intelligent Agents and You – Oliver Weidlich

Intelligent Agents like Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa are becoming more and more prevalent in a range of products we use; from our mobile, to our car, to our home. What’s the difference between them and more importantly what’s the difference in the relationships that you can have with them. How do you design for the personality of the Agent and the services that you’rer interacting with?

The value and ease of highlight reels – Janek Gonsalkorale

Sometimes a presentation or a slide deck just doesn’t get insights into your stakeholders heads. Highlight reels can be a great bridge for creating empathy with your customers. But who has the time for that? I hear you say, especially with all the research and synthesis you have to do. And how do I get started? Although no Werner Herzog, Janek will show you a few tips and tricks of the trade.

interaction19 Redux

Joe will present a quick review of some of the highlights from IxDA’s international conference in Seattle this February.

Agenda (please arrive before 6:15PM)

• 5:30-6:25 PM Check in, drinks, food, networking
• 6:30-6:45 PM Intro and welcome and general IxDA Sydney information
• 6:45-7:05 PM interaction19 Redux – Joe
• 7:05-7:20 PM Digestible insights – Janek Gonsalkorale
• 7:20-7:25 PM Shoutouts (roles available, projects seeking volunteers, other events of interest)
• 7:25-8:00 PM Intelligent Agents and you – Oliver Weidlich
• 8:00 PM- Exeunt and downstairs for drinks and further discussions/networking, etc.

Get Tickets

About the presenters

Oliver Weidlich

With 19 years of user experience consulting to Australia’s top companies, it’s likely you use a service that Oliver played a part in designing across mobile, desktop, wearables, smart devices, and voice. He is the Director of Design & Innovation at Mobile Experience and his clients have included Qantas, Telstra, Optus, Atlassian, NRMA, ABC, Museum of Contemporary Art, Commonwealth Bank and Westpac. He also loves working with start-ups to help them achieve their dreams, especially in the IoT & wearables space, across health, agriculture and automotive. He is an international conference speaker, advisory board member, mentor, and teaches Interaction Design at Sydney University.

Janek Gonsalkorale

Experience designer, semi-pro thinker, and under appreciated pun maker. Always up for a conversation about how much better Zack Snyder movies would be if he just listened to a screenwriter.