Last Call for Registration for UX Week 2007
We’re packing our bags and heading to Washington, DC for next week’s UX Week 2007. This is your last call to register and take advantage of our 15% discount (“NEWS”), just for newsletter subscribers. See you in DC.
Brandon Discusses Target’s ClearRX system with Deborah Adler
Brandon Schauer, Design Strategist at Adaptive Path, talked to Deborah Adler, designer of the ClearRX pill bottle, about her experience designing Target’s ClearRX system. Deborah Adler will be keynoting the first day of Adaptive Path’s UX Week 2007 in Washington DC, August 13-16.
Brandon Schauer [BS]: Your session at UX Week it’s titled “ClearRX from Masters Thesis to Medicine Cabinet.” Can you give us a quick summary of what ClearRX really is?
Deborah Adler [DA]: Sure, ClearRX is a packing system for people who use prescription medicine. It makes it easier for people to understand how to take their medicine.
BS: But Target didn’t ask you to design this?
DA: They did not. Actually, my project began as a student project. I was getting my Masters at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, and the program is called Designer as Author; you have to come up with a product and effectively and eventually bring it to market. At the time, I was coming up with my thesis and my grandmother accidentally took my grandfather’s medicine; they were both prescribed the same drug, but just different dosage strengths. When I looked in their medicine cabinet, I wasn’t at all surprised by their befuddlement because it turned out that their package was practically identical. So that’s when I decided, “Hey, maybe I’ll redesign the prescription bottle for my thesis.” And that’s what I did, and after I did that I brought it to Target.
Read the rest of Brandon’s interview of Deborah Adler.
Todd’s “Why Usability is a Path to Failure” Sparks Discusson on the IxDA
Todd Wilkens’ blog post: Why Usability is a Path to Failure sparked a lively discussed on the IxDA’s discussion boards. Check out the commentary for yourself.
Kate Learns What’s New in Participatory Design with Liz Sanders
Kate Rutter recently spoke with Liz Sanders of MakeTools, a design research company that focuses on collaborative creativity about the participatory process and it’s impact on design. Liz has worked across a variety of mediums, including interactive/web, industrial design and architecture and will be leading two UX Week sessions on Participatory Design.
Kate Rutter [KR]: So, Liz…the burning question is…”what is participatory design?”
Liz Sanders [LS]: What I think it is, first and foremost, is a mindset. I think the mindset is critical; and the mindset is that all people are creative and have the ability to become a part of design.
What we’re doing in participatory design is involving the people who we’re serving through design as participants in the process. We’re involving them in as co-creators of the whole process. If you don’t believe people are creative, then you really can’t do this.
KR: How does that work in practice? What does participatory design look like?
LS: Sure, I’ll give you an example from a recent project. Right now, I’m working with NBBJ which is an architecture firm. We’re designing a hospital project, working with healthcare professionals, community, and designers in visioning and designing to support the experience of the new hospital.
What we’re doing now is putting the building in a much larger context and using participatory methods, tool kits, and materials to get people thinking not just of the building, but the potential future journeys that people in the community might take ten years in the future.
Read the rest of Kate’s interview of Liz Sanders.
Abstracts & Early Bird Registration Available for MX East
We’re gearing up for our next big conference, MX East, with an invite to early bird registration. (Plus the usual 15% with discount code “NEWS.”) And as a teaser, check out some of the abstract highlights from our session speakers.
Mark Jones, IDEO, The Role of Service Design
Nearly every service company wants to introduce market-changing new services. But innovation is rare among service companies, much less new services that dramatically change the marketplace. There are several factors contributing to this lack of innovation: service companies are typically silo’d, there are many competing agendas, and change is expensive in service companies, so safe ideas win. But there are ways that service companies can raise their chances of developing a truly innovative service and get it to market. This talk will present strategies that have allowed IDEO to successfully collaborate with a broad range of service companies in designing and piloting radically innovative services. We will discuss what service companies can do to avoid common mistakes and improve their chances for market-changing innovation.
Khoi Vinh, The New York Times, New Design in an Old Company: Building a UX Team in a Transitional Environment:
Design Director Khoi Vinh, draws lessons from how he assembled a small, capable and enthusiastic design team inside a large organization facing enormous transitional challenges. Building on a foundation of good user experience practice, Vinh will look at designing new products in a fluid environment, focusing on core strengths while avoiding distractions, and creating the right conditions for superb design.
Chris Conley, Gravity Tank, Building a Creative Culture:
Most professionals, especially those managing experience, desire a work environment that is stimulating and productive. However, most exist in an environment best described as frenetic. Many find they are working harder than ever and yet aren’t deriving much professional satisfaction. In this presentation, Chris will present his work on the values and behaviors that underlie a creative and productive culture. Learn how exploration, tangibility, critique, team structure, and other factors combine to turn frenetic into prolific.
Adaptive Path is on the Road to Vancouver
We’re taking our popular UX Intensive workshop series to Vancouver, BC this November 12-15. This intermediate-to-advanced workshop series examines the four key elements that contribute to a successful interactive experience: Design Strategy, Design Research, Interaction Design and Information Architecture.
Take advantage of early bird registration for all four-days or customize your experience with single day registration. As always, you’re welcome to use discount code “NEWS” for an additional 15% off the cover price.
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Sign up to receive essays, appearance dates, and other news from Adaptive Path.