August 2021: How We Get Wicked Good, with Karen VanHouten

Did you ever wonder why so much of our work seems harder than it should be? Does it feel like you are constantly working at altitude, trying to do more work with less oxygen? Well, Karen’s first job in tech was in 1993. That’s almost 30 years across different roles and companies, all in technology and digital products. And no matter how much more skilled we all get, things just seem to be getting harder. How do we move from barely surviving to thriving in our work?

In this talk, we’ll discuss how we get wicked good, moving from competency and mastery to sustainability, even in environments that seem to be set up for failure and eventual burnout. We’ll explore how to make our work spaces kinder, more inclusive, and more supportive of long term engagement and growth while at the same time encouraging us to be more thoughtful and intentional about the design decisions and career choices we make.

About Karen VanHouten
Karen is a curious skeptic with a fascination for beautiful messes, fostered over 20 years working in UX for enterprise solutions. Currently working as a Principal Strategist with OST (Open Systems Technologies), she helps organizations develop holistic digital strategies that account for the varied and complex human elements required to inform successful digital initiatives. She is passionate about intentionally designed work environments that support inclusion, collaboration, and space for play and experimentation. She also swears a lot, especially on twitter.

Please register for this free event

August 19 2021
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

June 2021: When Research Excludes – Reflecting on the research process and the black lives matter movement

The Black Lives Matter (#BLM) movement is raising awareness, conversation and reflection for many disciplines, including ours. Some organizations’ reactions have inspired serious changes and pledges, while others have made for social media fodder.

It is our collective responsibility to ask ourselves as researchers and designers where and how we can raise awareness and open conversation so that we steer away from deep-rooted biases. At twig+fish, we turned this lens inward on our own research practice and asked ourselves where we could improve. Too often as consultants, we are faced with organizations who are stringent with their research resources. In our continued reflections, we asked ourselves what has a “cost of not doing?” that directly relates to the #BLM movement?

Join Meena Kothandaraman, co-founder of twig+fish as she shares where resource-poor research processes are not only vulnerable to neglecting the Black voice, but more likely to completely exclude it.

As a woman of colour who has asked how she can support the BLM discourse, Meena incorporated learnings from this twig+fish study into the firm’s consulting work, as well as her graduate classroom at Bentley University.

Please join Meena for an open discussion!

About Meena

With over 30 years of experience, Meena has consulted to emphasize the strategic value and positioning of qualitative research in the design of product, space and service. Meena is fascinated by the complexity of human behavior, and applies a credible, structured and transparent approach to integrating human stories and anecdotes into mainstream processes. This ensures that research activities provide the best service to the organization, and that learning objectives are addressed to maximize potential.

Meena is a founding member of twig+fish, a research and strategy practice based in Boston, MA, that espouses these research beliefs, while maintaining a utopic work-life balance. She is also a key Lecturer in the Bentley University Human Factors and Information Design (HFID) graduate program. Over her 20+year tenure, her capstone qualitative research course has guided now-leading practitioners to integrating meaningful and successful research practices.

Note that this will be a live streaming event. For what I hope are obvious reasons we won’t be sitting together in a physical space!

Please register for this free event

June 17 2021
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

April 2021: Designing a gaming platform for kids, with Carina Ngai

To design for kids, we need to apply inclusive design principles. This is a population that is still developing their verbal and written skills. I will discuss how we explore the topic of trust and safety, how we allow kids to explore different identities via avatars and social play. We are envisioning a new form of social playground with new social interactions that are inclusive and diverse. I will also share insights from designing in the gaming space, and how designers translate research insights into actionable for products.

About Carina Ngai

Carina Ngai has been a designer in UX / Product / Research, specialized in finding product-market fit for new product categories, and emerging technologies. For the last 2 years, she has been the product design manager at Roblox, a popular social gaming platform for kids, leading the player experience design team.

Carina’s design portfolio spans across many domains in the industry such as gaming, augmented reality, education, marketplace, creation tools, data and privacy. Among them were Google, Netflix, Samsung, and Adobe. She is also active in the design community and often speaks about the practice of design research and inclusive design in various design conferences.

Note that this will be a live streaming event. For what I hope are obvious reasons we won’t be sitting together in a physical space!

Please register for this free event

April 29 2021
5:30pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

Job: Senior UX/UI Designer at FigBytes

Company Description

FigBytes is on a mission to save the world. Our software as a service (SaaS) product helps companies, cities, and universities to become more sustainable – socially, economically, and environmentally.

Our company is led by executives and founders who helped build winning companies and are leading experts in the sustainability industry.

Our headquarters are in Gatineau, Quebec; however, this job is based in Waterloo.

Job Description

We’ve built an extensive platform that addresses multiple sustainability and ESG challenges for our clients. The Senior UX/UI Designer will streamline functionality in the vast platform that we’ve developed, tackle complex tasks, and transform them into intuitive, accessible, and easy-to-use designs for the first-time user to the sophisticated expert.

To succeed in this position, the most important traits are an eye for design, a desire to create a product that the end-user loves, and always wanting to get better through learning and trial and error. Thinking about the big picture and the ability to break it down into actionable chunks is essential as well.

Achieving this goal requires collaboration with our teams of Designers, Developers, and Product Owners throughout the design process – from creating user flows and wireframes to building user interface mockups and prototypes. At each stage, the Senior UX/UI Designer will anticipate what our users need, advocate for them, and ensure that the final product surprises and delights them!

You will have a meaningful impact on the product now and into the future. We make decisions fast, move fast, and always iterate to get a better product in front of our customers. The quest to continually make FigBytes products simpler and more usable is ever-present.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the overall application design;
• Define and execute UX process across the FigBytes software platform
• Conceptualize, design, and enhance user interaction designs from concept to go-live, including page layout, user interface graphics, icons, color schemes, and content;
• Understand desired customer experience and produce innovative designs, interactions, and flows to improve the overall experience;
• Work with the team prototyping, designing, and building new features;
• Brainstorm, research, wireframe, design, and refine user experiences;
• Demonstrates creative, technical, and analytical skills;
• Demonstrates ability to communicate effectively in both technical and business environments;
• Operate effectively as a member of the off-site development team;
• Also operates effectively as an individual for quick turnaround of enhancements and fixes;
• Implement designs and fully code applications front to back end using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.

Required Skills

• Education in human-computer interaction (HCI), UX design, or an equivalent field
• Ability to execute a design process of research, ideation, and validation
• Experience with user research and usability testing
• A great portfolio with work samples that demonstrate a diverse set of software designs
• Analytical, problem-solving aptitude, able to solve problems creatively and effectively;
• Excellent visual design skills with sensitivity to user-system interaction;
• Current with the latest web trends, techniques, and technologies;
• Excellent communication skills, effective oral and written communication in English;
• Enjoys being challenged, constantly learning, and solving problems;
• Education and Experience
• University degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field or similar foundation of knowledge;
• Proven experience (5 years +) as a UX/UI Designer
• Experience in the field of sustainability shall be considered an asset.

Additional Information

Please include URLs for an online portfolio in addition to your resume. Submissions without a portfolio included will not be considered at this time.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Apply here.

February 2021: Duet, an intercontinental collaboration that makes connections

Duet is a digital artwork about finding space for reflection, expression and connection in our daily lives, an intimate experience between strangers.

Duet is a collaboration between Invisible Flock (UK) and Quicksand (India).

Duet is an app that pairs participating individuals and invites them to exchange details of their lives by answering a question a day, building new anonymous space and connections. Prompted by Duet, a participant gradually builds a picture of their partner and their surroundings through anonymous shared messages, while also finding a moment for reflection in their own lives and surroundings.

Duet is a work that seeks to challenge the ways in which we interact online. Duet is not social media, it is also not a game. Instead it operates in a different space – a slow, dreamy experiential space where you are invited to share small glimpses of life with someone new.

Quicksand

Quicksand is an interdisciplinary consultancy. We facilitate the creation of meaningful experiences through design research and innovation.

Babitha George, a partner in Quicksand, believes in the strength of interdisciplinary approaches; her prior work in education prompted her to actively think about non-traditional roles of design thinking, subsequently leading her to steer Quicksand’s social innovation projects. Babitha anchors Quicksand’s Bangalore studio and is also on the Advisory Board of the Victor Papanek Foundation.

Romit Raj is a software developer, researcher and systems architect. He has been developing and supporting technology projects for over a decade. At Quicksand, Romit leads several projects that have broad technology components. Recently, Romit has been working towards building Quicksand’s portfolio in the environment and conservation sectors.

Invisible Flock

Invisible Flock are an award-winning interactive arts studio based at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park operating at the intersection of art and technology.

Ben Eaton is technical director and co-founder of Invisible Flock studio. Invisible flock work at the intersections of art and technology, using creative methodologies and interventions to offer new perspectives and practical solutions currently mostly in health and conservation spaces.

Victoria Pratt is Creative director and co-founder of Invisible Flock studio. Invisible flock work at the intersections of art and technology, using creative methodologies and interventions to offer new perspectives and practical solutions currently mostly in health and conservation spaces.

Note the special 8:00am EST start time for this event.

Note that this will be a live streaming event. For what I hope are obvious reasons we won’t be sitting together in a physical space!

Please register for this free event

February 18 2021
8:00am ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

Jobs: Multiple research and design positions at Compass Digital Labs

Compass Digital Labs has multiple UX positions available right now. Check them out:

• Senior UX Researcher
• Senior Data Product Designer
• Senior Product Designer, Mobile Ordering
• Product Design Manager

November: How Design Makes The World, with Scott Berkun

Do you wish more people understood good design and valued good designers? Or that your organization gave more power and influence to UX roles? Author Scott Berkun’s new book, How Design Makes The World shows the way, with inspiring new stories about the importance of design, and tactics for helping everyone appreciate good design and why it matters in their work and daily lives. He’ll share lessons from the book and offer advice on how to make design and user research more influential in your organization.

As a very cool bonus, we’ll be giving away some copies of How Design Makes The World to lucky attendees.

Scott is a bestselling author and popular speaker on creativity, leading projects, culture, business and many other subjects. He’s a former interaction designer and project manager who worked for many years at Microsoft and WordPress.com. He’s the author of eight books, including The Myths of Innovation, Confessions of a Public Speaker, and The Year Without Pants. His work has appeared, in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Guardian, Wired magazine, USA Today, Fast Company, National Public Radio, CNN, NPR, MSNBC and other media. His popular blog is at scottberkun.com and he tweets at @berkun.

We’re excited to be presenting this event along with our friends over at ProductTank Waterloo.

Note that this will be a live streaming event. For what I hope are obvious reasons we won’t be sitting together in a physical space!

Please register for this free event

Thursday November 19, 2020
5:30pm to 7:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

October 2020: Designing streets for people

Our uxWaterloo events are most often about digital experiences, but there are obviously more kinds of experience than those.

For the past several decades, street design has largely centred on the user experience of one particular way of getting around – the automobile. So what happens when that focus expands to include a whole range of user experiences? The needs and expectations of pedestrians, cyclists and transit users can differ significantly from those of drivers, leading to new street designs that create options for how people move and get around the city.

Hear from City of Kitchener staff on new approaches to street design, including current plans for a downtown cycling grid that is safe, comfortable and convenient for all ages and abilities. And of course, COVID-19 has impacted street design just like everything else in society. Hear about expanded patio space and pop-up bike lanes too!

This talk is led by Darren Kropf, an Active Transportation Planning Project Manager with the City of Kitchener. Darren specializes in Complete Streets and bikeway design. He lives in Kitchener and can often be spotted taking his kids around the neighbourhood on his cargo bike, frequently stopping for ice cream along the way. Darren spoke at Fluxible 2019 and led a cycling tour of the city.

Note that this will be a live streaming event. For what I hope are obvious reasons we won’t be sitting together in a physical space!

Please register for this free event

Thursday October 15, 2020
5:30pm to 7:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

July 2020: Fostering Trust in Your Brand and Beyond, with Margot Bloomstein

In this session Margot Bloomstein, Principal of Appropriate, Inc., explains how designers can build trust.

In today’s economy, organizations need a new strategy to earn trust, act with transparency, and help consumers and citizens make confident decisions. But undermining confidence is cynicism: it erodes trust in the media, government, public institutions, and consumer brands. To regain the trust of consumers and citizens, marketers talk about empathy and authenticity. But how do you get beyond those buzzwords? Give more control to your audience—and they’ll put more trust in you.

We must empower our audiences to earn their trust. Our tactical choices in content and design can engage, educate, and ultimately empower people. Drawing on examples from retail, publishing, government, and other industries, learn how voice, volume, and vulnerability can inform your design and content strategy to earn the trust of your users. Let’s address the tough questions: How do brands develop rapport when audiences let emotion cloud logic? Is there a place for vulnerability in corporate strategy? And what’s the role of command and control consistency in the creative work of a corporate enterprise? These questions can drive design choices in organizations of any size and industry—and the way we respond can empower users and rebuild our ability to trust in society itself.

Margot Bloomstein consults, writes, and speaks about content strategy and how brands build trust through content—especially right now, as we all embrace a new normal for trust, transparency, and empowered communication. The principal of Appropriate, Inc., she’s the author of the seminal Content Strategy at Work and Trustworthy: How the Smartest Brands Beat Cynicism and Bridge the Trust Gap, coming in March 2021 from Page Two Books. For 20 years, she has helped shape the content strategy industry by leading workshops, keynoting conferences, and consulting for communications, marketing, and UX teams in a range of institutions. Margot’s work in message architecture-driven content strategy informs the communication of the American Montessori Society, messaging at Sallie Mae, crisis response at Harvard University, and cultural tourism in the state of Nevada. Her clients also include Fidelity, Lovehoney, Scholastic, and Lindt and Sprüngli. A participant in the inaugural Content Strategy Consortium and featured speaker at SXSW, Margot is a popular keynote speaker at corporate events, conferences, and in private workshops around the world. She also produces BrandSort and teaches in the graduate program of FH Joanneum University in Graz, Austria. She advises Women Talk Design, a network of underrepresented speakers in design and adjacent industries, and actively participates in discussion around content, design, and trust on Twitter at @mbloomstein.

Note that this will be a live streaming event. For what I hope are obvious reasons we won’t be sitting together in a physical space!

Please register for this free event

Thursday July 23, 2020
5:30pm to 7:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

June 2020: The atomic unit of design is the team, with Peter Merholz

At the heart of most agile development frameworks are small, cross-functional squads. And in those squads resides a lone designer, collaborating with a product owner and engineers. This model has lead to the quest for the Unicorn designer, the broadly skilled individual who can do interaction design, visual design, and maybe even content and research as well!

This trend has potentially terrible ramifications on the practice of design in companies. In this talk, Peter will explain why the Team, not any one designer, is the Atomic Unit of Design Organizations. Drawing upon his experience from shaping teams at Adaptive Path, through his work as a VP of Design and now management consultant for design orgs, he’ll walk through the process of intentionally creating a strong, diverse team, what behaviors and norms enable a team to behave at their best, and explain why the Team Lead is the most important role in your design organisation (yes, even more than Head of Design).

Note that this will be a live streaming event. For what I hope are obvious reasons we won’t be sitting together in a physical space!

Please register for this free event

Thursday June 18, 2020
5:30pm to 7:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!