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!

May 2020: Successful Leadership, with Aaron Irizarry

The way organizations are approaching product development and emerging technologies is constantly changing. At the same time, our practice as designers is evolving with new tools, techniques and approaches, all surfacing at a pace that can be hard to keep up with.

What does this mean for us as leaders of teams (big or small)? How can we lead teams in progressive orgs going through digital transformation or orgs that are slower to adapt? By focusing on developing certain skills, disciplines and characteristics within ourselves as leaders, we can prepare ourselves for the challenges we face when leading our teams and working with our partners.

We also set ourselves up to be leaders who can coach, nurture and elevate our teams to be best equipped for the challenges they face as they execute on their work. In this webinar, Aaron will share insights, tools and techniques (from personal success and failures) for growing your own leadership skills, overcoming leadership challenges and successfully developing your teams.

Takeaways include:

• Gauging and improving our EQ as leaders
• The role of vulnerability and transparency in successful leadership
• Adaptive communication and leadership styles for different types of team members and partners
• Leading through enabling autonomy
• Creating personal norms for successful leadership

Bio

Aaron Irizarry, aka “Ron”, is the Head of Credit Solutions Design in Capital One’s Commercial Bank. Aaron is also the co-author of Discussing Design: Improving Communication and Collaboration through Critique. More importantly, Aaron loves connecting with people through food, is a lover of heavy metal, and a lifelong Dodgers fan.

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 May 21, 2020
5:30pm to 7:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

April 2020: Stop Solving Problems

We’re excited to welcome Steve Portigal back to uxWaterloo for our April session. Steve has presented here before, and has also presented at Fluxible Conference. What does he have for us this time?

The old maxim says we should “find a need and fill it.” While at some level that is certainly true, in this era of fetishized disruption, organizations seem to gravitate to being in the problem solving business. Steve will review several different mindsets for creating products and services, consider their benefits and risks and challenge you to go beyond a fixing mentality.

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

Please register for this free event

Thursday April 16, 2020
5:30pm to 7:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

March 2020: How to validate design methods

Note: this event has been cancelled! Selin is unable to get back to Waterloo due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, and we figured that taking a break this month was the best option.

How do you know when a particular design method will work? Or when it might work, but isn’t the best fit? In today’s session, we’ll learn some answers as Selin Üreten will share her research into design method validation and design method acceptance in the area of product development.

Selin’s background is aircraft systems engineering and as well as technology management. Since 2016 she has working in the institute for product development and mechanical engineering design (PKT) at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) in Germany, where the is currently pursuing pursuing a PhD focused on design method validation with focus on human factors.

Please register for this free event

Thursday March 19, 2020
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Communitech Hub, 2nd floor
[View on Google Maps]

January 2020: Growing Designers: A Conversation with Faire’s Robin Bigio

Every designer knows the importance of their professional development, yet continues to struggle with assessing their performance to pinpoint areas of opportunity for growth. What makes it so difficult for us to reflect on our strengths and weaknesses, and how can we partner with our leaders in building effective growth plans?

Join us at Faire for a candid discussion with their San Francisco based Head of Design, Robin Bigio, where he’ll discuss his growth path as a Designer and the challenges we all face in approaching intentional growth. Session will be moderated by Davis Neable, UX Director, Manulife.

About Robin:

Robin Bigio is an Italian-born, Silicon Valley-based Design leader that leverages the power of design-thinking to drive product innovation and organizational change.

After a brief stint at Renault’s HMI team in 2006, Robin joined the renowned design agency IDEO. In his time there he helped Western Digital create a universal design language that encompassed all products, BBVA build the future of the self-service channel(featured in the MOMA of NY) and designed the Faraday Electric Bicycle.

At IDEO.org, Robin led multidisciplinary teams in more than a dozen projects, including building a water delivery business in Nairobi, creating an early-childhood development movement for low-income parents in the US, and designing solar solutions for rural India.

As Head of Design at Faire, Robin is building a mission-driven organization that strikes the right balance between human-centered design and agile software development that allows them to ship great products every single week.

Please register for this free event

Thursday January 23, 2020
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Faire Office, 165 King St W, Kitchener, ON N2G 1A7
[View on Google Maps]

December 2019: Informal Pub Meetup

The weather outside may be frightful, but the UX conversations and drinks are so delightful. And not just delightful: thoughtful, contemplative, enlightening conversations are always a part of our pub meetups, and this December uxWaterloo session  is certain to continue that tradition. The laid-back atmosphere and conversations are a welcome addition to any wintry evening. Join us!

Please register for this free event

Thursday December 19, 2019
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Abe Erb Brewing
15 King Street South, Uptown Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario

Oct 2019: Editing and Visual Storytelling in the [Digital] Age of Distraction

Scanning for HDMI input…
Scanning for HDMI input…
…
[Where’s that stupid dongle!?!?]

This session will discuss the value of graphical communication and the importance of editing in the digital world of Ctrl-Z, auto-fill, and Google Image search. By incorporating visual storytelling, manual editing, and just generally slowing things down, you’ll find increased attention and engagement when presenting your design ideas to other people. You’ll also find out why your messy handwriting is actually a communication asset!

Attendees will :

• remember how great it was to scribble and scratch out ideas when you were a kid
• see how to present something in 2019 without a PowerPoint slide deck
• practice the art of non-digital editing

About Matt

Matt Borland, PhD, is a Lecturer in Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He works hard to make his students care about the people attached to the technology and math they are using to solve problems. His personal design interests are currently focused on exploring how musicians use new interfaces for musical expression. He also runs a local music technology workshop series under the University of Waterloo Tape Music Club name.

Please register for this free event

Thursday October 17, 2019
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Communitech Hub, 3rd floor
[View on Google Maps]

September 2019: The Changing Face of Ethical Design: Why Responsible Intent Matters More Than Ever

Design has always been about problem solving. But the scale and complexity of the problems designers face is at an all-time high as we consider designing solutions that are ethical, inclusive, and sustainable.

Focusing purely on outcomes can cause unintentional harm to humans, our communities, and society. How can we, as designers, meaningfully improve the world when the speed and continuous introduction of new technology seems to make all of us more vulnerable? What can designers do when facing conflicts of interest around creating responsible solutions?

Join us as Andy Vitale explores these questions and more.

Now more than ever, designers need to be accountable for the decisions we make and understand the lasting impact our designs leave behind.

Attendees will learn:

• What it means to design ethical, inclusive, and sustainable solutions
• Real-world examples of how thinking responsibly could have improved design outcomes
• How to embed responsibility into the design process
• Best practices for designing products with responsible intent

About Andy

Andy Vitale is the Head of User Experience Design at SunTrust Bank, where he instills the importance of design and a client-centered approach to solve problems, grow revenue, and achieve far-reaching goals. He leads a diverse and dedicated team in translating human insights into actionable experiences to both differentiate the bank and raise the bar for the finance industry.

Andy has solved problems for organizations ranging from startups to Fortune-ranked companies. He’s led a team of designers at 3M focused on enterprise healthcare software, served as a digital agency partner, and pioneered mobile experiences at Office Depot. He’s a relentless user experience evangelist, with a passion for cognitive thinking and making technology more human. He’s driven by a user-centered passion that transforms teams from capable to difference-making.

Aside from his primary role at SunTrust, Andy is an adjunct professor for Kent State University’s User Experience Design graduate program, and serves on the advisory board for multiple professional organizations and educational institutions.

He holds a Master’s degree in User Experience Design and has previously held multiple roles as a designer, entrepreneur, education department chair, and design leader, and often speaks at industry conferences and events.

Please register for this free event

Thursday September 19, 2019
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Communitech Hub, 2nd floor
[View on Google Maps]

August 2019: Informal pub meetup

In what is now a beloved summer tradition, complete with a beloved repeated text description, it’s time to replace energizing presentations and deep UX thoughts with a lighter event befitting the season. Let’s savour that summer feeling with an August uxWaterloo session that features informal talk, some of it even UX-related, and drinks. As befits any self-respecting tradition, we do this every July and August and the laid-back atmosphere and conversations are a welcome addition to any summer schedule. Join us!

And, as has become a yearly tradition, count on hearing an update on the 2019 edition of Fluxible, Canada’s UX Festival! You’ve been warned…

Please register for this free event

Thursday August 22, 2019
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Abe Erb Brewing
15 King Street South, Uptown Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario

July 2019: Informal pub meetup

In what is now a beloved summer tradition, complete with a beloved repeated text description, it’s time to replace energizing presentations and deep UX thoughts with a lighter event befitting the season. Let’s savour that summer feeling with a July uxWaterloo session that features informal talk, some of it even UX-related, and drinks. As befits any self-respecting tradition, we do this every July and August and the laid-back atmosphere and conversations are a welcome addition to any summer schedule. Join us!

And, as has become a yearly tradition, count on hearing an update on the 2019 edition of Fluxible, Canada’s UX Festival! You’ve been warned…

Please register for this free event

Thursday July 18, 2019
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Abe Erb Brewing
15 King Street South, Uptown Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario