Sessions at Big Design Conference 2012 about Careers

Friday 1st June 2012

• UX Army Field Guide

  by Austin Govella

  In your career, you'll need to employ some survival tactics. In this talk, we'll review some of the fundamental principles for employing design power. We will look at special tactics for UX insurgency, neutralization of common foes, and how-tos for procedures important to designers serving in the field.

  • Careers
  • User Experience

  At 1:00pm to 2:00pm, Friday 1st June

  In Live Oak Room, Addison Crowne Plaza Hotel

• Everyday Conflicts: Strategic Paths to Successful Conversations

  by Preston McCauley

  As designers we run into an extreme amount of tension. Let's face it, this won't change. With the potential for vital conversation at any moment of the design process, how can you prepare yourself for battle without going to war?

  Workplace conflict, arguments, discussions - Whatever you want to call it, these heated debates can bring design to a halt, emotions to a peak, and projects to disaster. Join me in this interactive panel as we look a the challenges of political agendas and the perils we face to bring about great design.

  What You Will Learn

  • Impact of Conversational Problems - Quick overview of issues that arise when we handle conversations incorrectly.
  • The Warning Signs - We will take a look at indicators of an important conversation (verbal, body cues, internal triggers, etc.)
  • Analysis of Past Conversations & Interactions - We will look at some example design / interaction conversations examples.
  • Removing YourSelf From The Situation - We will look at techniques to help divorce yourself from the conversation so you can present your most important goals effectively.
  • Conversational design patterns - Lastly, we will take a look at apply design patterns to conversations to help identify problematic situations quicker.
  • Careers
  • Collaboration

  At 2:00pm to 3:00pm, Friday 1st June

  In Live Oak Room, Addison Crowne Plaza Hotel

• Core Focus: What Job Are You Doing?

  by Marcelo Somers

  Companies must continually ask themselves, 'Are we in the steam locomotive business, or in the transportation business?' Companies do not last forever. As a matter of fact, over the last 35 years, no technology company has maintained prosperity the entire time. This is shorter than the average time a person will be employed.

  So with behemoths like Kodak dying off year by year, how can a company maintain long-lasting prosperity? We will explore "Jobs To Be Done" - a framework that asks the question of what job consumers "hire" products to solve.

  The most famous example of the application of this framework is a fast food restaurant's attempt to improve sales of milk shakes. At first, they tried to improve the product through customer segmentation. What they learned though is that customers were "hiring" milkshakes as a breakfast alternative that entertains during the morning commute. By better understanding, and addressing this job, they were able to gain share against their real competitors: boredom and bagels.

  This presentation will be an interactive discussion, including workshop elements and take aways on how to better evaluate the job to be done.

  • Careers

  At 3:00pm to 4:00pm, Friday 1st June

  Coverage video slide deck