Sessions at The Future of Web Design London 2012 on Tuesday 15th May

When a friend once remarked "generalists will save the world, not specialists", Brendan realised that whilst he will never save the world, he is very much a generalist. But whilst his career has seen him go from making underground breakbeat albums, to web design and now physical objects, there has always been one consistent theme that runs through out all the work – the love and joy of making. In this session, Brendan will talk about some of his core beliefs when it comes to all kinds of design and how the process of making something is just as important as the final product.

As web designers we love to boast about our user centric approach to web design, but what about our clients? Most web designers resent clients, seeing them as a barrier to producing great websites. However, a website doesn't just need to meet users needs it also must meet the needs of your clients. Web design is not just about building websites. Its about providing a service to our clients. In this talk Paul looks at how to establish a collaborative relationship with your clients that produces websites far better than you could build in isolation.

HTML5 offers lots of new types of interaction. These new more powerful interactions mean we have a greater set of solutions available to us. But with great power comes great responsibility. In this session Joe Leech will share his experience with user research to show just because we can use sliders & spinners doesn't mean we should. You'll learn how to use the new features of HTML5 so that you and your users get the absolute most from them.

Art direction in traditional media involves the measured and meticulous control of a visual style across a product, exhibition or campaign. An art director would oversee all aspects of the visual, establishing structure and layout, whilst ensuring graphic elements such as typography, illustration and photography communicated a consistent visual message. The web has moved the goal posts however, handing over increasingly more control to end users and third party tools. So what role does art direction play in a world of choice, customisation and user generated content? In his presentation, James will discuss the role of the art direction within large web projects and teams, exploring the challenges of delivering brand consistency across multiple devices, environments and applications. Whilst also proposing a more flexible and dynamic approach to brand guidelines, calling on developers, UX, writers, marketeers and clients, to help champion the principles of good design, rather than simply adhere to a strict, rigid set of rules. So what role does art direction play in a world of choice and customisation? In this talk, James will discuss the role of the art direction in large web projects. Exploring the challenges in delivering consistency across multiple devices, operating systems and browsers, whilst looking at the shift from the purely visual, to communication based on content strategy, UI patterns, feedback, transitions and user experience.

Are you new to jQuery? Maybe you’ve been using it for a while? Regardless of your skillset or previous experience, join Matt Gifford, developer, author, speaker and lover of jQuery, as he reviews why you should be using it, how not to use it, and some vital tips to assist your jQuery development as well as some common pitfalls to watch out for.

In this session, Robin will delve into iOS and Android accessibility and what accessible and inaccessible apps look like to end users. He will also discuss the options for successfully creating apps that are inclusive and easy to use – giving you the largest possible audience for your next mobile masterpiece.

We've often been taught to "go for a walk" when we are stuck for inspiration, or to let our ideas "incubate". However, there is a fine line between ruminating and thinking in a vacuum. Sharing a few practical tools in her user experience strategy toolbox, Steph will introduce some simple but powerful techniques to help you unpack the design problem you are trying to solve, and show how user research can inspire relevant ideas. Whether you're building a web or mobile app, thinking about a new product or planning a new business venture - this session will empower you with tools that you can use right away.

With the rise of mobile we, as web designers, now have a few more things to worry about. No longer can we simply concern ourselves with browsers and screen resolutions. These are no the only things that impact how our design will be accessed. Now the physical environment in which our UX is used plays a huge role in the design process. Web design is not just about building websites. Its about providing relevant content and functionality to the user within the context in which they are accessing our services. In this talk Rob looks at how to understand your users context and the potential implications for the services that we provide.

Co-founder of Fontdeck and Mapalong, and web typography aficionado, Jon Tan, takes to the stage to guide us through 40 minutes of the best of web typography.

Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote, said that "in a world of infinite software choice, people gravitate towards the products with the best overall user experience." But how do we define, create and perfect ‘user experience’ in our web apps? In this talk we'll examine the very best web apps from around the world, analysing design trends and the latest development techniques, and taking away practical tips to help create a wonderful user experience in our own applications.We'll also discover that the choices designers and developers make every day can illicit powerful emotional responses in users. By understanding how our work affects user experience we can start to build web apps that users have a positive relationship with, turning 'great' into 'awesome' and 'usable' into 'joyful' along the way.

You know it’s time to redesign when your design is becoming your own bottleneck — incapable of reflecting your changes, values and the new direction of your enterprise. If your list of necessary UX improvements is getting longer, yet you can’t meaningfully integrate them in your current design, that’s a clear sign that something has to change. That’s exactly the issue Smashing Magazine's team faced before it decided to redesignSmashing Magazine. In this talk Vitaly Friedman, the founder and editor-in-chief of Smashing Magazine, provides practical insights into the responsive redesign process of Smashing Magazine's new site. The talk explains the decisions made and rejected along the way and describes how designing in the browser using only HTML5 and CSS3 is both necessary and powerful in the responsive design process.

Andy is an API masher gone legit at Spotify. How did he get here? And what possible use do they have for him? Have a peek inside the front-end Web Dev experience at Spotify, including how they are bringing web technologies into the desktop client, and some of the challenges that this can bring.

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, developers and designers worked in harmony creating amazing web sites and applications. Back on Earth though it's not quite the fairy tale story. Remy's a developer, who has worked with more than healthy handful designers over the last decade and more ("but he's so young and good looking!" we hear you cry). His session will share what worked and what didn't, tips and tricks to make life a little easier. What's simple in a design to implement and what was hard. How he looks for risk in a project and how that's shared with the designers and client. How do you quote and how do you get your quotes right. When to choose an off the shelf library or when to build something bespoke.