UX & Product Management: Two (well, three) Upcoming Events
Posted: December 16, 2015 Filed under: conferences, events, presentations | Tags: agile, product management, user experience, UX Comments Off on UX & Product Management: Two (well, three) Upcoming EventsIt’s almost as if we planned it.
Back in November, we began discussing our programming slate for the first half of 2016. In addition to hosting World IA Day on February 20th and chairing the UX track of InnovateVA on March 25th, we discussed having an event on product teams in January (Building Balanced Core Teams, January 20th at Snagajob).
Then earlier this month, Rosenfeld Media announced that they would be producing an event on Product Management and UX called, well, Product Management + User Experience. Given the success of our two previous virtual conference events, we figured: yeah…why not. So, in addition to our Core Team event on January 20th, we will hosting Rosenfeld Media’s PM+UX two weeks later to the day, on February 3rd at Gather.
As if that weren’t enough for you: friend of RUX and RVA Jeff Gothelf will be returning to Richmond on February 9th for an all-day workshop on Lean UX in the Enterprise. We’re not producing Jeff’s event, but we’re happy to help promote it!
So, that’s the news. Tickets to Building Balanced Core Teams are on sale now, with Early Bird pricing through January 10th; tickets for the virtual conference on PM+UX are also on sale now for $25. Follow the links to Eventbrite pages with detail on content, timing, and locations.
Hope to see you at two or three of these!
RUX December – 2015 Year-End Event
Posted: November 23, 2015 Filed under: events, meetings | Tags: information architecture, interaction design, user experience, UX Comments Off on RUX December – 2015 Year-End Event
Get ready for our first annual year-end recap and networking event!
2015 was a banner year for Richmond UX, and on December 2nd we want to celebrate with as many of you as can make it. In addition to networking and getting to know each other better, we will recap 2015 and look ahead to 2016. As important, we want to hear from you. What’s been working, what could be improved, and how can we better fulfill our mission: to be the source for the theory and practice of user experience, research, design, and evaluation in the Central Virginia region; to promote the value of User Experience methods to businesses, schools, and other entities; and to cultivate a community of UX-related professionals through knowledge sharing, professional development, and networking.
What
5-5:30 – Networking
5:30-6 – 2015 Recap
6-6:30 – Open Forum
6:30-7+ – Networking
When
December 2nd from 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Where
Capital Ale House Innsbrook
4024 Cox Road
Glen Allen, VA 23060
We look forward to seeing you there!
RUX October – User Research in the Age of the Customer
Posted: October 15, 2015 Filed under: meetings, panel discussion | Tags: eye tracking, usability, user research, UX Comments Off on RUX October – User Research in the Age of the Customer
On October 28th, RichmondUX will be hosting and moderating a panel discussion on User Research. In addition to local UX and CX professionals from CarMax, CapitalOne, CapTech Consulting, and Singlestone Consulting, Richmond UX is proud to welcome Service Design expert Rebecca Horton to Richmond for our discussion.
Note: Eventbrite registration is required for this event. Earlybird tickets are $5; General Admission is $7 after October 25th; and tickets will be $10 at the door. Student tickets are free (valid student ID required).
Abstract
Given that User Centered Design seems to be common wisdom—if not always common practice—what is the state of user research and where is it heading? As early as 2011, Forrester Research has been touting the “Age of the Customer,” and has been entreating businesses to focus on the “Customer Experience.” But well before CEOs and CMOs were reading about user research in industry publications and attending CX conferences, UX practitioners were busy in the trenches observing, surveying, and working with users to understand their needs. During the discussion, we’ll dig into questions like:
- Who owns (or should own) user research in the organization?
- Is there such a thing as a UX process without user research?
- How much research is enough?
- What are the differences between market research and user research?
- What user research methods provide the most bang for the buck?
We’ll leave plenty of time for audience questions, so come prepared!
Agenda
4:30-5:00 – Networking & Announcements
5:00-5:45 – Panel Discussion
5:45-6:00 – Q&A
Location
The Depot (VCU)
814 W Broad St
Richmond, VA 23220
Sponsors
RUX August—The Power of CSS Flexbox
Posted: August 15, 2015 Filed under: events, presentations | Tags: front-end development, interaction design, responsive web design, UX, visual design, web design Comments Off on RUX August—The Power of CSS Flexbox
Note: Eventbrite registration is required for this event.
On August 26th, RichmondUX is excited to host a long overdue presentation on a topic in the intersection between interaction design, UI design, and front-end development. IT Analyst at VCU and long-time RUX member Gaurav Gupta will talk about the Power of CSS Flexbox.
Tickets are $5 through August 21st and $7 thereafter, available via Eventbrite. (Tickets will be $10 at the door.)
Abstract
Web developers have been trying to solve layout issues since the dawn of web. We started with tables, then floats and grids—each technique had its limitations. Thanks to Flexbox, it’s all about to change.
Flexbox is one of the most promising yet underutilized additions to the CSS3 specification. Using this layout model you can arrange elements in any direction, align them, distribute the space, assign sizes, stretch or shrink them to fit in parent element, wrap or rearrange them—all with far less CSS compared to grids.
Flexbox truly shines when used in responsive design. Changing the visual order, alignment, assigning proportional sizes of your boxes becomes a breeze. During this presentation, you will learn the basics of Flexbox specification and explore some of its practical uses.
Date: Wednesday, August 26th, 2015 from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Location: Gather RVA, 409 E Main Street, Richmond
Schedule
- 4:30-5:00pm – Networking
- 5:00-5:45 – Featured Speaker
- 5:45-6:00 – Q&A
- 6:00-6:30 – Socialize/Networking
Who should attend? Interaction and UI designers, front-end developers, UX practitioners. Create web based products or services? This session is for you. Get your ticket today. Get your ticket today.
About Gaurav
Gaurav Gupta is an IT Analyst in the Office of the Vice Provost for Learning Innovation and Student Success at Virginia Commonwealth University. In his current position Gaurav wears multiple hats. As a web designer and developer, he builds websites and web applications with an eye towards simplicity and usability. In his administrator role, he has led the implementation of University’s online course evaluation system and manages its day-to-day operations. As a tech expert, he gets to play with the latest instructional technology.
RUX June—Designers & Content Creators: Make Love, Not War
Posted: May 30, 2015 Filed under: events, presentations | Tags: content strategy, design, UX, visual design Comments Off on RUX June—Designers & Content Creators: Make Love, Not War
Note: Eventbrite registration is required for this event.
On June 17th, RichmondUX and RVA Content Strategy are proud to welcome Christine Cawthorne and Jon Kohrs to Richmond to reprise their SXSW 2015 talk about resolving the conflicts that often affect the relationships between content creators and designers.
Tickets are $7 through June 2nd and $10 thereafter, available via Eventbrite. (Tickets will be $15 at the door.)
Abstract
The tension between designers and copywriters is at all-time high. Both designers of information, they need to get off their high horses, put their egos to one side and talk to each other. Users come to websites to get information, not to look at design, so content needs to be high up in the priority of a web build. Writers and designers both want to control the show, but if they start with UX in mind, the end result is much better for users.
This ‘marriage therapy’ session, based on cognitive behavioral techniques, will showcase how you can resolve the conflicts you’ve experienced – whether you are a Mr. Content or a Mrs. Designer. We’ll interactively assess the problems we face and work to resolve the arguments. We’ll find a way to build digital experiences together that are right for the user and – ultimately – the marriage too.
Date: Wednesday, June 17th, 2015 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Location: The Depot (VCU), 814 W Broad Street, Richmond
Schedule
- 4:00-4:30pm – Networking
- 4:30-5:15 – Featured Speakers
- 5:15-5:30 – Q&A
- 5:30-6:00 – Socialize/Networking
Who should attend? Anybody who researches, manages, designs, or builds user experiences and anybody who plans, creates, and edits content for these experiences. Whether you are a member of Team Content or Team Design, please join us for this lively debate conversation. Get your ticket today. Get your ticket today.
About Christine
Christine is an online copywriter with a background in journalism at the BBC. Having worked as a homepage editor for Yahoo, AOL and BT, she has translated this experience into writing content and managing social media accounts for brands including Pizza Hut, Paul Smith, Nokia, Boots and many smaller companies. Christine is currently working on the GOV.UK project, training people in government departments and agencies about user needs and how to write for the web. She combines her passion for stories with a keen interest in how people actually use and consume content on the web. Christine also teaches students at the University of Sheffield and the University of Derby, helping educate the storytellers of tomorrow.
About Jon
Jon is the UX director at a national government agency and owner of Fresh Eggs, a UX consultancy in Kansas City. On the side, Jon and his wife raise two kids and are pursuing raising a social startup, Stand Up For Good. Jon grew up on a small farm in rural Kansas and built his first website at age 10 using Paintbrush and Notepad. Since graduating from Kansas State University, he has been responsible for a broad range of UIs over the last decade, leading teams and strategy to deliver better experiences inside the government and for nonprofit activities. He is passionate about connecting the dots and finding unique patterns to solve problems, especially those that bring about meaningful social change. He uses analogies in nearly everything he does and blogs about them at http://justinthemiddle.com.
Sponsors
RUX May: People Skills for UX
Posted: May 1, 2015 Filed under: conferences, events, presentations | Tags: methodology, UX Comments Off on RUX May: People Skills for UX
Note: Eventbrite registration is required for this event.
Back in November, we hosted a local, sold-out viewing of the UX Futures virtual conference, presented by Rosenfeld Media. Those who attended thought watching the online sessions together—and networking before, during and after—featured all the benefits of a larger, one-day conference, minus the hassle of travel. We asked if you’d like to participate in an event like that again, and the response was a resounding “yes!” Rosenfeld Media has announced their next virtual conference, and we are excited to bring you, People Skills for UX. See below for more details, from Rosenfeld Media.
Tickets are $25, available via Eventbrite.
People Skills for UX
The skills no one told you you needed.
Many of us feel comfortable managing the nuts and bolts of research and design. What stumps us are people—delightfully difficult, unpredictable, and irrational. How do we get better at understanding, collaborating with, and motivating the people who are integral to our efforts to make experiences better?
In People Skills for UX, our one-day virtual conference, we’ll explore four critical soft skills themes: listening, facilitation, negotiation, and leadership. We’ll do it with a unique outside-in twist: pairing presentations by experts from outside the design world with responses from UX experts who are deeply in it. If you’re interested in the people skills that are behind great user experience design, please join us.
AGENDA
10-11:30am: Negotiation
Conflict is a natural part of life in general and UX work in particular—whether you’re at an agency or in-house, whether you’re the design director or you just joined the team. When competing for projects, collaborating with developers, or bargaining for better salaries. Negotiation is how we align our conflicting interests. How can we negotiate the best deals & mash the ones where both parties come out as “winners”?
- 10-10:45am: Michelle Katz, formerly VP of Business and Legal Affairs, Universal Studios New Media
- 10:45-11:15am: Harry Max, VP Product, AllClear ID
- 11:15-11:30am: Discussion
11:30-11:45am: Break
11:45am-1:15pm: Facilitation
Statistics suggest that 37% of our time is spent in meetings—and it isn’t exactly spent productively, much less enjoyably. Effective facilitation changes the equation by making groups work—functionally and culturally—by squaring individuals’ needs with organizational dynamics and goals. What does it take to facilitate in ways that transform our meetings—and our organizations?
- 11:45am-12:30pm: David Sibbet, President and Founder, The Grove Consultants International
- 12:30-1:00: Kevin M. Hoffman, author of Meeting Design (forthcoming)
- 1:00-1:15 Discussion
1:15-2:15 pm: Lunch break
2:15-3:45 pm: Listening
Listening is one of the most critically important—and misunderstood—human skills. As a matter of course, we listen—but few us know how to really listen. We regularly miss out on opportunities to challenge our own assumptions about the people around us and to learn what makes them tick. How can we listen more effectively to our colleagues and customers, better understand their motivations and environments, and align our work with their goals?
- 2:15-3:00pm: Julian Treasure, author of Sound Business and TED speaker
- 3:-3:30pm: Steve Portigal, author of Interviewing Users
3:30-3:45pm: Discussion
3:30-3:45pm: Break
4:00-5:30 pm: Leadership
Leadership is in flux. Organizations, their business models and their cultures are changing dramatically, and traditional command/control models are increasingly irrelevant. Leaders must rely on new approaches: modeling productive behaviors, working alongside their teams, inspiring possible futures, encouraging independence, and even celebrating mistakes.
- 4-4:45pm: Jennifer Pahlka, Founder and Executive Director, Code for America
- 4:45-5:15pm: Kim Goodwin, author of Designing for the Digital Age and VP of UX, PatientsLikeMe
5:15-5:30pm: Discussion
After the last session we will be raffling off some terrific UX-related prizes, including the Grand Prize: the entire Rosenfeld UX library in digital format to one lucky winner!
Your cost to join us at Gather is just $25. On your own, this event would cost $179—with no discussions, door prizes, or networking. To attend an event of this caliber outside Richmond would be an even greater investment of time and money. Seating is limited…get your ticket today!
Thank you to our sponsors:
RUX April: Content First Design w/Stephanie Hay
Posted: March 31, 2015 Filed under: events, presentations | Tags: content strategy, design, methodology, UX Comments Off on RUX April: Content First Design w/Stephanie Hay
On April 29, RichmondUX—along with RVA Content Strategy—is proud to welcome Stephanie Hay, Instructor of “Writing for Web and Mobile: a Lean Approach,” to Richmond to talk about Content-First Design. Registration is free but required, and closes at 4 PM on April 28. Reserve your seat via Eventbrite.
We spend a lot of time trying to solve communication problems through design. We design first, write later, and end up iterating endlessly, only to start the process over again — design first, words last. What would happen if we wrote the words first—agnostic of technology or channel—and then designed an experience to bring those words to life? That’s what Steph Hay and her content strategy team are doing at Capital One. She’ll show us content-first techniques—like content prototypes, language boards, and conversation maps—that result in faster learning, fewer iterations, a more cohesive voice and tone, and higher engagement.
Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2015 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM (EST) Location: Capital One Town Center, 15075 Capital One Drive, Room C1, Richmond Schedule
- 5:00-5:30pm – Networking
- 5:30-6:15 – Steph’s presentation
- 6:15-6:30 – Q&A
- 6:30-7:00 – Socialize/Networking
How do I get tickets? This event is free to attend, but we have limited seating available. RSVPs on our Meetup site will not guarantee you a seat. Please register using Eventbrite to save your place. Who should attend? Anybody who researches, manages, designs, or builds user experiences, especially if you think about creating interaction architecture or writing for digital. OK, so who is Steph? Steph Hay is a pioneer of content-first design and Lean Content testing, two low-risk methods for proving traction before building a product. She leads Capital One’s Content Strategy team, which designs experiences “to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time,” and she also runs their weekly design shares (across 11 locations and 150 design team members). Steph’s a two-time startup founder, former consultant (working with Ben & Jerry’s and Coldwell Banker), international speaker, and mentor (500 Startups, The Lean Startup Conference, and CV Labs). Ask her anytime about Ohio, CrossFit, or ramen noodles—three things she loves. Thank you to our sponsor!: Capital One 
RUX February—The Story in the System: The Collision of Art & Science
Posted: February 5, 2015 Filed under: events, presentations | Tags: design, methodology, UX, visual design Comments Off on RUX February—The Story in the System: The Collision of Art & Science
RichmondUX is proud to welcome SapientNitro ACD Phil Golub to Richmond on February 25th to talk about how the intersection of story and system—art and science—inform the user experience. Registration is free: reserve your seat via Eventbrite.
As channel lines blur, and marketing and technology budgets combine, designers should have an understanding and appreciation of omni-channel storytelling, allowing customers and companies to create shared brand experiences.
Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2015 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM (EST)
Location: The Depot (VCU), 814 W Broad Street, Richmond
Schedule
- 4:00-4:30pm – Networking
- 4:30-5:15 – Phil’s presentation
- 5:15-5:30 – Q&A
- 5:30-5:45 – Socialize/Networking
How do I get tickets?
This event is free to attend, but we have limited seating available. RSVPs made here on Meetup will not guarantee you a seat. Please register using Eventbrite to save your place.
Who should attend?
Anybody who researches, manages, designs, or builds user experiences. Have an opinion about whether UX is more about the qualitative or the quantitative? Please join us. Curious about whether UX, CX, and XD are actually all the same thing? Get your ticket today.
OK, so who is Phil?
Phil Golub is an experienced Creative Director and thought leader, having spent 17 years in the digital creative space specializing in User Experience, User-Centered Design, Information Architecture, Content Strategy and User Research.
Thank you to our sponsor!: Regular Joe Consulting
Lean UX and Design Thinking event follow up
Posted: January 19, 2015 Filed under: events, presentations | Tags: agile, design thinking, product management, UX Comments Off on Lean UX and Design Thinking event follow upThanks to all who came out the morning of January 9th to hear Jeff Gothelf’s talk, Better Product Definition with Lean UX & Design Thinking. The feedback we’ve received to date is overwhelmingly positive, and we are encouraged by your show of interest in the intersection of UX, product development, design thinking, and Agile methodology—we had over 200 attendees!
As you know, we collaborated with our friends at AgileRichmond to bring Jeff to RVA. Though the partnership with AgileRichmond is new, we look forward to working together again on future events for the Richmond community, including but not limited to InnoVAte Virginia 2015!
Many of you have been asking about videos and slides. Here they are:
– Video (produced and hosted by Snagajob): http://snagajob.wistia.com/medias/q4xz3ojzf8
– Deck: https://www.dropbox.com/s/y1tq10airdm8mnd/2015_RUX_Better_Product_Definition.pdf
We also want to give one more big thank you to our event sponsors: Snagajob, Singlestone Consulting, ICF Interactive, Carmax, CapTech Consulting, and Capital One. Please send us any additional feedback at: info@richmondux.com
RUX January: Jeff Gothelf will be here in RVA [Co-Produced with AgileRichmond]
Posted: December 9, 2014 Filed under: events, presentations | Tags: agile, design thinking, product management, UX Comments Off on RUX January: Jeff Gothelf will be here in RVA [Co-Produced with AgileRichmond]After closing out 2014 with the terrific UX Futures conference, we are starting off 2015 with a bang! Our friends at ICF are hosting an all-day workshop with Jeff Gothelf in Fairfax, VA on January 8th. Since he’ll be relatively close by, we asked him if he’d be willing to come down 95 to speak with us the next day. To our delight, he agreed!
On January 9th, in partnership with AgileRichmond and hosted by Snagajob, RichmondUX is proud to host Jeff for his presentation: “Better product definition with Lean UX and Design Thinking.”
Requirements-driven product definition is a sure-fire way to get 100% of the wrong product launched. The assumptions that requirements are based on are usually not accurate enough to determine the exact solution those requirements dictate. Instead, teams should focus on creating a series of hypotheses that define potential solutions to their business problem and then work together to learn which of these hypotheses are keepers and which ideas to kill.
In Jeff’s case-study rich talk you will learn:
- What lean ux is and how it builds off design thinking
- How to de-risk your projects and ensure their greatest chance for success
- Why working from assumptions and hypotheses is far more successful than a strict set of requirements
Attendees will also receive a copy of Lean UX, the definitive guide to integrating UX design with Agile and Lean software development.
Schedule
- 10:00-10:30 – Networking
- 10:30-11:15 – Jeff’s presentation
- 11:15-11:45 – Moderated Q&A
- 11:45-12:00 – Book signing
How do I get tickets?
Tickets are $20 each, through Dec. 31st, $25 through Jan. 8th, and will be $30 at the door. Purchase yours today, via EventBrite.
Who should attend?
Own Lean UX, The Lean Startup, or A Project Guide to UX Design? Be there. If you are interested in UX design or strategy, Agile/Scrum, Lean Startup, Product Management, and/or design thinking, you should be there as well.
OK, so who is Jeff?
Jeff Gothelf is Neo’s lean evangelist, spreading the gospel of great team collaboration, product innovation and evidence-based decision making. He is a speaker and thought leader on the future of user experience design, often teaching workshops or giving talks on building cultures that support teamwork and innovation. Jeff is passionate about advancing the principles that lie at the core of Neo, and often does so on a global scale.
Prior to joining Neo, Jeff lead the UX design teams at TheLadders and Web Trends. Earlier he worked with and lead small teams of software designers at AOL. He is the co-author (with Josh Seiden) of Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience.
Thank you to our sponsors!: CapitalOne, CapTech Consulting, Carmax, and Snagajob.
Richmond UX 