RUX December – Happy Hour

Posted: November 30, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: events | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on RUX December – Happy Hour

Dear RUXsters – we are overdue for a meetup! And in addition to saying hi, catching up, and finding out what everyone’s up to, we want to thank everyone for another terrific year! A lot of UX and Design stuff happened in Richmond in 2016, and all of it is worth chatting about over a drink, alcoholic or otherwise.

As with our Happy Hour this past June, we will be meeting at McCormack’s Big Whiskey Grill near the Regency Mall. It’s pretty centrally located, whether you work in West Creek, Glen Allen, the Near West End or Downtown. Plus, as a group dedicated to cultivating experiences, you’ll appreciate Big Whiskey Grill’s atmosphere.

Richmond UX will take care of the food and non-alcoholic beverages. The rest is up to you.

Register via Eventbrite →

We miss seeing everyone, and we hope you can join us. Other than a few announcements, the only thing on the agenda is whatever happens to be on your mind.

When
December 7th, 5:30pm to 7:30pm

Where
McCormack’s Big Whisky Grill
(The one near the Regency Mall, not the one in The Fan)
1420 N. Parham Road
Richmond, VA

We look forward to seeing you there!

RUX June – Happy Hour

Posted: June 22, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: events | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on RUX June – Happy Hour

Dear RUXsters – we are overdue for a meetup! We got plans for July and August and beyond in the works, but for now we just want to say hi, catch up, and find out what everyone’s up to. There’s been a lot of UX and Design stuff happening in Richmond, and all of it is worth chatting about over a drink, alcoholic or otherwise.

To that end, and to change up venues a bit, we will be meeting at McCormack’s Big Whiskey Grill near the Regency Mall. We figure it’s pretty centrally located, whether you work in West Creek, Glen Allen, the Near West End or Downtown. Plus, as a group dedicated to cultivating experiences, the Big Whiskey Grill has that in spades (or shot glasses, again…if that’s your thing).

Richmond UX will take care of the food and non-alcoholic beverages. The rest is up to you.
We miss seeing everyone, and we hope you can join us. Other than a few announcements, the only thing on the agenda is whatever happens to be on your mind.

When
June 29th, 5:30pm to 7:30pm

Where
McCormack’s Big Whisky Grill
(The one near the Regency Mall, not the one in The Fan)
1420 N. Parham Road
Richmond, VA

We look forward to seeing you there!

Inaugural World IA Day: RVA – 2.20.16

Posted: January 30, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: conferences, events | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Inaugural World IA Day: RVA – 2.20.16

On Saturday Feb. 20, 2016, RichmondUX will be producing Richmond’s first World IA Day: RVA! We are planning a full day of discussion, learning, sharing, and networking.

WIAD-Meetup

Our world is full of information, and more of us than you may realize are involved with making decisions about the structure, placement, relationships between, and characteristics of information. Whether we are using the latest mobile app, watching the local news or navigating our way through the post office or grocery store, information is all around us.

Because of the ubiquitous nature of information, information architecture is not just practiced by specialists. If you work in any of the following domains, you’ll be right at home here: user experience (UX), user interface (UI) design, web or mobile design, product design and management, data visualization, content strategy, library science, customer experience, and even service design.

In short: if you analyze, synthesize, or organize information, content, or data—or if you just want to learn more about information archtecture— we would love you to see you there! Please visit the WIAD:RVA event page for details on speakers and schedule and to get your tickets. Please note: Attendance is free, but Eventbrite registration in advance is REQUIRED.

Thank you to our local sponsors for making this event possible! Please check them out.

sponsors-WIAD2016b

RUX December – 2015 Year-End Event

Posted: November 23, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: events, meetings | Tags: , , , | 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 August—The Power of CSS Flexbox

Posted: August 15, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: events, presentations | Tags: , , , , , | 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.

edUI 2014

Posted: September 24, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: conferences | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on edUI 2014

EdUI 2014  |  Mon. 9.29 to Wed. 10.1
eduiconf.org – Discount code: RVA ($100 off Standard Price)

EdUi 2014 is next week! Don’t miss your chance to participate in Richmond’s biggest UX event. Even though it starts with “Ed,” it’s not all about education. If you have done (or want to do) work for large organizations or institutions, there are topics aplenty for you: content strategy, story mapping, innovation, user research, and accessibility. And even though it ends with “UI,” it’s not just about user interfaces. In addition to the topics already listed, there are sessions on prototyping, personas, iBeacon, UX strategy, to name a few. Check out the full schedule.

The closest UX events of this scale and caliber get to Richmond is D.C.—it’s like that, minus driving 2.5 hours (or more) on 95 and paying to stay at a hotel. And with discount code “RVA,” RUX members get $100 the Standard price. Single day tickets are available too, if taking off three days from the office would be a challenge.

EdUi is the biggest UX event Richmond hosts, so come out and learn some new skills, meet UX peers (and luminaries), and show your passion for UX here in RVA. Hope to see you there! http://eduiconf.org/register/

A little further north, our friends in IxDA and UXPA DC have a couple of events planned for the middle of October. See our previous post for details and discount codes!

Upcoming Local UX & Design Conferences

Posted: September 14, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: conferences | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

If you’re looking for opportunities to get educated or inspired over the next month or so, you need look no further. Starting with RVA Design Week this Wednesday and followed by edUi 2014 at the end of the month, there will be more design, UX, and web-related events in the area than usual. All of them are affordably priced—some remarkably so—and we have discount codes for the more expensive of the bunch. Check them out:

RVA Design Week  |  Wed. 9.17 to Sat. 9.20
rvadesignweek.com

Richmond’s first Design Week, produced by our local AIGA chapter, starts with a kick-off party at Hardywood on Wednesday, featuring Richmond’s Coalition Theater. Thursday evening, there will be a screening of Design the New Business at the Grace Street Theater, followed by a panel discussion on the role of Design and Design Thinking in business. RUX co-organizer Hope Norman will be on the panel, which will be moderated by another RUXster, Mark Badger. Friday evening features a talk by Debbie Millman (also at Grace Street), followed by two separate Adobe training workshops at Gather on Saturday. Apart from the kick-off party ($5), event prices are $15 for AIGA members and $20 for non-members.

EdUI 2014  |  Mon. 9.29 to Wed. 10.1
eduiconf.org – Discount code: RVA ($100 off Standard Price)

For the fourth year in a row, Richmond is hosting the edUi conference. Produced primarily by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, edUi offers a rare lineup of speakers, including top web innovators that will inspire and enlighten web designers, developers, managers, and user experience and interaction design professions from any industry. This year’s featured speakers include Stephen P. Anderson, author of Seductive Interaction Design, and Matt Novak, contributor to Gizmodo, WSJ, and The Atlantic. RUX founder and co-organizer Joe Sokohl will give a talk on bringing your wireframes to life through prototyping, and RUX co-organizer Mark Badger will be presenting on iBeacon and eduction. EdUi is Richmond’s biggest UX-focused event, and we are excited to be able to offer a discount code (RVA) to make it that much easier to attend. With the discount, you get three (3) days of presentations and workshops for $500. Single day registrations are also available.

ConvergeRVA  |  Fri. 10.10
convergerva.com – Discount code: RUX ($20 off)

ConvergeRVA is a design conference focusing on people who creatively change the landscape of the ways we work for and on the web. It features talks that cover; user experience, visual design, illustration, front-end and back-end development. This year, ConvergeRVA takes place in the beautifully restored Hippodrome Theater. In addition to the inspiring talks, there will be plenty of opportunities to eat, drink and party with the speakers and other attendees. Early bird pricing is still available ($99, $45 for students & AIGA members).

A little further north, our friends in IxDA and UXPA DC have a couple of events planned for the middle of October.

Eye Tracking in UX Design  |  Thu. 10.16
eyetrackingux2014.com – Discount code: RUX

If you enjoyed Jennifer Romano Bergstrom’s RUX presentation last spring, this day-long conference is for you. RichmondUX is proud to be a strategic partner for The Eye Tracking in UX Design Conference, taking place on October 16 in Washington DC. Leading experts in eye tracking will discuss how they have taken advantage of eye-tracking technology to understand, design, and evaluate user experience. Want to attend? Please use code RUX when registering to get 25% off.

UserFocus 2014  |  Fri. 10.17
2014.userfocus.org – Discount code: RUX

The day after Eye Tracking in UX, join UXPA DC for their annual UserFocus conference. There, you’ll learn about the latest trends in UX, creative new tools, and innovative techniques in the field, connect to network about new job opportunities, and get motivated to use what you learn on your very next project! Again, please use code RUX when registering to get 25% off.

Thats’s it for now, but check back soon for details on Wearables + Things coming to D.C. October 20-21 and InnovateVA in Glen Allen on October 24th.

Fun Facts from Interaction ’12

Posted: February 13, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: conferences, general | Tags: | Comments Off on Fun Facts from Interaction ’12

In Interaction Design Association’s annual conference recently concluded in Dublin. From co-chair Steve Baty as well as committee member Ben Arent, here are a few fun facts and a few points of note:

  • 749 people sat down to witness the opening Keynote from Luke Williams
  • Approximately 800 people were involved in the conference – full attendees, workshop-only, day passes, exhibitors and volunteers.
  • Interaction|12 saw around 170 more people in attendance than Interaction|11; and 270 more than Interaction|10. It was twice the size of Interaction|09; and around 375 people larger than Interaction|08.
  • More than 33 countries were represented a t Interaction|12, including every continent (except Antarctica)
  • Approximately 650 people travelled to Ireland from overseas – about 4.5 times higher than the international contingent at any previous Interaction conference
  • This was the first Interaction conference with live entertainment during lunch;
  • This was the first Interaction conference held outside North America
  • Despite the worst economic conditions seen in Europe or the US in 80 years, the conference was (marginally) profitable, delivering much-needed funding into IxDA to serve as seed funding for Interaction|13 and Interaction|14.
  • Speakers were drawn from more than a dozen different countries
  • The Interaction Awards were staged for the first time, and awarded during the course of the conference. This was truly a milestone event for the IxDA and the interaction design community. Jenn Bove and Raphael Grignani – and their organizing committee – did a fabulous job, and we have all benefited from their drive and insight.
  • #ixd12 had 3,378 tweets over all time, and around 2,876 during the conference.  http://cl.ly/131h0G1k403E231q1F3m/o ;
  • IxDAAwards, Docbaty, DaveIxD and Angel were the top tweeters. http://cl.ly/2y2D3B0l300b1a0k262G/o ;
  • Interaction12 facebook page has an equal gender divide, but it’s still mostly males between 25 – 34.
  • Our viral reach peaked during the conference. http://cl.ly/1o1U152y0n0j3S1P3m00/o (People love the photos)
  • Brazil was the 4th most reached country on our facebook page. http://cl.ly/3N1a2h3F0y1u1y181232
  • Our ‘Friends of Friends’ viral reach was viewed by over 162,000 people. http://cl.ly/0C2f0k2S3R050P0r2I00

Some Design Studio and Other Resources

Posted: November 18, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: book club, general | Tags: | Comments Off on Some Design Studio and Other Resources

After the meeting on Wednesday, several people expressed more interest in how the time-honored design studio method is being used in UX design. Here are some thoughts and references:

Design Studio

The design studio concept is discussed in Todd Zaki Warfel’s book Prototyping: A Practitioner’s Guide (use code MOJOGUZZI for 25% off this & any other RM book)

Also, take a look at Todd’s right way to wireframe video (and design studio starts at 1:06 and goes through 1:39). In fact, here are all four RWTW videos.

Here are some slides from his Web 2.0 presentation.

Lane Halley has detailed this concept in this presentation.

Another interesting approach is here.

UX Team of 1

Here’s one of the great Leah Buley’s UX team of 1 stuff. And here’s her book site.

About Russ

Many thanks to Russ Unger, co-author of A Project Guide to UX Design, for appearing last night.
Bio page
Book page (with downloadable templates & content)
Follow him on Twitter: @russu