Podcasts about ia summit

Dans le nouveau épisode de notre podcast, "Explorer COPILOT", Christophe Mottier, Leader d'équipe Modern Workplace & Security chez Devoteam M Cloud, sera rejoint par Jonathan Misran, Consultant sénior ECM, pour une plongée au cœur de la toute nouvelle solution d'intelligence artificielle de Microsoft, COPILOT. Rejoignez-nous pour découvrir cette technologie et comprendre comment elle façonne l'avenir de la productivité et de la collaboration.Restez à l'écoute pour des discussions approfondies sur les fonctionnalités clés, les cas d'utilisation pratiques et les conseils d'experts pour tirer le meilleur parti de COPILOT dans votre environnement professionnel. Cet épisode est un incontournable pour tous ceux qui cherchent à rester à la pointe de l'innovation technologique et à améliorer leur efficacité au travail grâce à l'IA.Pour ceux qui cherchent à approfondir leur compréhension des nouvelles solutions Microsoft et à bénéficier des conseils d'experts Modern Workplace, ne manquez pas notre événement spécial le 28 mai au Comet Bourse à Paris. Rejoignez-nous pour le Modern Work & IA Summit et découvrez comment transformer votre façon de travailler avec les technologies les plus avancées. Inscrivez-vous dès maintenant sur : https://mcloud.devoteam.com/fr/evenements/modern-work-ia-summit/

Abby Covert is an information architect, writer and community organizer with two decades of experience helping people make sense of messes. In addition to being an active mentor to those new to sensemaking, she has also served the design community as President of the Information Architecture Institute, co-chair of Information Architecture Summit, and Executive Producer of the I.D.E.A Conference. Abby is a founding faculty member of School of Visual Arts' Products of Design graduate program. She also managed the team that helped Rosenfeld Media to start both the Design Operations Summit and Advancing Research Conference. Her most proud achievement is having come up with the idea for World Information Architecture Day, bringing accessibly priced education to thousands in their local communities annually. In addition to running events, you may have seen her presenting her work on stage at: Blend, Business to Buttons, Confab, Creative Mornings, Designing for Digital, EdUI, EMACTL, EuroIA, Generate, GIANT, IA Summit, IA Conference, Italian IA Conference, Interactions, Midwest UX, Mind the Product, Momentum, Plain Language Summit, SearchLOVE, STC Summit, TalkUX, UI21, UI22, UX Cambridge, UX Ottawa, UX Lisbon, UX Tokyo, UX Week, Webstock, Wharton Web Conference, World IA Day Abby has written two books for her students. In 2014 she published How to Make Sense of Any Mess, a book to teach IA to everybody. In 2022, she released her much anticipated follow-up, Stuck? Diagrams Help. She currently spends her time making things that help you to make the unclear, clear, many of which she makes available for free on her website abbycovert.com or at accessible price points in her popular Etsy shop AbbytheIA. Abby lives and writes from Melbourne, Florida where her most important job title is ‘Mom'. Episode Notes Products & Guides for SensemakersHow to Make Sense of Any MessSTUCK? Diagrams HelpMy Monthly Email List Related Episodes Episode #223: Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic Episode #203: Alli Torban Episode #198: Scott Berkun Episode #145: RJ Andrews Episode #2: Dear Data iTunes Spotify

Dan Klyn is co-founder of The Understanding Group, an information architecture consultancy based in Michigan. Dan has also created useful and influential IA frameworks, and in this conversation, we focus on his latest: the BASIC framework. If you're enjoying the show, please rate or review it in Apple's Podcasts directory: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-informed-life/id1450117117?itsct=podcast_box&itscg=30200 Show notes Dan Klyn The Understanding Group The BASIC framework Chris Farnum Peter Morville Louis Rosenfeld Andreas Resmini Richard Saul Wurman Bob Royce Edith Farnsworth House Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Kimbell Art Museum Louis Kahn Renzo Piano Brian Eno Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links. Read the transcript Jorge: Dan, welcome to the show. Dan: Thank you. Jorge: It is such a pleasure to have you here. As I was telling you before we started recording, you're one of the people that I originally thought of having as a guest on the show, when I first conceived of the show. I am constantly inspired and just amazed by the contributions you've brought to our field of information architecture. And I'm honored to have you on the show and looking forward to hearing about you. In particular, about a framework that you've been sharing recently. About Dan Jorge: But before we get into that, I'm hoping that you will tell us about yourself. Who are you, Dan? Dan: Sure. Let's see... I was a fat baby. I think the reason that I have the pleasure of talking with you today... we can blame Chris Farnham, who is an information architect in Southeast Michigan. I went to a conference about information architecture in 2009. My first professional conference had ever been to in any field, and I didn't know if I was particularly welcome or fit well into the field of information architecture, but I had a mentor who encouraged me and that was Peter Morville. So Chris Farnham and Peter Morville, these two guys from Ann Arbor are the only people I thought I knew at this conference, which was true for about five minutes. And as we were walking to the opening reception, Chris said, "Hey, those two guys walking in front of us... those guys are architect-architects. Like, you know, like what you're interested in, Klyn!" Because even back then, the architecture part of information architecture is what I was mostly interested in. And walking in front of me on the way to this opening reception at the IA Summit, as it was called back then was Jorge Arango and Andreas Resmini. And I never talked to Chris again for four or five years, I think. And I have held fast to Jorge and Andreas ever since. And I'm so grateful to have had... I've been given by you guys permission to be as excited as I am about the architecture part of information architecture. Which is so different than my experience with other professionals in the built environment. When I started enthusing about information architecture and the ways that I think what makes places good for people in the built environment has something immediately relevant for us to learn from, as people who make digital products and services.... they're not into it. They scold me for not having consulted the correct sources. Or having the wrong opinions about some buildings or what have you. And you and Andreas both welcomed my amateurism, at a time when you could have just, you know... I don't know! So that's why I'm here. Hi, my name is Dan Klyn. I'm an information architect and I am fascinated by — I am on fire about — the ways that architecture in the built environment can teach us how to do things with digital products and services. And any second now, metaverse-icle products and services and such. So that's what I'm interested. I'm interested in the spatiality of meaning. That is a mouthful that nobody wants to hear, but that's how I say it sometimes. And I have drawn most of my ways of thinking about and seeing this from an increasingly intensive pursuit of Richard Saul Wurman from a biographical standpoint. I figured if I could learn everything that he knows about information architecture, then that would be pretty good. So I've been trying to turn him upside down and shake him, and catch what comes out of his pockets for about seven years or so now. So, that's what I do. Jorge: That's a great intro and I feel like this episode is turning into the Jorge and Dan mutual appreciation society. But I think that we can't wrap up the intro without also naming the fact that you are a co-founder of The Understanding Group, Dan: right? The Understanding Group Dan: That's right. Yes! And Mr. Wurman having been so essential to the founding of our company. Bob Royce and I, when he... he as a serial entrepreneur was in the school of information and library studies at the same time that Peter and Lou were back in the day. And so, as somebody from a business development background standpoint, interested in information architecture, his interest in it went all the way back to Richard Saul Wurman. And the first time I saw Richard in person was a speech that he gave at the University of Michigan and the only person that I knew in the audience and we sat right next to each other right in the front row is Bob Royce. So yeah, together, our enthusiasm for information architecture, digital strategy... whatever ways that we can apply architectural thinking to usually large-scale software and information systems, that's what we wanted to start a company to focus on. And certainly we were inspired by and got to learn through their advice. Peter and Lou having operated the world's first really large scale information architecture consultancy, which was called Argus, which operated back in the late 1990s and disbanded, about the same time that a lot of things did in March of 2001. Yeah, there's probably a way that you could have a business that focuses on information architecture and that... we want it to be that. So, that was 10 years ago and TUG continues to be among the... if you were to say, "Hey, who should we get to help us with information architecture?" people would probably say, Jorge Arango, Abby Covert. An aspiration that we're just pleased that we are often in that same sort of three or four things that you would just know about when it comes to taking on significant information architectural challenges in software and digital products and services, yeah! That's what we've become. "The spatiality of meaning" Jorge: I want to circle back to this phrase, "the spatiality of meaning." And you referenced being inspired by Mr. Wurman. And you also talked about "Being on fire about the architecture of the built environment," and talking about gravitating to Andreas and myself at that first information architecture summit. And one thing that the three of us have in common, the three of us being Mr. Wurman, Andreas, and myself, is that our background is in building architecture. But that is not your background, right? Dan: Correct. Library science over here. Jorge: Library science. So, I'm wondering what drew you to the architecture of the built environment? Dan: It's gonna sound... it's exactly... think of the most boring cliche way to answer your question and that's the answer. Since I was a little boy, I had a Crayola drafting set of a T-square and a triangle. And big paper. And my parents got me a tilty desk. Like it was the only thing I knew that I wanted it to be until I didn't think that I could because I was bad at math. So, for as long as I can remember, I wanted to make the shapes that I make on paper turn into an experience that people could have. Especially me, but other people may be also. And since then, and especially since becoming a consultant who travels a lot, I have had an extraordinary opportunity to go to buildings. And I have had my cognition, my heart rate, my pulse, my skin temperature... I have been physically changed by every different kind of place that I've been to. And by doing that on purpose, that's where the BASIC Framework comes from is an awareness that I developed at some point that what these buildings do is they are machines that uniquely change our human experience by changing our blood pressure and our cognition and our pulse. And the effects that it uses are both, you know, the physics of the earth, the density of the walls... if you're in a crypt of a cathedral and the density of the walls is two feet thick and it is granite, the air pressure changes in there make what your body can... what's possible for you to experience has been concrete-ized literally in ways that are just extraordinary. And so, by putting myself in so many of these different places, and yes, I've catered to my list of initially is canonical buildings that architects who control what is considered to be a good building in the Western tradition, right? But that's the kind of list that I started from. And by going to as many of these places as possible, continually re-energizing and re-believing in reifying the reality... not some neat-o idea that I choose to have, but an actual experience that is undeniable that the way that these places have been set up through the arrangement of material and space and through the arrangement of the information that is either encoded in that material or inscribed on that material, the situatedness of things in space changes how we... how we experience things. The radical architect, Christopher Alexander — people scoff! Like, spit their coffee out when he says stuff like that he knows how to make God appear in a field. But that's... I think also a part of why I've been so interested in this is having been raised in a deeply religious context and hearing about power that people can have access to and experiences with and transformation, transfiguration, transubstantiation, immanence... that I've had those experiences. And they're not so much with sermons of words — it's sermons in stone that really changed my whole life. So, now I seek out experiences in places so that I can understand better how to somehow transfer or remember at a minimum, all of the different ways that I've been made to feel through experiences with architectures. And then, how can I tap into that at some other time for some other purpose. That's how I've been trying to rationalize such the luxurious experience of going to so many kick-ass buildings. Jorge: Well, that was beautifully put and I'll reflect it back to you. What I heard there is that this phrase, "the spatiality of meaning," at least part of it, has to do with the fact that buildings play a functional role in our lives, right? Like they keep us dry and warm — you know, safe from external conditions. But there's this other role that they can play — at least some buildings can play — which has to do with somehow moving us, reminding us of perhaps higher states of being somehow. And the question is... you and I both work on architecting experiences that people have mostly within the confines of the small glass rectangles that we carry around in our pockets. And what's the connection between these — if any — between these transcendent experiences that you have when walking into a special place and the sort of experience that you can have through a digital artifact? Back to screens Dan: Well, I'm trying to think about it in terms of the last thing that I worked on or some real case in point. And I'm thinking about an app that I've been working on that has all kinds of different functionality. And there are ideas about what does prominence mean? So, imagine that this app that has all sorts of different kinds of functions, that there's a giant global organization, and there are people who are mapped to those functions and that they all feel like their thing needs to be the most important and therefore the most prominent or vice versa. So, there's a space race, or there's a competition for the most opportune positions on screens in this screen-iverse that they operate. And finding an order that both works from the, "I'm a brain in a jar," and there are semantic categories and there are things... there's knowledge in the world, not just in my head. And on the basis of knowledge in the world and on figuring things out from a sense-making standpoint, there's no right way. But there are good ways. And so what I'm trying to learn from the built environment, every location in the built environment is special. So, it's not so much that I've been to special places and then, "oh crap. What do you do when you're working on something quotidian? Something that's just every day." It's the idea that every place is charged with wonder. Every... everything is amazing. Because look at it! There it is! People made that! And so, trying to help this organization, this global organization with all these poor people who are, you know, if their thing is high up on the screen, then they win. Trying to posit order for how to situate all of those things in space that's both good for the organization that they can continue to operate as an organization and as a business. It's good for people who have to use it because it isn't like, "oh! Where is the blank?" And also then the trifecta is: and could all of this be key to our embodiment as human beings? And so, we came up with a way to position proprioceptively. Imagine yourself looking at your phone screen. There's left, right, up, down. To make left and right and up and down mean something, other than "most important," "least important," or "most prominent" and "least prominent." So, things of this nature you can expect to find them over to the left. Things of that other nature you can expect to find those to the right. And governance... a way of working with the organization to help diffuse the person with the highest tolerance for discomfort wins, for there to be reasons for belonging and space and place that everybody can understand, and that, when people follow it, it creates more wellbeing and prosperity. It sounds like fantasy, but that's really what we get to do when we're doing it right. And it's great! And I couldn't do it if I didn't have these experiences in my own body and have felt and believed in the pleasure and the learnability and the... to reliably be able to reach over here and get something because you know it's going to be there. And on what basis, other than, "well, that's where it always was." Jorge: What I'm getting from what you're saying there is that in both cases, in both the physical environment than these information environments, there is the possibility of a higher level of order that might bring coherence to what might otherwise be forces that are pulling the experience into different directions, that make it incoherent, right? Dan: That's right. The BASIC framework Jorge: And with that in mind I wanted to ask you... during your career, you've shared a few frameworks that have been influential and helped us see the type of work that we do in different ways. And recently you've shared a draft of a framework that is new to me at least, called BASIC. And it seems to me to be an effort in this direction of providing kind of a framework for order and coherence. Dan: Yes. Jorge: And I was hoping that you would tell us about the BASIC framework. What is it? Dan: I am learning along with everybody else what it is. That's one of the risks! When you put something out there that isn't done yet, that's the reason to do something like that. And so, having put it out there not entirely baked, and then asking for and eliciting feedback... one of the first most powerful pieces of feedback that I got after presenting it for the first time at a meetup online was from a colleague in the UK who posited that what BASIC is, is it's about where you as the designer... it gives you five vantage points into the problem space. It's like, "where should I stand to see the thing that would be good to notice?" So, that's one way to start explaining it is: it's an easy-to-remember acronym that gives you five ways to have a posture vis-a-vis some kind of a complex system. And if you stand in these five places, and if you ask some of the questions that I've provided with each of those postures, then possibly you will see the architecture of the thing. So, that's really the goal. And one of the ways that I came to make it, was a friend of mine... we went on a field trip. We went to the Edith Farnsworth house in Plano, Illinois by Mies van der Rohe. And we were so lucky! It was in the winter and we were the only ones on the tour. So we had a whole hour with the docent. Couldn't go in because it was winter, have since of rectified that. Have been back with the same friend and we got to go inside. But first time we're just outdoors, in the snow, circling the Edith Farnsworth house. And then afterward, I shared the photos that I took. And my friend noted that... he looked at the photos that he... we went to the same place, we took many of the same pictures. But that there was something going on in the pictures that I was taking that he wanted to know about, because it seemed like I was accessing different parts of the same experience. And whether it was just purely on the basis of the otherness of the what... something that somebody else is doing it in the same place, you wonder what that is? It's not... I don't believe it's because I have superior aesthetic judgements or anything like that. I think it has to do though with having developed a set of postures for when I'm trying to relate to buildings first of all, in order to see the right stuff. By my own internal compass, the right stuff. And then, talking this out with my friend and then him encouraging me to do something with it because it seemed like it could be learnable. Like, if I stood there and if I cocked my head that way, I would see it too. So, that's what it is. It's postures that you can use. Questions... So, the first one is boundaries. And if you didn't do any of the other elements, if you found a way to perceive the boundaries... and where was the boundary before where it is now, and who gets to move the... just some really dumb questions about boundaries and where one material stops and another begins is an especially potent thing to notice in buildings. But whether it's buildings or an intranet, the boundaries. How did they get here? Where were they before? Is there a plan to make there be different boundaries? Do you see any evidence of, you know, the ghost traces of where things used to be, or where they're fixing to go? And then you can go right on down the line. And the second one, let's see, what is the second one? You've got the book there, you tell me! Jorge: There is a little booklet that you can print out and I'm holding one in my hands. So, the first one is boundaries. The second one is associations. Dan: Yes. Perfect! So, what do we associate a stepped gable with in the built environment? I'm Dutch. If you go to Holland, Michigan, nearby where I live, there are these buildings that were built within the last 20 years that have these stepped gables not because they serve any functional purpose, but because they remind everybody who lives there, that many of the people here have Dutch heritage, and that that's how the buildings look. So there are direct associations like that. There are more diffused associations, like the kind... does it link to a PDF? You associate that differently than if it's to HTML page, then if it's a video. So just associations. The A, S... Situatedness. Why is anything where it is? If you go to the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, Texas — which I encourage you to do — there has been an expansion to that museum. It was originally by Louis Kahn opened in 1972, the year I was born. An expansion to the museum was done by Renzo Piano in the nineties. You now enter the Kimbell from the back, relative to where the architect imagined you would enter the building. So just little... why is anything where it is gives you access to so many architectural decisions that were made in the environment. And then the last two are twinned. And probably I'm too in love with BASIC because it's so easy to remember and I want it to be basic like food-hole, air-hole, dumb-basic. But the last two are invariants. So, what are the forces in the environment that don't change or that seem like they don't change? Brian Eno has wisely said that repetition is a form of change. So you have to be careful with this one. And that's why it is paired with cycles. And those two postures, those two places to stand relative to some complex system... if you were able to perceive what was invariant in the environment, that would explain to you why it shows up the way that it does and each of these elements in the model has a building that I've been to. They're all in the United States so far, and the example cartoon of a building for invariance is a garage I saw in Seattle. Where I live in Michigan, the roofs are a pointy, peaked roof, like kids around here would draw a picture of a house. But in Seattle, there's a shape of a roof that is inverted to catch the rain because it is on a steep hill, in a microclimate that is a rainforest basically. So, it's an invariant. There's so much water there, you're going to change the shape of the roof to rise to channel those forces better. And that was the consequence... consequence to that, a million other decisions about the building. And then cycle, the last one, you can plug that one into what's invariant. In Michigan, we have four seasons. In Seattle, they have maybe two. And so, by looking at what has the system done to anticipate cyclical change in the environment that it's in... put all those five postures together, ask a question from each one, and I feel pretty good that you're not talking about the design so much as you're talking about the architecture of the system. Jorge: What attracts me so much about this framework is that it takes a systemic lens at examining the... or a set of lenses, right? To your point, these are different vantage points from which you can examine the system. And although it is grounded in architecture, as in built architecture — and like you said, the booklet includes drawings of buildings as illustrations of these various lenses — they seem applicable to other types of things that might be architected, right? Like this notion that you can examine the system through the perspective of what distinctions does it manifest, versus what perhaps memories, cultural or otherwise, it triggers, right? Like those are very different perspectives that are part of architected systems, regardless of whether they are buildings or what have you. Dan: That's right. And the caveat here with any methods that I've developed, if you're trying to apply them, it has to be in an architectural context where the nature of the change that is expected or at least possible? Is more than an increment. It can be executed incrementally but the nature of the change... if you're looking for recommendations about how to change the architecture, it should be safe to presume that those kinds of changes are harder to do, possibly take more time, and are more costly because they are more consequential. And so, if people are just making shit, then this framework won't help you because there isn't a reason for everything that was done. And that is... I'm so glad that we've got to here and maybe because of time, we might land here or start landing here, is: the built environment is such a terrific teacher because almost always, except now, every decision that was made is because of a reason. And the traceability of every move that is made to a reason, you need to do that in design too, if you're doing it right. But when you're talking about architecture what that means is that it's being taken on and thought of systemically. And if the thing is being made in a way where it doesn't care about being systemic, then these lenses won't help you because it just is the way that it is because it is. This all presumes total accountability for every move that you make as a recommender of changes to an environment. And I've recommended changes to a digital environment that have made it so that people's jobs went away. I'm glad that I haven't worked on products and services where the changes I've recommended have caused harm to people, that I know of, but it's certainly possible. And as we enter into this metaverse time of everything being part of the experiences that we work on, I think having a framework like this is also helpful because it might check an impulsive feeling of, "oh, I get it." Or, "I've seen it." Or, "I know what it is." Or, "clearly the solution is..." Maybe this framework would help you go slower and not move with so much certainty. Maybe these are five ways to undermine the decision that you were about to make. And I would be good with that, in most cases. Jorge: How do you keep that from paralyzing you altogether? Because when you say you have full accountability over a thing, like... Dan: It all depends on having extraordinary clients. Without clients who are willing to work in that fashion... I mean, whether you want to take maximum accountability for your recommendations or not, Jorge: I can see what you mean, but I can also understand how that sense would or could paralyze you as a designer, right? So, how do you keep the dance going? Responsibility Dan: It's a two way street and if the client isn't playing along and giving you that accountability and that responsibility, then you're not actually... you know, it's not actually happening. So, I think it absolutely depends on having the right clients and TUG has been so fortunate to have not prospered enough to have clients that aren't the right kind. It's weird to engage with information architects to affect change to complex digital products and services. And I think we show up... weird enough, where we've scared away the ones who wouldn't be a good partner with us in wanting to have that level of accountability, that level of traceability for the recommendations that we make. Because it requires that the stakeholders be super accountable to what they want, because you're going to get it, right? Like, that's what I'm saying is, as your architect, if you show me your intent, if you let me make a model of your intent and then the model is more or less correct, then I can make a whole bunch of decisions about the situatedness of things in your space that will deliver against that intent. So God help you if you don't know what you want. Because I need that in order to make decisions on your... with you, not on your behalf. When we started TUG a long time ago, we decided the word agency must not be the word for... We don't want to borrow anyone's agency for money for a couple of months and then give it back to them. They need to keep their agency all along the way to keep instructing us and intending back when we make our moves to make sure that things stay good. So, yeah, it's all about having the right clients and quite frankly, it has a lot to do with my own personal choices over the last year or so to get away from consulting as much as I personally can, and be more in the mode of scholarship and writing because I don't know how much longer the client world is going to be able to make room for the kinds of work that I personally want to do. Closing Jorge: Well Dan, I would love to hear more about what that might be. And I would like to extend you an invitation to do another recording with me, if you are open to it, to explore that and the notion of architecting the thing that architects the thing, somehow, right? Because that's what is implied in what you're saying, I think. But for now, where can folks follow up with you? Dan: Well, I think maybe BASIC would be a good way to start. So if you go to understandinggroup.com/basic, you can download a PDF of the most recent version of the little mini booklet. I've created an instructional video for how to cut and fold said booklet so that it has its maximum booklet-iness for you when you make it. And from there I... yeah, I'm omni-available, except through Facebook, WhatsApp, or Instagram. Jorge: You're not going Meta. Dan: I would accept money from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to research the potential for harm to human beings, through what they intend to do in the so-called metaverse. But I'm not willing to use their products. Jorge: It sounds like that might yet be another reason for us to have a second conversation here. But I'll just allude to it because I'll include links to the stuff that you've been discussing on the show. And, I'll just reiterate that the booklet is beautiful, simple, useful. I have one printed out and keep it on my desk. So, I encourage folks to check it out. Thank you, Dan, for... Dan: The only thing better than that for me Jorge, is if I could be little and be there on your desk instead of the booklet, but that's... I'd love that. Jorge: I can see you on a little screen here. On a little window in my screen, so... it's not the same, but it's... it'll have to do for now. Well, thank you so much for being with us, Dan. It's always a pleasure to talk to you. Dan: Let's talk again.

Abby Covert is an Information Architect, writer and community organiser. served as President of IA Institute, co-chair of IA Summit, and Executive Producer of IDEA. She is a founding faculty member of SVA's Products of Design program, Design Operations Summit and Advancing Research Conference. She invented World IA Day, bringing IA education to thousands in local communities annually. In our latest XXEquals podcast, we speak to Information Architect, Writer and Community Organiser, Abby Covert. Our conversation explores Abby's introduction into information architecture, how the craft and theory of diagrams led to the inspiration of her new book 'Stuck', and, Abby also shares the advice that she would give to her 25-year-old self.

The Iowa Idea: Abby Covert “Maybe we don't know.” In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I'm joined by Abby Covert. Abby is an information architect, writer, community organizer, and all-around awesome human. Abby served as President of IA Institute, co-chair of IA Summit, and Executive Producer of IDEA. She is a founding faculty […]

Andrew Hinton is the Senior Manager of Design Strategy and Research at Honeywell. He is a seasoned public speaker who has graced the stage at the IA Conference, UX Lisbon, UX Week, and the IA Summit. He is also the author of the must-read information architecture book, "Understanding Context." In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Andrew discuss the meaning of embodied cognition, the pitfalls of being a physical creature in a digital environment, and why sometimes, creating inconsistency can help you be consistent. LINKS: Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/inkblurt Keep up with Andrew on his website: https://andrewhinton.com/ Buy yourself a copy of "Understanding Context": https://amzn.to/3sAZ3k1 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ooux/support

Grace Lau is an information architect and user experience designer based in the Greater Los Angeles area. She's the co-president of World IA Day and one of the program chairs of the 2021 IA Conference. In this conversation, we discuss those professional community events, and why you should participate. Listen to the show Download episode 52 Show notes Grace Lau @lauggh on Twitter Grace G. Lau on LinkedIn My Disney Experience UCLA ASIS&T ALA SLA The Los Angeles User Experience Meetup World IA Day San Gabriel Valley UX Meetup The Information Architecture Conference Vito Discord Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links. Read the transcript Jorge: Grace, welcome to the show. Grace: Thank you very much for having me. It's an honor. Jorge: No, it's an honor to have you here. For folks who might not know about you, can you please tell us about yourself? About Grace Grace: My name is Grace Lau. I'm a designer and information architect and a product designer and community organizer based outside of Los Angeles. I'm originally from Boston, though I've been in LA for about 20 years now. I started my past in library information studies. I was an IA at Disney where my claim to fame is having worked on the top-secret project for My Disney Experience, in the early days. And most recently I was a product designer at a healthcare startup in Santa Monica. Jorge: Wow. I did not know that you were at Disney behind that product and I'm a big fan and I would love to talk to you about that, but that's not what we're going to be talking about today. You described yourself as a designer, an IA and a community organizer. And I'm especially interested in the overlap between IA and community organizations. Can you tell us a little bit about your career as a community organizer? Grace: I have to say that it really started in my grad school, at the library school. At UCLA, there's a library school program and it is heavily in the archives and library studies. And there's a small number of people who were into the informatics track. During that time period, when I was there — we were just before the boom in 2007 or 2008 — and we were all scrambling to learn, like, "how do we design websites? How did we get database? And what does all that stuff?" So, I started doing a lot of event organizing as part of the student clubs, the student groups there. I was part of the student chapter for ASIS&T, ALA, and SLA. And so, we did a lot of organizing there. So, it really started from there as just hearing what people are learning, or are anxious about, and it's trying to find ways to pull people together and move resources together to help each other learn the skills needed to get into the job force. And once I left... once I graduated from there, it wasn't until the last, I'd say five or six years, that I really got back into trying to build a community. Meaning, like actually hearing what other people are worried about. Because, at Disney, that was kind of, when we first started the IA Meetup group — the older people in the LA area would know this as IA-55, and so now it's the LA UX Meetup group now that has over 6,000 people — but in the early days, it was like trying to get people together to learn about: what is IA, what is UX, what is design? And it was a great community! But over time, it got really large and it was hard to feel that sense of closeness to learn together because once events get really large, it's really hard to find that sense of... that safe space that you can go, meet people, and learn about things together. It turns into events where you have lots of people who are talking, but you're not really learning that much. And so I kind of found that space where I want to do more of that. And I did that through being involved with World IA Day in Los Angeles. And then most recently I had started a smaller UX meetup in Los Angeles called the San Gabriel Valley UX Meetup and we had much more smaller events. And we had speakers who are either very new at speaking, or still learning about products or learning about design and it was more of a learning cohort or a place where we can learn together and speak together and be able to have a platform for us to do that. Jorge: It sounds to me like you were part of organizing a meetup in LA and then you organized another meetup. Is that right? Grace: So, I was part of the World IA Day in Los Angeles. I did some of that event organizing and then I also started another one where it is a small local meetup. So as part of the LA Meetup — it's the large one where I'm a member of, which I didn't organize. Scale and scope Jorge: Oh, I see. What I'm hearing there, Grace, is that there is something about scale that changes the character of communities. Is that right? Grace: Yes, definitely. Because the bigger the platform, the bigger the audience, it's harder for new people to break in, right? So, if you go to a large space and you're hearing all these people are using jargon or terms that you don't understand, it's harder for the introverts or the wallflowers To really jump in there and be part of it and engage in more active ways. And so, having smaller events makes it easier to learn, because then you're free to ask questions and you're free to be closer to the topic at hand. Jorge: So, what I'm hearing there is that the aspect of scale that you're focusing on here has to do with how easy it is for newcomers. It also sounded to me like the communities that you're talking about have at least two factors that define them. One is kind of an area of interest, right? Like you talked about IA, UX, which is I would guess like a career or discipline area of focus. And the other one that you spoke of was geography, where the larger meetup that you talked about, seemed to me to be like LA as the geographic region, which is a huge area, right? It's a very large population. And then the second one that you spoke of sounded to me like it has a smaller geographic scope, is that right? Grace: Yeah. We call it the San Gabriel Valley UX Meetup, because we're located right outside of LA. We're a little bit East of LA. It's a very, minority-majority populated area where there's lots of Latinos and Asians in that area. And so, whenever we need to say, "want to go to a UX meetup?" It usually tends to be in the main LA area where you have to drive through the LA traffic and deal with parking, you know back before normal times. We had to deal with an hour, an hour and a half just to get to a meetup, right? It wasn't very convenient for people who are living in the 626 area, which is the San Gabriel Valley. So, my thought was like, "well, we can start a new meetup, it's closer to home, it's closer to the food that we love to eat." So, we have easy access to good food, free parking, good Boba... All these things that are important for a good meetup. And then we could be free to talk about it, we can spend hours socializing and talking about things. It's not as, I guess, as...I don't know... well, put together maybe as some of the more official UX meetups out on the West side of LA. Jorge: these things that you're talking about — food, parking, Boba, "all the things that make for a good meetup" — those all sound like they're characteristics that were applicable in the "before times," right? Grace: The before times, yeah. Jorge: So, how are you all dealing with that now? Are you still doing meetups? Meetups in the age of Covid Grace: We're taking a sabbatical, a hiatus — because of the holidays and because we're all getting ready for World IA Day. Some of the meet up organizers and also part of World IA Day as well. So, that's why we are taking a sabbatical. But we've been doing lots of happy hours. And then in the early times when we were in lockdown, we were doing lots of co-working sessions. So, lots of co-working having Discord or Zoom open, and we'll be like working and chatting at the same time, reminiscing about the good old days when we could go out and get woven together, all that stuff. Jorge: I'm asking you, because I've spoken with other folks who also run events and especially regional events... a great part of the motivation for folks coming together is like, "these are my neighbors." You know, these are the people that are part of my... not just my community of practice, but my community, right? And one of the effects of the pandemic has been the... I'm not going to use the word "erasure," but these geographic distinctions have become less relevant. I've been invited to speak at meetups in far-flung places around the world that I would not have been able to be invited to if I had had to fly there, for example. And so, it's something that is changing. And part of the reason why I wanted to speak with you on the show is because you are a community organizer, like you said, driving this local event in the San Gabriel Valley, but you've also alluded to World IA Day and you're also one of the program chairs for the 2021 Information Architecture Conference. So, I think that you're quite active in community building and in trying to bring folks together, especially in the information architecture community of practice... bring them together during this time when we cannot meet in person. And I'm wondering if you could tell us a little bit more about these more global events... World IA Day, Information Architecture Conference. Why don't we start with what's your role in each of those? Information architecture events Grace: So, with the IA Conference, my role is as one of the program chairs. I'm one of four. So, there's myself, Cassini and Teresa and Claire. And I am specifically working on the marketing and communications part of the conference. So that means getting people together to understand like what's going on. I [also] do the volunteer updates. Whenever we get emails about like, "oh, I want to volunteer!" I try to get them to coordinate with the people who are leading those particular circles. It's really more around like the attendee and volunteer experience before the actual conference starts. Right now, at least in this phase of the planning. At the same time, I'm also inserting myself with understanding what are the good platforms that we might be using to run the conference. What are different ways that we might want to include as many people as possible, to attend a block. And so also working with the diversity, inclusion, and equity chair as well on creating more diversity at the conference as well. So, there's a lot that I'm doing there, but I guess it's not something that I can summarize in a short way. Jorge: It's worth noting for folks who might not be familiar with the IA Conference, that this is a volunteer-driven event, right? Grace: Yes, it's all volunteers. I spend at least 20 hours a week trying to get things together, trying to, get the website up or working with other volunteers to work on these things. As IAs, we tend to question a lot of what's going on and the words that we're using. So this particular year, we're focusing a lot on clean language and making sure that we're not using jargon and things that might alienate people from understanding what this conference and event is about. And of course, you know, having the name "Information Architecture" can be a little bit of a hard hurdle to run over. Jorge: Why would that be? Grace: I think it's because information architecture can be a very hard term to understand. When people hear "user experience," they're like, yeah, I got it! You know? Because UX is good, right? But then when you say, "oh, IA," because if you're seeing good IA then it's invisible. So, it's not something that is top of mind for most people. But when there is bad IA on a site, on an app, on an experience, you hear all about it. But then people want to know that the reason behind it is that it's because it's a bad IA. Jorge: All right. That's the role you're playing in the IA Conference. What about World IA Day? Grace: World IA Day, for people who don't know what it is, it's like a global awareness day. It's one day where we have local events all over the world, having talks and discussions about what IA is, what IA means. And we have a global theme every year, a new theme. This particular year, for World IA 2021, it's about curiosity. So what does curiosity have to do with information architecture? And so, this might be another way for people to understand what IA means, through the plain language way of understanding what IA is. Like what is this, what is that? How do you structure? How do you understand something? And that in itself is IA. With World IA Day, it's more globally focused. You have local events everywhere. In the past with World IA Day, it's been heavily North American and European. We have lots of events in Europe, like 20 or so in the United States, 20 events or something in Europe. But this past year, or this past summer, we've been focused on growing areas in Latin America, growing more locations in Arabic speaking countries and locations. We've been developing I guess... growing the global board of directors. So, not having just people in North America who happened to be leading the leadership, but also people from Italy and Colombia and Egypt to be part of a team as well, to understand what are the different needs of people in those countries and regions. Jorge: Great! And what is your role in helping them come about? Grace: My official title is "co-president." And my role right now is like... well, we want to do more! So, we trying to nail down sponsorships so that we can support the local organizers in hosting their local events. So right now, we just secured a sponsorship with Vito, the Vito community. They're able to provide a good platform where we can set up and help put up virtual events in a more professional way. It's really more about building community as well. We're happy to partner with Vito because they're also very community focused. They want to build community around topics of interest. We want to build a space where people can get together and learn more about IA, and how we can support that, and how can we like help with transcription and understanding the information and content that is normally just available in English or Spanish, but also in other languages too. So, we're also doing more around translation, transcription, trying to figure out what kind of platforms are out there that we can help I guess coordinate these types of efforts. Again, World IA Day is also all volunteer, all not for profit. So, it's difficult because lots of the local organizers also have full-time jobs. As someone on a global leadership team, you have to figure out how can we best support them without overwhelming them with lots of event planning logistics. So, we're trying, on the global team... we try to make it easier for them to manage their day as well. Jorge: It's worth noting the dates for these things. World IA Day, I think, is in February? Grace: Yeah! World IA Day is February 27th. We're also trying to organize regional roundtables for World IA Day. Just so we can help, you know, build more exposure to what IA is, and also to build communities in those regions. And then the IA Conference is in late April. The difference between World IA Day and the IA Conference Jorge: I've participated in both World IA Day and IA Conference for a long time. And the distinction between them has been fairly clear in my mind. The IA Conference — previously IA Summit — was a yearly gathering of folks from many parts of the world, mostly North America, but many parts of the world, who would come together for a week or so to discuss the discipline, right? And try to move the discipline forward. World IA Day was one day a year and it was more local. The intent was to have it be more regional and encourage folks to develop the community of practice in their own geography. And I'm curious now in the times that we're living in where everything is happening virtually, what happens to the distinction between these two events? Grace: That's been a very tricky question because the IA Conference has always been where people can continue their education. It is one week a year that people get together. But at the same time, it's also one of the cheaper professional conferences that are out there. So, I think before the pandemic, it's been, I don't know, at least $900, $800, to attend a conference in North America, and you usually have to pay airfare and lodging, and you actually go to a place, right? For World IA Day, it has always been either free or low cost depending on where you are. And all the local organizers have the burden of trying to find local sponsors. It's more about elevating the local community as well. So, finding local sponsors to sponsor the event and then being able to be more affordable to people who live in that area. Right now, in these times, you still have the benefit of being regional because it's in your time zone. So, I mean, ideally... yeah, you could wake up really early in the morning, like, five in the morning for me to attend events in Europe. But at the same time, that's one great advantage of it being in these times, that you can attend any of the events. But you still want to be able to maybe... you know, on some faraway date when people can meet up in person again, you can say, "Hey buddy who lives across the street, can you be my mentor? And we could talk about job hunting around here." I think still having a local community still counts a lot, because we're still navigating in our current spaces — even though having a wider global mindset is important. There's still a lot of attachment that people feel comfortable and familiarity around, like, what's around us. So for me, being able to connect with the world's IA community, is very important. At the same time, it's also important for me to build a community around me locally because it's more of a grounding effect. Jorge: What I'm hearing there is that World IA Day still has very much a local focus, where it's about building this local community of practice. I'm wondering, given your experience with doing that in the San Gabriel Valley... and also, I think that you're a local World IA Day organizer, right? Grace: Yes, I work with that, yeah. Remote regional events Jorge: So, given the times that we're in, where so much of this kind of stuff is happening remotely... Like, I have in my mind a clearer picture of how a more traditional conference, like IA Conference, how that can play out remotely, but how does a remote regional event infrastructure work? Grace: With the local events, we're still trying to promote local speakers, right? So, it's still providing more opportunities and platforms for our new speakers to get into the speaking circuit, learn about how to speak in online events. It's still a launching point for people to learn, to get used to and then before they start speaking at larger regional conferences or international conferences, even though, anyone from anywhere can speak. If people say from Atlanta want to speak at an event in Singapore, that's still very possible. It's more about time zone, right? I think the local impact is still about... it's providing an audience. People still find affinity towards, "Oh yeah, I'm going to go to the one in LA because that's still my family. That's still my community of people that I want to be touch with." Whereas when you have like a global IA day, and you have like a IA event where it's including people from all over the world, it might be intimidating for some people to reach out and to talk to people. Jorge: Does World IA Day provide frameworks or infrastructure or advice on... like I'm thinking like very tactically. It's like, what do we do? Do we set up a new Discord site to have these discussions? Like, how do folks... and I'm thinking now, like I'm putting myself in the situation of a listener who might be hearing us talk and thinking, "you know, I might want to organize something like a World IA Day Meetup in my community." What would the experience be like for those folks? Grace: So, the call for locations still open because our success criteria for organizing an event is very low. I mean, if you can get a group of people just talking about IA, then that's an event already. We have a call for location open on the website board at worldiaday.org. You can apply, we'll go through it and see you know if you need any additional support, you get set up with a location page. We'll set you up with an event page. You get access to our Discord. If you are an organizer, then you'll get access to the secret organizing channels. But if you just want to learn about what IA is, you can also get access to the same Discord server as well. We have lots of channels and topics talking about like accessibility and language and how do we want to organize a content repository to help support the events next year? Jorge: And you said it's still open. And just for folks listening in, we are recording in early December. When would that window close? Grace: Hopefully, maybe in January. Jorge: Okay, so there might still be a little bit of time left then for folks to do that. Grace: Yeah! We're not really closing it per se... I mean it depends on how much energy people have to put together a call for speakers and things like that. Why you should participate Jorge: In the last few minutes we have left, I'm hoping that you could tell folks why they would want to participate in either or both of these events. Grace: Being part of the IA community has been really grounding for me. And I think it's really easy to find a family outside of family. For me it's been... so, even if I don't see them in person we've been meeting irregularly, it's been a really great way to get motivated and be mentored and guided through, working with a group of other volunteers. A lot of the volunteers are also veterans in the IA field and in the UX field so there's a lot of researchers, a lot of designers as well, who participate and volunteer their time as part of World IA Day and the IA Conference. So, just being a volunteer just brings you that much closer to the great names of Jorge Arango, Peter Morville and Lou Rosenfeld. So, it's a really, really great networking opportunity as well too to just be a volunteer. Jorge: Well, I'm flattered. Thank you for including me in that august group! That's as far as volunteers goes, but what about folks who might just want to tune in? Grace: It's also just really great to hear like, "Oh yeah. So that's what IA means. And there's a name for something that you've always been doing." Whether or not you are actually practicing IA or its just you learning or being productive... those are all IA things. I think just learning on its own — whether you're listening to podcast or reading from a book — that's also IA work that you're doing. So, I would say, "Come! Come learn with us. Come participate and contribute." It's a great way to meet other people. It's a great way to network. It's also a great way to feel a part of another larger community of people. Closing Jorge: Well, fantastic, Grace. Thank you so much for the work that you're doing to help make all of this happen. Where can folks follow up with you? Grace: You can find me on Twitter; @lauggh it's laugh, with two g's. You can also find me on LinkedIn, Grace G. Lau and you can also find me on my website, graceglau.com. Jorge: Thank you so much. I'm going to include those and also links to both World IA Day and the IA Conference in the show notes, so if folks want to follow up with the conferences and meetups, you can go there as well. Thank you so much, Grace. Grace: Thank you.

Amy Heymans is Mad*Pow's Chief Experience Officer and one its foundersof. We talk about how the practice of design is evolving, the emerging role of behavior design, purpose-driven design, and making sure the problems designers are asked to solve connect to business outcomes. Show Host: Dawan Stanford Show Summary A love of art led Amy into a career as a designer. She started in web design during the dot-com bubble where she became passionate about user research, usability, and user experience. After the bubble burst, she began to freelance, working in partnership with a former colleague. One project led to another, and the two continued to work together until, eventually, they founded Mad*Pow, fueled by Amy's vision of design being used to improve the human condition. Their passion for creating positive change transformed them into healthcare innovation pioneers. Since its inception, Mad*Pow has been at the forefront of helping businesses across multiple industries create human-centered and purpose-driven solutions using design thinking, strategic design, and behavioral change design. Amy offers listeners her insight into the way design is currently evolving, what the future of design will look like, and how behavior change design is an integral part of that evolution. Listen in to learn more about: The evolution of design thinking and purpose-driven design Innovation in healthcare How designers are shaping business model design The business environment necessary for long-term innovation success Behavior change design — what it is, and how it's changing design Our Guest's Bio Amy believes that design can help improve the human condition. It was with that mission and vision that she founded Mad*Pow in 2000. Amy plays an essential role in Mad*Pow's visualization of a changed healthcare system in the United States. Her work with companies like Aetna, CVS, McKesson, and Fidelity has helped them improve the experiences their patients and customers have with them, leverage design to drive change, and facilitate human-centric innovation. As the chief instigator behind Mad*Pow'sHealthcare Experience Design Conference—now in its fifth year and expanded and rebranded as HxRefactored—Amy has successfully connected and networked disparate parts of a challenging and siloed system. As a speaker, Amy shares her vision and methodology at influential events such as Design Management Institute, UXPA, IA Summit, Partners Center for Connected Health Symposium, Stanford MedicineX, Health 2.0, and HIMSS. With her partners Will Powley and Bradley Honeyman, Amy's grown Mad*Pow's presence, client base, and revenue, leading to Mad*Pow's 2009 recognition as one of Inc. 500's fastest growing privately held companies. Mass High Tech, which named her one of its 2009 Women to Watch, has recognized Amy's passion, energy, and commitment, and she's been acknowledged as one of Boston's “40 Under 40” by the Boston Business Journal for 2014. She supports the vision and mission of An Orphan's Dream, a nonprofit organization offering an oasis for AIDS-orphaned children in Gachoka, Kenya. Show Highlights [02:02] Amy's love of art led her to a career in design. [03:19] Freelancing and co-founding Mad*Pow. [04:30] How design work has changed and evolved over the years. [04:55] Big brands can be thanked for putting design front and center. [06:04] Behavior change design is becoming more prominent in design now. [06:30] Purpose-driven design: finding the balance between what a business wants to achieve and what their customers or clients want to achieve. [07:16] The ways Amy approaches the topic of purpose-driven design with potential clients. [08:12] Banks are now recognizing the need for purpose-driven design in their industry. [09:53] The pre-pandemic state of health systems and behavioral design. [10:24] Health systems had begun moving towards value-based care. [11:40] There is no “silver bullet” tech innovation that will fix our healthcare systems. [12:55] Amy talks about the gaps between the wants and goals of health insurance companies, healthcare systems, and their patients. [13:20] Amy sees collaboration between groups of companies as the next frontier in healthcare innovation. [14:32] Focus of design has shifted to working directly with a business to tailor solutions. [15:13] How design is helping to innovate business models and strategies. [15:49] Business design is a blend of design thinking and business strategy. [17:24] The environment that's needed in an organization for a project to succeed and thrive long-term. [19:48] Amy's advice to business leaders considering working with a design firm. [20:10] The importance of understanding the problem space before jumping to a solution. [21:53] Why Amy believes the future of design is behavior change design. [23:23] How behavioral science and behavioral design is changing the field of design. [24:20] Designing today means using both creative right-brain and analytical left-brain. [26:56] The state of healthcare design during today's COVID-19 crisis. [27:50] How digital health and home healthcare are evolving. [29:00] COVID-19 has shone a light on healthcare inequity and the social determinants of health. [30:26] Amy talks about her interest in the ethos-logos-pathos concept. [31:03] Amy recommends designers study philosophy, communication and speech-writing. [33:17] Information about Mad*Pow's two conferences.     Links Amy on MadPow Amy on LinkedIn Amy on Twitter Amy's page on MassArt Transforming our Empathy into A Future of Connectedness Designing an Eco-system of Care, from Stanford MedicineX 2013 Our Calling: Improve Health, from HXRefactored 2015 Design for Change: Empathy as our Guide The Case for Purpose-Driven Design TEDx Talk by Amy Design for Change: Empathy and Purpose, HXR 2016 Purpose Driven Design Can Change The World Designing for Systemic Change Fireside Chat Design Museum interview with Amy Edison Profile of Amy (video) The Three Pillars of Persuasion: Ethos, Logos, Pathos   Book Recommendation: Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business, by John Mackey and Rajendra Sisodia       Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like   Designing for Healthcare vs Sick Care + The Emergency Design Collective — DT101 E52   Designing Health Systems + Creating Effective Design Workshops with Sean Molloy — DT101 E44   Nursing + Service Design + Healthcare Innovation with Brittany Merkle — DT101 E38   ________________   Thank you for listening to the show and looking at the show notes. Send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan   Free Download — Design Driven Innovation: Avoid Innovation Traps with These 9 Steps   Innovation Smart Start Webinar — Take your innovation projects from frantic to focused!

Amy Heymans is Mad*Pow’s Chief Experience Officer and one its foundersof. We talk about how the practice of design is evolving, the emerging role of behavior design, purpose-driven design, and making sure the problems designers are asked to solve connect to business outcomes. Show Host: Dawan Stanford Show Summary A love of art led Amy into a career as a designer. She started in web design during the dot-com bubble where she became passionate about user research, usability, and user experience. After the bubble burst, she began to freelance, working in partnership with a former colleague. One project led to another, and the two continued to work together until, eventually, they founded Mad*Pow, fueled by Amy’s vision of design being used to improve the human condition. Their passion for creating positive change transformed them into healthcare innovation pioneers. Since its inception, Mad*Pow has been at the forefront of helping businesses across multiple industries create human-centered and purpose-driven solutions using design thinking, strategic design, and behavioral change design. Amy offers listeners her insight into the way design is currently evolving, what the future of design will look like, and how behavior change design is an integral part of that evolution. Listen in to learn more about: The evolution of design thinking and purpose-driven design Innovation in healthcare How designers are shaping business model design The business environment necessary for long-term innovation success Behavior change design — what it is, and how it’s changing design Our Guest’s Bio Amy believes that design can help improve the human condition. It was with that mission and vision that she founded Mad*Pow in 2000. Amy plays an essential role in Mad*Pow’s visualization of a changed healthcare system in the United States. Her work with companies like Aetna, CVS, McKesson, and Fidelity has helped them improve the experiences their patients and customers have with them, leverage design to drive change, and facilitate human-centric innovation. As the chief instigator behind Mad*Pow’sHealthcare Experience Design Conference—now in its fifth year and expanded and rebranded as HxRefactored—Amy has successfully connected and networked disparate parts of a challenging and siloed system. As a speaker, Amy shares her vision and methodology at influential events such as Design Management Institute, UXPA, IA Summit, Partners Center for Connected Health Symposium, Stanford MedicineX, Health 2.0, and HIMSS. With her partners Will Powley and Bradley Honeyman, Amy’s grown Mad*Pow’s presence, client base, and revenue, leading to Mad*Pow’s 2009 recognition as one of Inc. 500’s fastest growing privately held companies. Mass High Tech, which named her one of its 2009 Women to Watch, has recognized Amy’s passion, energy, and commitment, and she’s been acknowledged as one of Boston’s “40 Under 40” by the Boston Business Journal for 2014. She supports the vision and mission of An Orphan’s Dream, a nonprofit organization offering an oasis for AIDS-orphaned children in Gachoka, Kenya. Show Highlights [02:02] Amy’s love of art led her to a career in design. [03:19] Freelancing and co-founding Mad*Pow. [04:30] How design work has changed and evolved over the years. [04:55] Big brands can be thanked for putting design front and center. [06:04] Behavior change design is becoming more prominent in design now. [06:30] Purpose-driven design: finding the balance between what a business wants to achieve and what their customers or clients want to achieve. [07:16] The ways Amy approaches the topic of purpose-driven design with potential clients. [08:12] Banks are now recognizing the need for purpose-driven design in their industry. [09:53] The pre-pandemic state of health systems and behavioral design. [10:24] Health systems had begun moving towards value-based care. [11:40] There is no “silver bullet” tech innovation that will fix our healthcare systems. [12:55] Amy talks about the gaps between the wants and goals of health insurance companies, healthcare systems, and their patients. [13:20] Amy sees collaboration between groups of companies as the next frontier in healthcare innovation. [14:32] Focus of design has shifted to working directly with a business to tailor solutions. [15:13] How design is helping to innovate business models and strategies. [15:49] Business design is a blend of design thinking and business strategy. [17:24] The environment that’s needed in an organization for a project to succeed and thrive long-term. [19:48] Amy’s advice to business leaders considering working with a design firm. [20:10] The importance of understanding the problem space before jumping to a solution. [21:53] Why Amy believes the future of design is behavior change design. [23:23] How behavioral science and behavioral design is changing the field of design. [24:20] Designing today means using both creative right-brain and analytical left-brain. [26:56] The state of healthcare design during today’s COVID-19 crisis. [27:50] How digital health and home healthcare are evolving. [29:00] COVID-19 has shone a light on healthcare inequity and the social determinants of health. [30:26] Amy talks about her interest in the ethos-logos-pathos concept. [31:03] Amy recommends designers study philosophy, communication and speech-writing. [33:17] Information about Mad*Pow’s two conferences.     Links Amy on MadPow Amy on LinkedIn Amy on Twitter Amy’s page on MassArt Transforming our Empathy into A Future of Connectedness Designing an Eco-system of Care, from Stanford MedicineX 2013 Our Calling: Improve Health, from HXRefactored 2015 Design for Change: Empathy as our Guide The Case for Purpose-Driven Design TEDx Talk by Amy Design for Change: Empathy and Purpose, HXR 2016 Purpose Driven Design Can Change The World Designing for Systemic Change Fireside Chat Design Museum interview with Amy Edison Profile of Amy (video) The Three Pillars of Persuasion: Ethos, Logos, Pathos   Book Recommendation: Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business, by John Mackey and Rajendra Sisodia       Other Design Thinking 101 Episodes You Might Like   Designing for Healthcare vs Sick Care + The Emergency Design Collective — DT101 E52   Designing Health Systems + Creating Effective Design Workshops with Sean Molloy — DT101 E44   Nursing + Service Design + Healthcare Innovation with Brittany Merkle — DT101 E38   ________________   Thank you for listening to the show and looking at the show notes. Send your questions, suggestions, and guest ideas to Dawan and the Fluid Hive team. Cheers ~ Dawan   Free Download — Design Driven Innovation: Avoid Innovation Traps with These 9 Steps   Innovation Smart Start Webinar — Take your innovation projects from frantic to focused!

We caught up with Etienne Delhaye, Executive Director of Sophia Club Enterprises and organizer of Soph.IA Summit and Michele Bezzi, Research Manager at SAP Security Research in Sophia Antipolis on the side of Soph.IA Summit to learn more about Sophia Antipolis and SAP AI-related research, respectively.

Ernie Bray is an award-winning entrepreneur in our industry. He builts technology solutions for the industry as well as having built a very successful independent appraisal firm. Hear from him what it takes to build a successful business that lasts in this the final part of the IA Path IA Summit,   Podcast Sponsor ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand then you should check out ACD. Email them at Network@acdcorp.com

It was my honour and my privelege to speak at the IA Path Independent Adjusters Graduation event in October 2019. I spoke on the importance of a #PowerfulPersonalBrand and how to differentiate yourself in a crowded and competitive marketplace. You can find Chris Stanley at www.iapath.com and you can purchase a copy of "Powerful Personal Brands: a hands-on guide to understanding yours" at: www.powerfulpersonalbrands.com

We continue the celebration of being an IA from our quarterly online seminar, the IA Summit, with Ben Baker. Ben is an expert on building your personal brand. This is different than building a successful business, but building a successful business starts with YOUR personal brand.   Podcast Sponsor ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand then you should check out ACD. Email them at Network@acdcorp.com

We continue the celebration of being an IA from our quarterly online seminar, the IA Summit, with Mathew Allen of AdjusterTV. Matt comes to present "How to Survive Getting Started." He wants to equip you, to be successful as you begin your journey.   Podcast Sponsor ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand then you should check out ACD. Email them at Network@acdcorp.com

This episode is all about how HARD it is to be an IA. In this recorded speech Chris Stanley shares his IA story, failures, succeses, and truths that has never been public before from the IA Path IA Summit on September 24th 2019. Don't miss part 1 of the IA Summit!   Podcast Sponsor ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand then you should check out ACD. Email them at Network@acdcorp.com

Getting started is just the beginning! In this podcast, Chris talks about the lifecycles and stages of being an IA and how it isn't all roses. He gives helpful tips for walking through each phase and also mentions that THIS TOPIC is what the 4 keynote speakers will be talking about at the IA Summit on September 24th 2019. Lifecycles of an IA The Dip The Start The Brand The Business   Podcast Sponsor ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand then you should check out ACD. Email them at Network@acdcorp.com

See Full Show Notes here: https://growensemble.com/sustainable-ux-james-christie SustainableUX Founder James Christie works as director of user experience at Mad*Pow, which partners with the likes of inspiring companies like Cigna Health and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to make their interaction with clients more inclusive and accessible.  But as he started tapping more and more into his internal drive for purpose, he knew he sought more of it than what he was getting there. Yes, he enjoyed teaming up with fantastic nonprofit partners, but wasn’t as into collaborating with other clients driven by the bottom line. He wanted to make more of a positive impact.  And he was increasingly scared by how quickly climate change was intensifying.  “In software, I can help, but it’s not going to do you much good if the world’s on fire,” he says. “I began feeling increasingly irrelevant against that backdrop.” He began looking more deeply into the effects of his personal and professional carbon footprint, and how to measure digital impacts.  “What became more urgent was climate change,” he adds. “It’s become increasingly scary for me, as it has for many.” That led him to create, in a very hands-on and grassroots way, the SustainableUX Conference, to dig deep into how our ubiquitous digital habits affect energy use, pollution and more. He is also an active presenter (and writer) on topics including responsive design; in addition to SustainableUX, he has shared his research at South by Southwest (SxSW), IA Summit, UXPA International and UX Scotland. He and his small volunteer team hoped the first SustainableUX would attract 40 visitors. It drew 400. Year two, 1,300 attended online, with hundreds watching presentations after the fact, absorbing insight into everything from green web-hosting to biomimicry in design.  

This is a special edition of the Independent Adjuster's Podcast, a replay of IA Path's live event the, IA Summit. This is part 3 of 3 and today we tune in to hear what Ernie Bray, the CEO of ACD has to say about "How to Build a Successful IA Business."  If anyone knows how to go from being a single IA to being a top company it is him. Let's tune in to hear Ernie Bray.   Podcast Sponsor ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand then you should checkout ACD.

This is a special edition of the Independent Adjuster's Podcast, a replay of IA Path's live event the, IA Summit. This is part 2 of 3 and you'll hear Andrew Shervanian talk about the "Future of the IA in Claims" and Ken Wittich of TheBestIRS talk on "How to Look and Act Like an IA."   Podcast Sponsor ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand then you should checkout ACD.

This is a special edition of the Independent Adjuster's Podcast, a replay of IA Path's live event the, IA Summit. This is part 1 of 3 and you'll hear John Bachmann of claims YouTube fame discuss the "Vowels of a Claim" and Mathew Allen talk about, "All of Your Training and Licenses are WORTHLESS as an IA Unless You Have This One Thing."   Podcast Sponsor ACD –If you are an IA looking for more work, if you are wanting to diversify where your claims are coming from, and expand then you should checkout ACD.

GUEST BIO: Jessica Ivins is a user experience (UX) designer and faculty member at Center Centre, the UX design school in Chattanooga, TN, where she prepares students to be industry-ready, junior UX designers. Jessica dedicates much of her time to the UX community. She founded the Chattanooga UX Design Meetup. She publishes UX articles on her blog and on Medium. She also speaks internationally at conferences such as SXSW, Midwest UX, IA Summit, and UX Cambridge (UK). EPISODE DESCRIPTION: Phil’s guest on today’s show is Jessica Ivins. She started her IT career working as a web developer using mainly HTML and CSS. But, soon became interested in the UX field. Her design school prepares students to become truly industry-ready, junior UX designers. Jessica is the founder of the Chattanooga UX Design Meetup as well as a prolific international conference speaker. She also spends quite a lot of time sharing her knowledge via her blog, social media, and tech articles via the Medium platform. KEY TAKEAWAYS: (1.06) – So Jessica, can I ask you to expand on that brief intro and tell us a little bit more about yourself? Jessica explains that, by trade, she is a UX designer. But, these days, her focus is teaching others to become industry-ready designers. To achieve this, she takes her students through an intensive two-year course. Once they have completed it, they are fully ready for the workplace. (2.00) - How long have you been focused on UX itself and how long have you been teaching other people? Her answer is since 2007, but Jessica explains that, before that, she was a front end web developer. A skill she still uses from time to time. She has been focusing on teaching since 2011/12. However, Jessica has been running regular workshops and attending meetups for far longer. (3.10) – Can you please share a unique career tip with the I.T. career audience? Jessica’s advice is to always be preparing yourself for your next job search, even if you are happy in your current role. That does not mean applying for jobs before you are ready to move on. Jessica’s advice is to constantly improve your reputation. It is important to portray yourself as a professional, at all times. That way when you need to find a new job, you will be in a good position to land the role you really want. Making a name for yourself within the industry makes any job search far easier. (4.10) - Do you have any examples of what you might do to get your profile out there? Jessica says you can dive deep and begin blogging. That works well. So, does writing a book or public speaking. For Jessica, it was speaking at conferences that gave her career a real boost. Attending networking events helps too. As does, maintaining a strong presence on social media. You just need to hang out and be active where others who work in your field spend time. For example, if you are a designer Dribble is a particularly good platform to participate in. You can also listen to podcasts or read articles written by experts who work in your field and reach to and thank them. Plus, maybe ask a question or share something with them. Do that regularly and you will stay on people’s radar. LinkedIn has great feeds that make it really easy to do this. If you do a few of these things you will end up with a good online presence. So, when an employer Googles your name they will be able to find up to date information about you. Someone who is known in the industry and has a good reputation will find it easier to land a good job. Phil particularly likes the suggestion that you provide positive feedback for articles and podcasts. He knows this is effective, especially when you submit your comment not long after the article or podcast has been published. (6.50) – Can you tell us about your worst career moment? And what you learned from that experience. At one point, despite being inexperienced and in a junior position, Jessica was expected to complete senior level work. As a result, she ended up working on some high profile and demanding projects. Unfortunately, she did not have enough experience to do everything that was expected of her. It was a very unfair position to be in. Several other people who were involved in the project were in a similar situation. Unsurprisingly, fairly quickly, everyone involved became very frustrated. However, it did make her realize that she needed to become a better facilitator. She had to develop the skill to lead individuals and teams toward consensus. It helped her to realize that being able to rally the team was an essential skill. The difficult experience she had, early on in her career, taught her a skill she still relies on heavily, today. In the end, that experience is one of the things that ended up pushing her career forward. (9.00) – What was your best career moment? For Jessica, getting into public speaking has been a highlight of her career. But, it was not something she wanted to do. She resisted, but her boss pushed her to do it. At the time, her presentation skills were not great, something her boss saw as a big issue. When she finally gave in and, she started out by speaking locally, on a subject she was passionate about. It was nowhere near as scary as she thought it would be and her public speaking ended opening a lot of doors for her. For example, while speaking at one conference she met and got to know her current boss. (10.32) – When did you actually start public speaking and how many talks have you given and do you enjoy it? Jessica explains that she started to speak publically around 2011/12, and since then has delivered dozens of talks. However, she still gets butterflies, when she speaks publically. But, she has learned to manage them better, so they are not as bad as they used to be. (11.56) – Can you tell us what excites you about the future of the IT industry and careers? The way in which technology is becoming so integrated with our day-to-day lives excites Jessica. The pace of integration means that there are always new and interesting problems to solve, especially when it comes to the user experience. (12.40) – What drew you to a career in IT? When Jessica was in college, taking a computer programming class was mandatory. At the time, she knew very little about computers, just how to use two pieces of software and handle emails. Naturally, she was nervous about taking the programming class. But, when she did, she loved it. So much so, that she nailed her first exam. She switched majors and ended up studying to become a web developer using HTML and CSS. That is when she knew for sure that an IT career was for her. The fact that she could make enough money to live comfortably was also a win. (14.30) – If you were to begin your IT career again, right now, what would you do? Jessica says she would probably start by sharpening her self-learning skills. As a student, she had a conventional mindset. She thought the way to learn was to just go to class and do what your teacher told you. Now, she realizes that this conventional approach will only take you so far. In today’s world, you have to be really good at teaching yourself. It is the only way to remain marketable and knowledgeable enough to be really good at your job. (15.26) - Is that something you've built into a habit? Or is it something you plan out? For Jessica, it has become habitual. If you focus on learning and sharpen it as a skill, you'll get better at learning. You will learn faster and recognize which skills you need to focus on. (16.05) – What are you currently focusing on in your career? Jessica is working to improve her management skills for her next cohort of students. At Center Centre, they take a different approach to education. The environment in which the students are taught is more like a workplace than a classroom. Students report to Jessica or a faculty member and have regular one-on-one meetings. Projects are managed just like they would be in the workplace. It is a sound process which produces fully trained junior UX designers. Workers who are able to do the job, from the very first day with their new companies. Jessica is pleased with the way things have gone but is working to continually improve. That means striving to manage things even better than they are now. (17.07) – What is the number one non-technical skill that has helped you the most in your IT career? For Jessica, that is having strong facilitation skills. Being able to run meetings and lead people towards consensus and achieving goals is an invaluable skill set. Jessica feels that the ability to do this is one of the things that sets her apart, in a good way. It has also helped her to be a good educator.   (17.46) – Phil asks Jessica to share a final piece of career advice with the audience. Jessica’s advice is to be intentional about how you portray yourself and make sure that you continually make small investments in your career. This will ensure that you are as ready as possible the next time you need a new job. At Center Centre, they work with students from day one to lay the groundwork for their getting a job, when they graduate, two-years later. They are encouraged to identify who they need to meet, the opportunities that will help their career and what else they can learn to boost their job worthiness. BEST MOMENTS: (3.28) JESSICA – "Lay the groundwork for your next job search now, even if you're happily employed" (8.07) JESSICA – "Public speaking opened up so many doors for me" (15.04) JESSICA – "You have to be good at seeking out new opportunities to learn, so you are marketable, hireable and knowledgeable enough to be effective at your job." (15.17) JESSICA – "If I could go back and talk to my earlier self, about the beginning of my career, I would definitely push myself to sharpen the skill of self-learning." (17.58) JESSICA – "Be intentional about how you portray yourself." CONTACT JESSICA: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessicaivins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaivins/ Website: http://jessicaivins.net

Welcome to episode 4 of Pragmatic Talk hosted by Scot and Susan - the husband and wife team behind Pragmatic Digital. In this episode we talk about the 5 trends in voice that we've noticed from attending 3 conferences this year - IA Summit, Vayner Media's VoiceCon and VoiceSummit.

Jeffrey Zeldman’s guest is Abby Covert, Information Architect; curator of IA Summit; co-founder of World IA Day; president of IA Institute; teacher in the Products of Design MFA program at New York’s School of Visual Arts; and author of How To Make Sense of Any Mess, a “brilliant introduction to information architecture” (Peter Morville) that is frequently purchased at Amazon with Don’t Make Me Think and The Design of Everyday Things, the two classics of usable design. Discussed: why IA matters now more than ever, the difference between IA and content strategy (IA is building the vehicle, CS is putting fueling it and making sure it won’t run out of gas), writing and designing a book, building agreement among stakeholders, “not having opinions, not having ideas of one’s own,” IA’s origins in language and structure, the fun of the IA Summit, the creation and growth of World IA Day, the joy of teaching, and more.

Jeffrey Zeldman's guest is Abby Covert, Information Architect; curator of IA Summit; co-founder of World IA Day; president of IA Institute; teacher in the Products of Design MFA program at New York's School of Visual Arts; and author of How To Make Sense of Any Mess, a “brilliant introduction to information architecture” (Peter Morville) that is frequently purchased at Amazon with Don't Make Me Think and The Design of Everyday Things, the two classics of usable design. Discussed: why IA matters now more than ever, the difference between IA and content strategy (IA is building the vehicle, CS is putting fueling it and making sure it won't run out of gas), writing and designing a book, building agreement among stakeholders, “not having opinions, not having ideas of one's own,” IA's origins in language and structure, the fun of the IA Summit, the creation and growth of World IA Day, the joy of teaching, and more.

This podcast is a special insider view of Louis Rosenfeld, IA consultant and owner of Rosenfeld Media shares insight about his publishing experience. Lou is the co-founder of Argus Associates, founder of the IA Summit and co-author of the well-known "Polar Bear Book," called Information Architecture for the World Wide Web.

Recorded March 28, 2014 at the IA Summit, San Diego Donna Lichaw @dlichaw http://www.greatnorthelectric.com/ Eduardo Ortiz @eduardoortiz http://about.me/efortiz Designing for Villains http://2014.iasummit.org/designing-for-villians/ Mary Gaitskill/Secretary http://marygaitskill.com/ http://www.secretarythemovie.co.uk/html/home.html Sanky Panky http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanky-panky

Technology changes quickly. A lot of organizations struggle to keep up with this change. It’s not just mobile design that’s throwing a wrench in the spokes. Content strategy and information architecture are more important than ever in this changing, multi device landscape. Karen McGrane believes in the not too distant future IAs and UXers will be leading organizations in the face of these changes.

UX-radio.com - podcasts about Information Architecture, User Experience, and Design. Inspiring conversations with industry experts. Adam is an active and established leader in the UX Community through organizations like the UXPA, The Information Architecture Institute, SxSW, The IA Summit and Big (D)esign Events. He is currently a UX Strategist with Bottle Rocket, one of the most successful mobile app agencies in the world.

James Macanufo is a co-author of Gamestorming and a thought-leader in facilitation and interaction design. He teaches, consults and tinkers on projects. UX-radio talks with him about his presentation at this year’s IA Summit in Baltimore, the Collaborative Design of Smart Things.

Most interactions have an underlying rhythm. For example, an application may ask you to scan a list of items, then click one, leading to another list to scan and click. Scan, click, scan, click. You can get into a groove. Systems increasingly have rhythm too: animated transitions, hover responses, and digital physics. Static is so last year.

E pluribus unum? Better yet, out of one, create many—many channels within a multifaceted but unified experience. That’s the challenge of experience design among constrained budgets, tight timelines, and unlimited interaction expectations. Content strategy’s communication foundation, the message architecture, can help you answer that challenge.

When smartphones and tablets first emerged, designers focused on channel differences like screen size in order to understand the basics in this new area. It’s time to set aside channel-centric planning and think of a user’s context first.

If we focus too much on content, we ignore what we know about how our associative brain comes to makes sense new information. Think about how many people respond before reading past the first sentence of an email, or how a magazine article doesn’t get the same reaction when displayed in HTML. Or consider how knowing the author of a publication influences your judgement of that content.

We’re BACK!! After a brief hiatus, we’re back with a great mobile-centric episode of the podcast. Featuring a great interview with Josh Clark (@globalmoxie), author of “Tapworthy: Designing Great iPhone Apps” that Steve recorded at the IA Summit in Denver. We also have news about Google dropping QR codes, the uselessness of CAPTCHAs, and more! [...]

Designing for social interaction is hard. People are unpredictable, consistency is a mixed blessing, and co-creation with your users requires a dizzying flirtation with loss of control. Christian will present the dos and don’ts of social web design using a sampling of interaction patterns, design principles and best practices to help you improve the design of your digital social environments. Christian Crumlish has been participating in, analyzing, designing, and drawing social interactive spaces online since 1994. These days he is the curator of Yahoo!’s pattern library, a design evangelist with the Yahoo! Developer Network, and a member of Yahoo!’s Design Council. He is the author of the bestselling The Internet for Busy People, and The Power of Many, and is currently working on an upcoming book, Designing Social Interfaces, with Erin Malone. He has spoken about social patterns at BarCamp Block, BayCHI, South by Southwest, the IA Summit, Ignite, and Web 2.0 Expo. Christian has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Princeton. He lives in Oakland with his wife Briggs, his cat Fraidy, and his electric ukulele, Evangeline. Licensed as Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).

In this discussion about presence, identity, and attention in social web architecture the panel talks about core IA related issues.

Leah teaches techniques that any individual can use to generate and refine ideas, outlining flexible, simple activities that can be used quickly, wherever they're needed

Brandon lays out an experience centric approach to fostering and creating loyalty by systematically impressing your customers again and again

Karen Loasby is the information architecture team leader for the BBC.I spoke to her about metadata, taxonomy and related topics.How do you manage metadata issues when you're dealing with millions of pages, and thousands of authors?Karen referred to two sites during our discussion. The BBC Feed Factory is http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedfactory/ and Etsy is http://www.etsy.comYou might also want to check out Karen's article "Changing Approaches to Metadata at bbc.co.uk: From Chaos to Control and Then Letting Go Again" (http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Oct-06/loasby.html) and her presentation on "The Growing Pains of a Controlled Vocabulary" for the 2005 IA Summit http://iasummit.org/2005/finalpapers/66_Presentation.ppt (this is in PowerPoint and is around 260kB).This episode is 18 minutes 20 seconds in duration. File size is 8.6MB.