Adaptive Path Podcast

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

Peter discusses how focusing on consumers' experience of new products and services through rapid prototyping and other means can inform and shape design

Dan and Kim share their experiences in how to think through the UX design process and the many tools to help guide their thinking like research-based design and injecting users directly into designs.

Brandon Schauer, David Verba and Peter Merholz provide insights about how prosperous businesses can — and should — use customer experiences to inform and shape the product development process, from start to finish.

Todd shares his thoughts on the emerging field of service design and its implications for product design.

Mike discusses how information processing is integrated into everyday objects, and the 'desktop' metaphor is obsolete. This post-desktop model of computing is known as ubiquitous computing.

Peter participates in a panel with Andy Budd of ClearLeft and Hammad Khan (persona creative) to discuss the creation of a positive user experience and the importance of user experience design.

Understanding the psychology behind how users relate to a product is the key to its lasting success. Users tend to anthropomorphize, or ascribe human personality traits to products they use. Products with long-term success have developers who recognize the identity and personality of the product they want to convey. They create integrity with the product and how their users will interact with it.

Garrett explains that "experience strategy" is designing from the outside in. Whereas branding philosophy relies on imposing your message on the consumer, experience strategy is the opposite: it's about starting from the consumer's perspective and working backward from it. This approach is also counter-intuitive to the classic coder perspective, from which so many technology products get their start.

Transformative products make us wonder how we ever lived without them. Garrett uses well-known product examples to demonstrate what sets them apart from the rest of their industries. It's not just the features or the price or the marketing, rather it is how users relate and interact with and feel about the product. Designing and developing using experience strategy gives your product the foundation to potentially be the next Kodak or TiVo, to make lasting changes in how consumers think about technology.

Changing working environments, complex business requirements, projects, and technologies are placing new demands on user experience designers. The site architectures, content inventories, wireframes, personas, and creative briefs that once formed the keystone of our user experience toolkit, only represent a portion of our responsibilities now.

This panel will continue the skills discussion introduced by Liz Sanders in her participatory design workshop. We will examine the skills, methods, ideas, and approaches required for future user experience practitioners. Panelists will share their experience and discuss current and future challenges in building user experience groups and preparing future practitioners for success.

Panel Members

* Liz Sanders

* Peter Merholz

* Andrew Hinton

* Kevin Brooks

About Sarah B. Nelson

Sarah B. Nelson is a design strategist for Adaptive Path. She has ten years of experience in interactive media, designing kiosks, mobile and online experiences for clients in a variety of industries. Sarah has a particular passion for practice development, conducting research into methods for improving collaboration, supporting creativity, and encouraging innovation.

Sarah brings a unique blend of creative vision and technical expertise to her work. Her research-focused approach to interaction design has produced successful results for clients such as the Federal Home Loan Bank, Home Street Bank, AOL Mobile, The Metropolitan Opera, and The Royal Victorian and Albert Museum.

Before joining Adaptive Path, Sarah managed the creative team and developed the user experience practice at POP, an interactive design firm in Seattle, Washington. A classically trained violinist, Sarah graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and received a B.A from Oberlin College in visual arts and electronic music. While completing her Masters at the Institute of Design in Chicago, Sarah focused her studies on the definition and design of complex multi-modal systems supporting collaboration and communication.