Meet the co-chairs: Dan Ramsden

Next in our ‘meet the team’ series of posts we introduce one of our co-chairs – Dan Ramsden.

We’ve asked the same few questions to all the team working on the conference, starting with…

Where do you work and what do you do?

I’m Creative director for two teams at the BBC. I lead the IA discipline. I’m also helping to build a team of content designers as part of the BBC’s user experience and design team. I get the chance to work across a range of audience-facing experiences and back-end systems.

What’s been your favourite moment as an IA (so far)?

Contributing to a site with a huge domestic and global audience is inspiring, so the first time I saw my ideas helping to build the BBC website was a big moment. But my proudest moments are when our teams are able to share not only our work, but also our ideas and processes. We really value collaboration and sharing, so seeing team members sharing things at events like the IA Conference is always a huge thrill.

What made you decide to volunteer for IAC?

I’ve been fortunate to deliver talks and workshops at wonderful events around the world. I always learn so much not just from the other talks I see at these events, but from taking the time to think about how to explain my ideas to others. Having the chance to help shape a conference was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

What does the theme mean to you – what are you hoping to see, hear, sense or share in New Orleans?

We included the idea of mischief in the theme because we want to be surprised. One reason I love IA is because it has the potential to generate new ways of seeing the world that feel inevitable but still require effort to uncover them. I like the idea that there’s a trickster spirit somewhere in every IA that has the audacity to find new ways to make the world work. So I’m most looking forward to being surprised and delighted by the unexpected.

Where can people find you?

I’m the co-chair representing Europe this year. I work in both Salford and London in the UK. You can find me on twitter @danramsden. I write things on Medium and at danramsden.com. I’m currently doing some research into IA practice which you can learn more about at iapractitioner.com. And I’ll be at EuroIA in September. 

Dan Ramsden

Dan Ramsden is Creative director for User experience architecture and UX Writing at the BBC. He leads a team of information architects who are committed to making the BBC’s tools, content and experiences more meaningful and connected. He’s also helping to establish the UX Writing discipline in BBC UX&D. Both roles give him plenty of opportunities for understanding and improving how teams work, getting the most from specialist disciplines and working with people who inform and inspire his own practice every day. Specialist disciplines at the BBC are sometimes embedded into product teams while others works on platform-level capabilities and insights. Dan concentrates on making sure their efforts are coherent, connected, efficient and resilient. He is based in Salford, at MediaCity UK. Dan likes jokes, magic, and making the most of moments. He also likes alliteration. He lives just outside Sheffield (UK) with a wife, a child, and a cat called Rosa.

Dan has contributed to the IA Conference by speaking, offering career mentoring and coaching, presenting a poster and running a workshop.