2019 IAC Workshops

There is an absolute truth about AI and that is artificial is always a pale comparison to the real thing especially when intelligence is involved. If you’ve noticed in increase in attention from the SEO down the hall, it is because Google has determined that UX is the most SEO-proof ranking influence for search results. If you’re Stephen Hawkings (or Elon Musk and others), you believe that artificial intelligence brings…

Content design is the process of identifying and arranging content – words, images, charts, links, diagrams, etc. – that meets user and business needs. If you create information resources like websites, apps, or intranets for others to use, you’re doing this already. A critical first step in designing effective content is to figure out what you have, and if it’s any good. Content Inventories and Content Audits are the core…

A good taxonomy is one that meets the needs of its users. A great taxonomy is one that includes the needs of its users and business goals as a single strategy. Anticipating the immediate and long-term business goals of your organization along with the needs of end users is essential for product success and sustainability. This is true for e-commerce, government organizations, enterprise portals and other complex information environments. This…

We carry a screen with us at all times, yet technology is already moving beyond the screen. We must architect and design beyond screens to ensure we continue to serve in human centered ways, wherever, whenever and however interactions evolve. IA and Design leaders need to be at the forefront for the strategy for the intersection of people and technology, and we can be the leaders to take us beyond…

“Diversity is going to the party. Inclusion is being on the party-planning committee.” [Verna Meyers] Diversity and inclusion are imperative for anyone practicing information architecture. Categories, labels, and complex information spaces being built today will inherit value judgements by those who create them, impacting anyone else coming into contact with the frameworks that are built. On top of that, our society is changing as digital natives approach classification and naming…

Historically, design practices have focused on process, methods, and craft. But this limits design’s potential—design leaders can provide more value to their organizations by implementing robust DesignOps. In Design Operations Essentials, Dave Malouf will introduce participants to the three lenses of DesignOps, and how each one helps an organization increase the value it gets from its design practice. Participants will learn frameworks from strategic thinking and service design so they…

ImprovUX is a series of fun and INTERACTIVE talks and workshops that apply the skills of Improvisation (listening, acceptance, support, collaboration, letting go of judgment, etc.) to the world of User Experience. User Experience relies on gathering qualitative data from our potential users through interviews, surveys, and other methods. In order to connect with users, we need to build trust and empathy as quickly and strongly as possible. During the…

More of our lives are happening online every day. We interact and transact through digital systems on a growing variety of devices. More understandable and coherent systems = better experiences. As a result, information architecture (IA) is more important than ever. In this fast-paced workshop, you will learn the basic concepts and practices that lead to the creation and management of effective information architectures.

In today’s world, we’re dealing with ever expanding multi-device multi-screen multi-service ecosystems across multiple channels. Most of these ecosystem profiles have their own user behaviours, user needs, interaction models and design patterns. Amongst all that, we need to move away from our traditional methods, and learn new ones that enable us to better understand the big picture. In this half day workshop you’ll learn about the importance of initially focusing…

IA experience is wonderful preparation for product management, but the role of a product manager involves mastering additional skills related to software development, engineering, technical architecture, finding product-market fit, going to market, funnel optimization, revenue modeling, experimenting with hypotheses, managing products through lifecycles, sunsetting features, saying no to stakeholders, getting teams into alignment, and more. In this workshop, Christian will explain how IA skills provide a great foundation for product…