User Research

IIT Institute of Design’s Design Research Conference

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:26:23 +0000

Chicago, Illinois, September 19-20, 2008
www.designresearchconference.com

We are happy to announce registration is now open for the seventh annual IIT Institute of Design’s Design Research Conference (DRC) to be held September 19-20, 2008 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. The conference is a collaborative forum exploring newly emerging topics, methods and issues in design research from a wide
spectrum of disciplines.

DRC is an ideal event for designers, consultants, planners, consumer researchers, educators and executives interested in the latest advanced methods and approaches to human-centered design research.

In 2008, the conference builds on a tradition of successful student-run conferences, bringing speakers with international perspectives, new methods and forward-thinking views, while at the same time facilitating even more discussion through workshops and roundtables. Check the website to see our amazing line-up of speakers and workshop leaders!

REGISTRATION
Registration is now open and seating is limited. Last year’s conference sold out, so don’t delay! Early registration pricing (General Public: $825) will last until July 27th, after which the price goes up significantly. Special pricing available for students, AIGA members, and recent past attendees. See website for details.

MORE INFORMATION
For conference details and registration: www.designresearchconference.com

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Elizabeth Collins, Director of
Corporate Relations: ecollins@id.iit.edu, 312-595-2222
For other conference questions, contact: drc@id.iit.edu

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF DESIGN
The Institute of Design (ID) is a graduate school of design at the Illinois Institute of Technology dedicated to humanizing technology and improving the process of innovation, by developing and teaching a more methodological and human-centered approach to design. We believe that real innovation starts with users’ needs and employs a set of
reliable methods, theories and tools to create solutions to their problems. To learn more about ID, visit www.id.iit.edu.

Book and reserve airline tickets from a mobile phone

admin — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:57:01 +0000

Research on Social Network Sites – Dana Boyd

admin — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 09:44:12 +0000

Danah Boyd has compiled a list of articles on social networks.

What the world eats

admin — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:01:12 +0000

Time magazine published a photo essay on what the world eats, with images of the weekly shop of families from around the world.

Emerging markets

admin — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:58:34 +0000

Vodafone’s Receiver magazine have published their 20th issue with a focus on emerging markets, articles include (with more too follow):

China and the next billion mobile customers by Jared Brauterman

Africa’s grassroots mobile revolution – a traveller’s perspective by Ken Banks

Design anthropology: What can it add to your design practice?

admin — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:02:46 +0000

Adobe’s ‘Design Centre / Think Tank’ has published Dori Tunstall’s article ‘Design anthropology: What can it add to your design practice?’ a ‘must read’ for people interested in learning about how design anthropology can bring benefits to the design process.

Design thinking

admin — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:54:02 +0000

The June issue of the Harvard Business Review has a good article (Design Thinking) by Tim Brown of IDEO. It’s encouraging to see an emphasis placed on ‘human-centred’ thinking within the design process. Some of the key characteristics of design thinkers include: empathy, integrative thinking, optimism, experimentalism and collaboration.

The article can be downloaded from IDEO’s site.

User experience and financial performance

admin — Thu, 29 May 2008 21:42:53 +0000

Teehan and Lax, a specialist digital design/strategy company based in Toronto invested their own money ($50,000) in a 10 companies which deliver ‘great user experiences’. Companies ranged from Apple through to Electronic Arts and Research in Motion. They started investing in late 2006 and in November 2007 provided an update which highlighted that their ‘UX Fund’ delivered a 39.3% return on their original investment – compared to a 29.1% return for companies listed on Nasdaq and a 15% return for companies listed on the NYSE. To find out more click here.

David Heinemeier Hansson

admin — Mon, 26 May 2008 11:27:00 +0000

David Heinemeier Hansson, Partner at 37Signals gives an overview into creating a profitable startup company at the Startup School 08. Click here to watch the video.

Bill Moggridge Keynote on Service Design

admin — Sun, 11 May 2008 10:56:42 +0000

A video from the recent Service Design Symposium hosted at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.