May 31: Guerilla Research Methods Workshop by Russ Unger
This hands-on session will cover a number of low cost, yet powerful research methods to help you make better data-driven design decisions. Russ Unger will provide you with a number of techniques for recruiting research participants, creating better research questions, and what to do with your data once you’ve conducted your research. Russ Unger is a User Experience professional in the Chicago area who has worked with some pretty impressive companies, including Happy Cog, a well-recognized web design firm. He is co-author of the book “A Project Guide to UX Design” for Peachpit Press (Voices That Matter) and is co-authoring a book on guerilla research [...]
January 28: Photoshop Boot Camp
Photoshop is a great tool for enhancing photos, painting pictures, sketching/coloring ideas, and designing with precision. In this incredible one-day workshop, you will learn the following topics: Introduction to Photoshop (Raster vs Vector Graphics) Sizing Images (Print vs Screen) The Photoshop Three Method (Brushes, Menus, Layers) Working with Brushes (History, Clone, Heal, Background Eraser) Menu – Image Adjustments (Levels vs Curves) Working with Selections Working with Layers World renowned instructor A.J. Wood will be leading this workshop. A.J. is an Adobe Community Professional and has been an active member of the arts & technology community for over 15 years. He [...]
Featured Stories
The Case for Horizontal Scrolling!!!
In the last few years, I’ve noticed alot of websites using horizontal scrolling for their navigation. From a design perspective, horizontal scrolling is a type of navigation that is still not widely used. But, it seems to emerging (or-re-emerging) on some websites now. In some respects, horizontal scrolling may actually offer a better alternative to standard vertical navigation. From a usability perspective, horizontal scrolling is generally considered a poor design choice (sources: Usability.gov, Jakob Nielsen). In usability circles, there is a funny story about how Jakob Nielsen demonstrated his thoughts on horizontal scrolling by nodding his head up and down saying, [...]
[2 Minute Video] Digital Native Baby Sees a Magazine as a Broken iPad
In a previous article, I asked a simple question: “Are you a digital native or digital immigrant?” Digital natives grow up with technology and it affects how they deal with everyday interactions and relationships. Digital immigrants are adjusting to technology being introduced in their life time. Caleb Jenkins, a UX developer, sent me this video called “A Magazine is a Broken iPad.” Watch this short video and see my comments below. Did You Notice These Things About the Baby? You probably noticed identical physical movements, as the baby swipes and pinches both the iPad and the magazine. You can also see [...]
Stephen P. Anderson is Big Design 2012 Closing Speaker for Day 1
Stephen P. Anderson will be the closing speaker on Day 1 (Friday, June 1) at Big Design 2012. Yes, you still have another day on Saturday, June 2. Stephen is a perfect bridge between these two days. Stephen has spoken at the Big Design Conference each year. His talks are easily some of the most popular ones, too. If you have never heard Stephen talk, you will be affirmed by what you already know and you will be inspired by what Stephen says about the things you don’t know. Stephen P. Anderson has many talented gifts. In my mind, Stephen’s [...]
Videos
[8 Minute Video] Overview of Adobe Lightroom 4 Beta Features
In this episode, A.J. Wood (and his lovely daughter) provides you with an overview of the new features in Adobe Lightroom 4. According to Adobe, the Lightroom 4 Beta features refined technology for superior shadow and highlight processing, expanded management capabilities, including enhanced DSLR video support and the ability to create beautiful photo books from within Lightroom. NOTE: If you are in Dallas on January 28th, you will want to join AJ for his Photoshop Boot Camp, which is a full-day of Photoshop tips and tricks. Designers, photographers, bloggers, and just about anyone would benefit from this interactive workshop. We do expect [...]
[6 Minute Video] Watch a Student Video of Big Design Week 2011
Yukiko “Snow” Jones is a student at the University of Texas at Dallas in the Emerging Media program. Yukiko created this video recap of Big Design Week 2011. Yukiko developed this short video for one of her classes. The video consists of interviews from most of the workshop teachers–Preston McCauley, Brian Sullivan, J Schuh, and AJ Wood. Big Design Week 2011 from snow_jones on Vimeo. Yukiko was a real worker, too. She shot this video,while she was finishing up a couple of classes. You will probably see Yukiko “Snow” Jones shooting some more video at the Big Design Conference 2012, [...]
[4 Minute Video] Add SEO to Your Photoshop Images
In this episode, A.J. Wood shows you how to edit metadata for search engines using Photoshop for posting to the Internet. Running time is a little over 4 minutes. NOTE: If you are in Dallas on January 28th, you will want to join AJ for his Photoshop Boot Camp, which is a full-day of Photoshop tips and tricks. Designers, photographers, bloggers, and just about anyone would benefit from this interactive workshop. We do expect it to sell out fast. Register today. The cost is just $79 with lunch provided. Related articles [4 Minute Video] Assign Brush Colors with a [...]
Reviews
Sharron Rush is Opening Keynote Speaker at Big Design 2012
Sharron Rush gets the first word at Big Design 2012. Sharron Rush will be the Opening Keynote for Big Design Conference 2012. You are going to love to hear about her work at Knowbility on universal design and accessibility. We couldn’t be more excited! If you have never heard Sharron talk, you’ll walkaway in inspired. Last year, Sharron talked about what “Helen Keller might learn in a 21st Century School.” Sharron gives you a different perspective on universal design and accessibility. Sharron is a strong advocate for people with different abilities. Her works includes training and education via AccessU, Accessibility [...]
Registration is Now Open for Big Design Conference 2012 (May 31-June 2)
Registration is now open for Big Design Conference 2012. Mark your calendars for May 31 to June 2, 2012. You will want to buy your ticket early because we do expect to sell out. Our keynote speakers include Jared Spool, Stephen Anderson, and Sharon Rush. You will want to come everyday to network and learn with your old friends and meet some new ones, too. Register today! You are going to see talks, panels, demos, and workshops. Play with the latest technology in the Big Design 2012 trade show. We plan to have social events like Casino Night and Film [...]
Jared Spool Gets the Last Word at Big Design 2012
Jared Spool gets the last word at Big Design 2012. Yup, Jared is our closing keynote. We couldn’t be more excited! If you have never heard Jared talk, you are going to be in for a treat. Jared is, arguably, the foremost thought leader within the User Experience field. As an industry, we are lucky to have Jared because he enjoys speaking, sharing his research, and doing the actual job of user experience. When I first started in the field of usability, the first piece of advice from my manager was to subscribe to Jared’s newsletter called UIE Tips. I [...]
