July 14: Big Design Conference Workshops

We have two very exciting pre-conference workshops on July 14 for just $50 each. These workshops are taught by experts in their respective fields, too. Book now or forever hold your peace!

We have purposely selected these two topics because they compliment each other. The first workshop is about problem identification and reaching decisions faster, which is followed by the second workshop on how to kick start your solutions. You’ll want to take both of the workshops together.

Critical Thinking for Creative: How to Make Decisions Faster

This session is led by Kevin Schumacher, one of the deeper thinkers in the design field, you will learn about problem identification. At its core, design is about problem-solving. In some cases, the biggest issue for your team is getting everyone to agree on the same problem. We all try to solve problems. We just need to figure out what problem we want to solve. You need to quickly identify the problem, reach consensus, and start working on solutions. Problem identification is your first step to being successful.

In this workshop, Kevin Schumacher will explains many different techniques to improve your problem identification and problem-solving skills. You will hear about a method, then you will use this method. Kevin will be presenting a real-world case that he used for a project. You will get to compare your results with his project team’s final results. Let’s see if you come up with same problem and the same solution in this fast-paced, interactive workshop.

Collaborative Sketching: Using the Design Studios Method

Led by Dana Chisnell and Jonathan Knoll, you will learn how to kick-start your design solutions. This workshop is essentially about design constraints and techniques for working through them. UX Designers are confronted by any number of constraints everyday: business goals and rules, technology and infrastructure limits, users’ contexts and imaginations. Designers are not alone in this. Election officials face these very same constraints – and more – whenever they design ballots. Unlike designers, however, (but quite a bit like some large corporate organizations), election officials are usually not equipped with the problem-solving techniques that work best for their problem space.

So we bring you an exercise in designing for democracy. We will teach you about design studio and critique, and how you can use them to get people on the same page and pointed in the right direction to solve big problems. In our design studio, you’ll learn about the typical constraints election officials face in making usable ballots, and have the opportunity to try your hand at working through them yours elf.

This session is for people with a passion for design, who want to know how little things can make a big difference; in the case of elections, they can even change the world, in a concrete, proven way. If you’re trained in information architecture or experience design, interested in fair elections, or if you’re looking for a way to effect positive change in your business (or the world), then come to this session. Together, we’ll work on solving a design problem at the core of world peace, and give you skills for designing for challenging problems in your organization (and neighborhood).