Designer Track

An object model depicts a system as a set of objects, actions, and relationships, providing a structural perspective. This perspective is different than the task perspective as reflected in storyboards, journey maps, and user stories. The structural perspective forces thinking outside of current solutions and has a natural affinity with higher-level constructs in a design system. It also provides the foundation for an effective and consistent system vocabulary. In this workshop, participants will learn how to create a Narrative Object Model—an accessible approach to modeling that uses plain-English descriptions for objects and their relationships. The workshop includes:- Identifying system objects from different source material, including an existing system and user stories.- Building relationships between objects to tell a system’s “structural story.”- Extending the model using actions and attributes.- Using the model to identify higher-level constructs for a design system.

It's not enough to just be better than your competitors, you have to be substantially different. This presentation will focus on how startups can position themselves within the market to stand out in a sea of "me-too" competitors and designing a brand to match.

As a tech startup founder, your number one thing is to get a working version of the product out there. So who has time for design, right? Why not use a front-end framework to save you time? Because your product will look like everyone else’s—or worse, look like it’s from Google. Learn strategies on how to bring your branding into your product so that you can build your own brand equity.

Starting a new, complex, project for a difficult client or stakeholders? Feeling slightly panicked or worried? Discomfort can bring engagement, growth, and job satisfaction. Embracing discomfort is a skill which can be learned, improved, and shared. Whether you are an individual contributor, or a manager, learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable and instill the skill in your team. Push yourself and your team past the comfort zone. I’ve learned many things the hard way in my 25 years directing high-pressure UX projects that include research, strategy, and design. I’ll share some real-world examples of uncomfortable places I’ve been, and some of my methods to keep calm during periods of stress. In this session you’ll learn how to:- Convert your discomfort into engagement, growth and job satisfaction- Create a process you can trust, then trust in the process- Use trust to help you and your team do their best work and thrive- Develop a calm, confident work environment

People are the most important factor in any equation. Robots are the most fun thing to include in any equation. How can you leverage robotics to build communities? In our panel, you'll learn how veteran founders and leaders leveraged best practices in STEAM education and exploration to build and develop communities of real people.

All founders know they need to talk to their users. But, what do you ask your customers? How do you find them? How do you ask them? Learn how to ask your customers better questions and think critically about the answers. Save time and money by reducing unknowns and make sure you're building the right thing. You'll learn methods you can implement right away.

Innovation is powered by a thorough understanding of what people want and need in their lives. Design thinking is a discipline that uses the designer’s sensibility and methods to match people’s needs with what is technologically feasible and what a viable business strategy can convert into customer value and market opportunity. In this talk, we will discuss:- What is Innovation - really- The principles of Design Thinking- How to use measured, analytical methods to realize business goals, attract new customers and retain and grow current customers for greater revenue

At their best, a design workshop ignites creativity and collaboration. Designers are empowered, stakeholders are psyched, teams are aligned, and design projects can take a big leap forward. At their worst, workshops are just really long meetings.The keys to a triumphant workshop are both tactical (which exercises work best for which groups, how do we capture all the ideas) and philosophical (why are we here? why do we want to work in this way?). Leading design workshops is a vital skill, but it often isn’t taught in design programs or formalized in the workplace. In this talk, you will learn how we run workshops, and why I’m so passionate about them as a means to inspire and align. Be prepared to leave the session with an actionable blueprint to run your own workshop tomorrow!

When you think of the word "Accessibility" it may conjure images of wheelchair ramps or curb cuts, but accessibility online is not so apparent or easy to understand. Just like the physical world, the web should be a place where everyone, regardless of their ability, can share equitably in the revolutionary life enhancements that the web provides. As a small business owner, you know that your products and services need to be accessible, but it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to your website or app.Join Dan Payne, Certified Professional in Web Accessibility, as he teaches you how to think "web accessibility." He'll cover a wide array of topics including:* The fundamentals: what web accessibility is and is not* Legal considerations* Real examples of the good, the bad and the ugly* What you can do today to improve your site's accessibility* Assessments, audits and remediation* How to setup a culture of accessibility and a process for long-term success

• Learn strategies for scaling your business and tracking projects• Methods for quality management and best practices for delegation• Cybersecurity considerations and suggestions for handling data• How to set up key performance indicators that are meaningful• Overview of risk optimization and analyzing what to invest in

Due to lack of knowledge and resources most startups experience major challenges when transitioning to a more mature (grown-up) state! This is usually caused since startup processes are not best fit for a growing business which need to operate in the international stage and may lead into some failures. This presentation will address the above gap and provide a solution based on the international standard developed by the ISO/IEC organizations to address this well-recognized issue.

Learn how to build brands that captivate audiences. Explore a hands-on approach to bringing your business to life including product development principles, customer research, competitive mapping, case study analysis, positioning, communications, and the development of brand identities and strategy. In addition, uncover best and worst practices from the most well-known brands. After this workshop, you’ll be able to develop a complete brand strategy to integrate into your organization. You will have a blueprint for building momentum in your business while standing out from the competition as an industry leader.

After 20 years of applying the design process to countless client situations, one pattern is clear: far too often we do far too much. Most clients don't need most of what we do, and I think it's time we require a rationale to include a step in the process rather than to skip a step.The tenets of UX design — building empathy, understanding stakeholders, starting small, customizing solutions — should be applied to the design process itself. We call this approach Rational Design, and it saves our clients time, money, and frustration on the way to an informed, reliable, high-quality solution shrink-wrapped to fit each unique problem space.

How can UX, AI and Blockchain Technologies be leveraged to create a safer, healthier Internet for marginalized communities? Design and Emerging Technologies have a crucial roll to play in the development of healthy social media platforms (free from harassment, hate speech) and the prevention of mental health disorders among women and the LGBTQ+ community. In this panel, I will explore the problems faced by marginalized communities and how the diverse UX and Development teams at Lips and other platforms are rethinking design as well as leveraging emerging technologies to address these issues. Topics covered include:- The Female/LGBTQ UX Experience- UX Design with Social Impact (Testing, Feedback, Iterations) - Reducing algorithmic bias with AI built by diverse teams - Blockchain Solutions - Lips, Chokri, Po.et, Vault etc.

The User Experience, where visual design meets function. No problem, you’ve UX down, you might even have a designer or two, maybe you’re lucky enough to have a whole team, you’re crushing it with sleek modern designs, yet, things could be better but you can’t quite place what’s off. The brand, the customer experience, and the user experience are quickly becoming one fluid wave and while the industry has them distinctly separated, ensuring congruency between the three means success. Enter UX strategy, and why it’s so important. UX strategy done right is interwoven into the entire business model. Are you looking to see how your digital design aligns with brand, marketing, the customer’s journey and not only your current but the future business journey? Strategy is essential to all aspects of business and UX is no different. Together we’ll review easy steps to take to ensure UX strategy is integrated into your company.

Want a process to efficiently and effectively identify new problems or verify if the problem you are working on is the "right" problem? Don’t be like the others, just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.Join this hands-on workshop where you will learn how to perform and assess ethnographic research to identify new previously unidentified problems that are highly relevant to your customers. During the workshop you will practice with prerecorded interviews and then work in small groups in order to identify user centric insights that can be turned into powerful problem statements to develop new innovative solutions that people want.After attending this workshop, you will be able to put into action, the skills needed to perform high quality research that will lead to new innovations.

The inherent goal of every startup is to establish a great customer relationship, grow their business, and create online brand awareness. Your startup would need the web solutions and the mobile application. You would need to hire developers to create web solutions and mobile app developers to create iOS and Android applications in the least.Alternatively, you can choose Progressive Web Applications, which brings you the best of both web and mobile applications.PWAs enable native-app-like user experience, including push-notifications, full screen and access to offline content. They also provide access to diverse browsers, real-time loading and, google indexing. They take a short time for development and deployment.In the session, Jatin will be highlighting the various advantages of adopting Progressive web applications for startup businesses. The focus will be largely on the marketing and financial advantages as well as user benefits.

How do you craft an experience to maximize customer delight? Meaningful impact lives in the details of a product experience. In this session, we will apply broader design thinking to solve a specific product challenge inspired by Shield AI’s process. At Shield AI, each design decision puts humans front and center. This approach informs everything from human-robot interaction design to user interfaces. Join this practical workshop to hone your own problem-solving skills!

It's so easy to let packaging be the last thing you think about in your product development and sales plan. Product development is a fast paced multivariable challenge - and sometimes it's a rush to pick what to put something in... and as a result it ends up all about cost on the penny and speed to market. But in reality product = packaging + stuff inside. They aren't 2 separate things, they influence and depend on each other. Great packaging SELLS a product by telling customers what it is and why it's valuable. Poor packaging execution can equal ZERO first time sales or ZERO repeat sales if the product doesn't arrive in one piece.What do you need to consider to successfully start selling online and on the shelf? Let's work through the key vocabulary, risks, budget issues and get you selling!

Many standard design problems can be avoided. with reasonable design practices. Many problems can be found when clearly documented to be manufactured.

Building a learning platform for K-12 education has many layers of complexity with students, teachers, counselors, and parents who all have unique needs and behaviors. Starting with design research is a critical step in the UX process to understand who we are designing for and where there might be gaps in the holistic experience. Case studies include projects with Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and MaiaLearning.

Where to find and how to recognize (and measure) innovation.Get concrete results. Why and how to set benchmarks and interpret them. Make innovation part of your DNA and keep it thriving. Implement innovation to move in the right direction. How to do it RIGHT -- and keep it growing

Customer (CX) & User Experience (UX) matters more than ever when building products and services that stand out. Create loyalty and drive sustainable revenue for your business by designing for (and with) the people that matter most. Human-centered design allows for companies to lower risks and increase potential for success. Join the session to learn practical techniques and how companies of all sizes that embrace design and the voice of the customer have a consistent track record of delivering positive business outcomes.