Tent Talks by Chicago Camps

Introducing Wireframing to Everyone: Wireframing is a technique often reserved for designers, but a new approach seeks to make it accessible to everyone, including product people, developers, managers, entrepreneurs, and non-designers. The goal is to teach these individuals not only to visualize business concepts but to understand the entire process of user experience (UX) design and the importance of human-centered design.

The Value of Wireframing: The value of wireframing for non-designers lies in its ability to explore and test ideas early on. Wireframes are easy to create and discard, allowing teams to find the best ideas without fear of wasting resources. The goal is to teach more than just the use of evolving tools; it's about mastering essential skills and techniques.

Essential Skills in Wireframing: These essential skills include fostering a fearless approach to visualizing ideas and championing the process itself. A basic understanding of user interface (UI) design is needed, but the focus is on simplicity and understanding the iterative process.

Wireframing’s Evolution: The wireframing approach has evolved over time, with core concepts remaining constant even as technology advances. Even with opportunities in AR, VR, and AI, the basic "gray boxing" in VR remains the same. While AI may be embedded in future tools, wireframing's core will remain unaffected.

Challenges in Teaching Wireframing: Teaching wireframing presents challenges, especially in shifting the mindset of non-designers to what designers actually do. It isn't just about making things look nice; it's about asking the right questions and keeping the user in mind. The emphasis should be on the process rather than the end product.

Tools and Techniques: Various tools such as Visio, Balsamiq, and others are available for wireframing, but the trend is towards tools focusing on techniques rather than features. The approach to wireframing should be seen as a phase where anything is possible, a platform to generate many ideas to find the best one.

Conclusion: Overall, the theme of the book is clear: Wireframing isn't about complex drawing or design skills. It's about understanding and championing a process that leads to effective, human-centered designs. The tools and techniques are means to that end, and the intention is to simplify and demystify that process for a broader audience, making wireframing a technique for everyone.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

Here are the main points from the Tent Talks session with Andrea Mignolo titled, “Getting Started in the Coaching Leadership Style”:

• Evolution of Coaching Leadership
  - Emphasizes deepening the practice, moving from having answers to embracing uncertainty.
  - Encourages curiosity, creativity, playfulness, and reduces stress.
  - Recognizes the complexity of humans and organizations and leverages collective sensing for innovation.
• Integration of Realization Process and Dreamtending
  - Realization Process: An embodied approach enhancing presence and awareness, helps in releasing body constrictions.
  - Dreamtending: Works with dreams and subconscious levels to tap into deeper information and creativity.
  - Both methodologies deepen leadership presence and enhance coaching practices.
• Developing Coaching Leadership Skills:
  - Learning Container: Create daily structures for mindfulness and reflection.
  - Daily Practices: Five minutes of morning awareness, end-of-day reflection questions, and trying small practical changes.
  - Addressing Difficult Conversations: Coaching helps in addressing these earlier, building collective awareness without blame.
• Understanding of Organizational Awareness
  - Leaders may have a broader view but not necessarily a more detailed view.
  - Uses everyone's unique perspectives to build capacity and find innovative solutions.
• Connecting Coaching Skills to Life
  - Coaching skills are about daily practice, integrating awareness, curiosity, presence, and responsiveness.
  - They are not just tools but a way of being, fostering an environment that supports growth, innovation, and connection.
• Practical Guidance for Skill Development
  - Start with simple daily practices, engage in reflective questioning.
  - Be patient with oneself, recognizing that the shift to a coaching leadership style doesn't happen overnight.
  - Consider deeper methodologies like the Realization Process and Dreamtending if they resonate.
• Technology Impact
  - Awareness of the increasing influence of technology.
  - Balancing technological advancements with the human need for connection and understanding.
  - The importance of understanding the design of technology and its effect on human interaction.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

Here are the main points from the Tent Talks session with Lou Rosenfeld titled, “The Rosenfeld Media Approach to Curating High-Quality Content”:

• Role of IA and UX in Content Curation: Lou Rosenfeld highlights that his approach is to use IA and UX skills in an untraditional manner to curate high-quality content.
• Considering the User's Journey in Event Planning: Rosenfeld emphasizes the importance of considering the user's journey, energy levels, and narrative arc in the planning and sequencing of conferences, deriving inspiration from Donna Lichaw's book "The User's Journey".
• Keeping Content Relevant and Engaging: Rosenfeld Media focuses on evergreen topics for their books that are not highly dependent on the technology du jour. When technologies are referenced, they are placed within an evergreen framework. Conference programs attempt to be timely but also maintain recurring themes that reflect the maturing field. Rosenfeld views the evolution of a conference program as a way to define a practice or field.
• The Role of Relationships in Content Curation: Relationships are crucial for successful content curation. Having a solid network and being comfortable with asking for favors are essential parts of the process. The act of curation is about elevating others and their ideas, not promoting oneself.
• Future of Content Curation in UX: Rosenfeld sees potential in generative AI tools for aiding in content curation but maintains that relationship building is where AI tools will likely fall short. He urges those interested in curating UX content to prioritize knowing people, networking, and not being the center of attention.
• Curating Across Media Types for Learning Paths: Rosenfeld supports a mixed approach to curating learning paths, combining recorded and live content in text and video formats to cater to different pedagogical styles. He also mentions the business side of creating learning paths, suggesting a blend of lectures, workshops, recordings, and office hours. However, he also addresses the difficulty in selling this integrated approach due to unclear financing and budgeting lines.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

Here are the main points from the Tent Talks session with Natalie Dunbar titled, "Health, Wellness, and Self-Care: Maintaining a Strong UX Practice Core":

• Health, Wellness, and Self Care in UX Design: Natalie defines health in UX design as how a system is performing, similar to the way heuristic evaluations are done. Wellness involves having the freedom and control to accomplish tasks without unnecessary obstacles. Self-care involves the flexibility to fulfill individual needs, which she relates to her yoga practice by asking, "What do I need in this moment?"
• Parallels between UX Design and Healthy Lifestyle: The practice of asking what one needs at the moment serves as a personal heuristic in her UX practice, helping to assess situations, course correct if needed, or keep going if things are working well.
• Incorporating Health and Wellness Principles in UX Practice: Natalie advocates for slowing down to assess situations when things seem to be getting out of control. This approach involves taking a step back, evaluating the status, and determining the next course of action.
• Influence of Hatha Yoga on her UX Practice: The idea of making yoga and UX design accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical abilities, shapes, or sizes, is a key influence from her yoga background. Natalie compares this to the principle of universal design in UX.
• Principles of Wellness in UX Projects: The principle of wellness involves recognizing the humanity in her team members, identifying the primary challenge or "monster in the room," and collaborating to overcome it without causing harm to each other.
• Themes of Health, Wellness, and Self Care in her book**: The book stresses the importance of maintaining a strong practice core with people at the center. It emphasizes the need for self-care, vulnerability, setting boundaries, and managing burnout.
• Self-Care Tips for Stressful UX Projects: Natalie suggests practicing self-care, fostering vulnerability, setting boundaries, and realizing the power of saying no. She advises creating a practice space that feels secure and building trust within the team. She also recommends establishing a practice charter as a living document to codify these principles and guidelines.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

On Tuesday, April 11th at 5:00pm CDT, Jonathan McFadden joined us for a live Q&A session: “It’s Okay to Be Inflexible in Content Design.”

 

Jonathan McFadden

Jonathan McFadden is a senior content designer at Shopify, where he partners with a team of designers to create better experiences for users on the Shop app. Outside of his daytime gig, he runs his own content writing business, Jon Writes, and teaches a weekly Bible study. He enjoys spending time with his lyrically gifted wife, reading comic books, and bingeing reruns of his favorite cult classic, Xena: Warrior Princess.

 

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway–If it’s a cool idea, we’d love to hear about it and share it!

 

What is a Tent Talk? That’s a great question, we’d love to tell you.

 

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format–we like to think of them as “S’mores-sized content” because that’s pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything–we don’t want to limit ourselves, or you.

 

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don’t have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let’s have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

On Thursday, April 6 at 5:30pm Central, Joie Chung joined us for a live Q&A session “Hey New Design Manager.”

 

Joie Chung

Joie Chung is a senior product design leader based in Austin, TX, who’s passionate about mentoring future leaders and helping designers achieve their best work. With over 17 years in the design industry, Joie has gained a deep understanding of what makes a great user experience. She’s led top-performing teams in both agency and in-house settings, working with a wide range of companies across various industries. Joie approaches design and leadership with empathy, creativity, and a growth mindset. She loves collaborating with others to create impactful change and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

 

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

On Friday, March 10 at 5:00pm Central, Ian Smile joined us for a live Q&A session “Leadership & Community.”

Ian Smile

Ian Smile is a Principal UX Designer at Veritone in Orange County, CA working with AI in the Enterprise Synthetic Voice and Ad Tech spaces. A lifelong learner, teacher, thinker, and community builder, his purpose in life is to bring people together through design, education, culture, and skateboarding.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway–If it’s a cool idea, we’d love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That’s a great question, we’d love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format–we like to think of them as “S’mores-sized content” because that’s pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything–we don’t want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don’t have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let’s have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

Tent Talks Featuring: Christina Goldschmidt

On Wednesday, March 8th 3:00pm CST, Christina Goldschmidt joins us for a live Q&A session: “Key Business Concepts Design Leaders Need to Know.”

Join this live session for free and take part in the conversation with Christina. We’ll have our questions to ask, and questions from attendees are welcome, as well.

Christina answers the questions:

• Let’s start with you - tell us about yourself and your background, because the next question’s a doozy.
• Should designers get an MBA to help further their careers? Why or why not?
• What’s the allure of an MBA?
• What are some of the biggest things designers tend to not know enough about as they climb the career ladder?
• As you get to executive leadership levels, how much of what you learned as a designer do you think will be applied to the job?
• As a design executive, do you have a portfolio, and if so, what's in it?

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

Tent Talks Featuring: Emily Parcell

On Thursday, February 23 at 5:00pm Central, Emily Parcell will join us for a live Q&A session “Design Management vs. Individual Contributor Leadership” and we’re very excited!

Emily Parcell

Driven by a passion to make the workplace more human, Emily’s work as a leadership coach and facilitator focuses on how strong leadership, process, and culture support teams to do their best work. She specializes in helping leaders navigate work with confidence by applying design skills such as creative thinking and an experiment-oriented mindset. Her approach is informed by a decade in user experience design, having led teams to design digital products for DIRECTV, Macy’s, Verizon, and Automation Anywhere.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway–If it’s a cool idea, we’d love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That’s a great question, we’d love to tell you. Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format–we like to think of them as “S’mores-sized content” because that’s pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything–we don’t want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don’t have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let’s have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

On Wednesday, February 15th at 6:00pm CST, Fred Beecher joined us for a live Q&A session: “Getting Started in DesignOps.” 

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

On Wednesday, January 25th, 2023 at 5:00pm Central, Meena Kothandaramn joined us for a live Q&A session called “There is More to Research than Asking a Question.”

Meena Kothandaraman

With 30 years of experience, Meena has consulted to emphasize the strategic value and positioning of qualitative research in the design of product, space and service. Meena is fascinated by the complexity of human behavior, and applies a credible, structured and transparent approach to integrating human stories and anecdotes into mainstream processes. This ensures that research activities provide the best service to the organization, and that learning objectives are addressed to maximize potential.

Meena is a founding member of twig+fish, a research and strategy practice based in Boston, MA, that espouses these research beliefs, while maintaining a utopic work-life balance. She is also a key Lecturer in the Bentley University Human Factors and Information Design (HFID) graduate program. Over her 20-year tenure, her capstone qualitative research course has guided now-leading practitioners to integrating meaningful and successful research practices.

She holds an M.S. in Information Resources Management from Syracuse University and a B.Com . in MIS from the University of Ottawa, Canada. Meena is always inspired in her work by her other passions, namely performing as a South-Indian Classical Violinist, pursuing culinary arts through a cooking show, and staying up to date with her two teenager interests!

For more, keep up with Meena on Twitter as @meena_ko.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

Tent Talks Featuring: Dani Nordin On Tuesday, November 29th at 5:00pm Central, Dani Nordin joined us for a live Q&A session called “Your Brain & Your Next Job.” 

Dani Nordin 

Dani Nordin works for athenahealth as the Product Design Architect for athenaClinicals. There, she uses her superpowers in user research, pattern recognition, and snark to help the organization unpack big, gnarly problems related to EHR configuration, clinical content, and specialty support. She also serves as the chair of the Clinician Experience Working Group for the HIMSS EHR Association. She lives in Watertown MA with two fire-cracker daughters, a delightfully supportive husband, and an adorable golden retriever named Larry. 

About Tent Talks 

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway–If it’s a cool idea, we’d love to hear about it and share it! What is a Tent Talk? That’s a great question, we’d love to tell you. 

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format–we like to think of them as “S’mores-sized content” because that’s pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything–we don’t want to limit ourselves, or you. 

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don’t have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let’s have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

Lindsey Latiolais Lindsey will talk to anyone about anything at any time, which served her well in her decade-plus in UX research. She worked as a researcher with 6 different companies, from a giant multinational consultancy with offices worldwide to a tiny real-estate post-startup based out of Chicago. She recently transitioned to a product management role to have an impact on decision-making earlier in the process. When not hanging out at her home in Bend, OR, Lindsey can be found at the local dog park with her 2 rescue pups, cosplaying at a fan convention, or scuba diving somewhere tropical. Though she doesn’t post much, feel free to reach out to her @coydahlia on Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, or Discord if you want to chat.Each swag item purchased adds to our pool of “Need 1, Take 1” passes that are available to anyone who has a need–no questions asked. Tent Talks Featuring: Lindsey Latiolais On Monday, November 21st at 6:00pm Central, Lindsey Latiolais joined us for a live Q&A session focus on all things User Research! About Tent Talks Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it! What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you. Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you. You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

This podcast features Jared Spool, Founder of User Interface Engineering & Co-founder of Centre Center, and his Keynote, “Design is a Team Sport” from the design leadership conference Prototypes, Process & Play on August 11th, 2017.

Prototypes, Process & Play presentation podcasts are sponsored by Balsamiq - with Balsamiq Mockups, anyone can design great software.

Jared Spool - Keynote

Founder of User Interface Engineering & Co-founder of Centre Center

Jared Spool is the founder of User Interface Engineering (UIE), the largest usability research organization of its kind in the world. If you’ve ever seen Jared speak about usability, you know that he’s probably the most effective and knowledgeable communicator on the subject today. He’s been working in the field of usability and design since 1978, before the term “usability” was ever associated with computers.

For more, keep up with Jared at uie.com or on Twitter as @jmspool.

Design is a Team Sport

Every seasoned designer has fallen into the trap. They see the bad design in front of them. They can’t help but see how bad it is. And they want to redesign it. Show the world how it could be done. How it should be done.

Well-intentioned as the desire to rid the world of this bad design is, their approach often is a disaster. It pushes their allies away, accidentally giving off the air of superiority filled with the smells of arrogance and contempt.

An alternative is a well-designed process for creating your designs. The secret sauce in that well-designed process is a realization and inclusiveness of everyone on the team. It’s infused with an understanding of how people contribute to the design process, even when they aren’t trained in design skills. And it opens up opportunities to give everyone—not just your trained designers—the superpowers necessary to rid your products and services of bad design.

This talk will inspire you and your team to:

• Realize the reason everyone thinks they are a designer is they are a designer, however unskilled
• Learn that our design processes need to be designed, with intention and thoughtfulness
• Focus on helping every contributing influencer of your designs become a consciously
  competent designer themselves

About Chicago Camps

Chicago Camps, LLC (chicagocamps.org) was founded in 2012. They plan multiple low cost, high-value events primarily in Chicago.

==========

"In the Basteal" music written and produced and performed by Christian Lane | @christianlane01

Simplecast - Publish your podcasts the easy way at Simplecast.fm.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

This podcast features Eli Silva, Senior Product Designer at Pivotal Labs, and his Presentation, “Designing for Diversity in Organization Design” from the design leadership conference Prototypes, Process & Play on August 11th, 2017.

Prototypes, Process & Play presentation podcasts are sponsored by Balsamiq - with Balsamiq Mockups, anyone can design great software.

Eli Silva - Presentation

Eli Silva is a Sr. Product designer at Pivotal labs. Eli is best known as a diversity advocate with practical insights drawn from the design discipline. Unlike traditional approaches to org design that focus on charts and work distribution, Eli emphasizes studying the way people interact with an organization as a product. Using this as a tool for reflection leads to better interactions between people and their work cultures. In re-examining Design Thinking as a organizational design tool, with a focus on diversity and inclusion, their work has generated some powerful new ways of looking at old questions in a new light. Eli enjoys playing video games, blogging, and volunteering on the side.

For more, keep up with Eli at elisilva.com or on Twitter as @elisymeon.

Designing for Diversity in Organization Design

The lack of diversity in design organizations is a fact that we can design for. We can drive innovation and increase creativity, but we have to be honest about what’s holding us back. Eli Silva will outline ways to design cultures that support design thinking, organizational growth, and diversity in the workplace.

Great design is the result of hard work and cultures that foster empathy, creativity, listening, and honest conversations. These happen to be the groundwork for diversity, so why is diversity still such a challenge in technology and in design organizations in particular?

In this talk you will learn practical steps toward designing for diversity—including quick tips on how to audit your processes and practices today. Learn how to effectively consider minorities and underrepresented groups in your approach to hiring, everyday work, and leadership development. The result of diverse design organizations is products that increasingly reflect actual people, across the age, gender, and income spectrum. That’s something worth working for.

About Chicago Camps

Chicago Camps, LLC (chicagocamps.org) was founded in 2012. They plan multiple low cost, high-value events primarily in Chicago.

==========

"In the Basteal" music written and produced and performed by Christian Lane | @christianlane01

Simplecast - Publish your podcasts the easy way at Simplecast.fm.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

This podcast features Sofia Millares, Creative Director of Product Design, and Tami Evnin, Lead Product Designer, both of Nasdaq, and their Presentation, “World's Best Boss: Lessons Learned from a New Design Leader” from the design leadership conference Prototypes, Process & Play on August 11th, 2017.

Prototypes, Process & Play presentation podcasts are sponsored by Balsamiq - with Balsamiq Mockups, anyone can design great software.

Sofia Millares - Presentation

Nasdaq

Sofia Millares is the Creative Director of Product Design at Nasdaq. For the past four years she has been overseeing the styling and global functionality for the entire product suite offering. Alongside her team, she is determined to expand the Nasdaq branding throughout all platforms and create new ways to position and rethink these products.

Born and raised in Mexico, Sofia always had an interest in design and moved to New York City ten years ago to pursue a BA in Design and Management with a concentration in graphic design from Parsons the New School for Design. In addition to design, she loves to travel, practice calligraphy and hang out with her three-year-old (and 100lb.) pup Lemmy.

For more, keep up with Sofia at sofia-millares.com or on Twitter as @sofimilli.

Tami Evnin - Presentation

Nasdaq

Tami Evnin is the Director of Portfolio Design Strategy at Nasdaq, where her team is changing the way a fintech leader builds products. She has established design best practices and helped scale the team from 3 to over 25 designers. Her most recent challenge has been learning to manage former peers while trying to not let her creative muscles atrophy. Tami earned her MFA in Design and Technology at Parsons The New School for Design, where she focused on developing social interfaces to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and product development. She is an international award winning product designer, has recently presented at a handful of international conferences, and is a proponent of the Oxford comma.

For more, keep up with Tami at tamievnin.com.

World’s Best Boss: Lessons Learned from a New Design Leader

What happens when you’re asked to step-up and lead the work of the design team or to manage your fellow designers for the first time? Most of us envision ourselves sketching ideas, designing solutions, or prototyping our days away, forever in our happy place. And we’re no different–we had no idea what to expect, beyond knowing what we saw that we thought was good or… not so good. We became new design managers and had to learn how to navigate our new responsibilities–to our boss and to our former peers–while trying to lead others to be successful as designers.

We faced a lot of challenges, and learned a lot about ourselves, our teams, and our boss. We’re going to share some tools and techniques that have helped us become better at leading our teams, and delivering to those who count on all of us. And we’re still working on becoming the best bosses in the world.

About Chicago Camps

Chicago Camps, LLC (chicagocamps.org) was founded in 2012. They plan multiple low cost, high-value events primarily in Chicago.

==========

"In the Basteal" music written and produced and performed by Christian Lane | @christianlane01

Simplecast - Publish your podcasts the easy way at Simplecast.fm.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

This podcast features Suzanna Bierwirth, Chief Creative Officer of The Mars Agency, and her Lightning Talk, “Managing Up, Down & Sideways” from the design leadership conference Prototypes, Process & Play on August 11th, 2017.

Prototypes, Process & Play presentation podcasts are sponsored by Balsamiq - with Balsamiq Mockups, anyone can design great software.

Suzanna Bierwirth - Lightning Talk

Chief Creative Officer of The Mars Agency

Consumer-first through-the-line thinker. Empowering Leader. Passionate Business Builder. Mother. Maker. Instigator.

Raised and educated as a visual artist in Germany, I am relentless in my pursuit to make work that is meaningful, memorable and beautiful. I am left and right brained, and continually deploy both art and science, to create programs that engage consumers, change minds and evoke behavior. I believe there has never been a more exciting time to be in marketing. I love that we have to move faster and be more intuitive and inventive than ever before. And with the lines now blurred between all disciplines and channels, I know anything and everything is possible.

Managing Up, Down & Sideways

Congrats–you finally got promoted! You’ve gotten your seat at the table and now you’re learning that it’s no longer just about the work. It’s also about the politics within your own organization and the clients. These tips are what I have learned over the years–from Junior Art Director to Chief Creative Officer–and none of them involve kissing ass or sucking up. It’s all about empathy.

About Chicago Camps

Chicago Camps, LLC (chicagocamps.org) was founded in 2012. They plan multiple low cost, high-value events primarily in Chicago.

==========

"In the Basteal" music written and produced and performed by Christian Lane | @christianlane01

Simplecast - Publish your podcasts the easy way at Simplecast.fm.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

This podcast features Kathi Kaiser, Co-founder and Partner at Centralis, and her Lightning Talk, “How to Design a Company” from the design leadership conference Prototypes, Process & Play on August 11th, 2017.

Prototypes, Process & Play presentation podcasts are sponsored by Balsamiq - with Balsamiq Mockups, anyone can design great software.

Kathi Kaiser - Lightning Talk

Co-founder and Partner at Centralis

Kathi Kaiser is co-founder and partner at Centralis, a Chicago-based UX consultancy. She leads a top-notch team in creating great user experiences for global clients, start-ups, and cultural institutions. When Kathi’s not at the whiteboard or in the lab, she may be found observing users on boats, in museums, at train stations, and anywhere else where the digital and physical worlds collide. Kathi is a frequent speaker on topics in UX, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design.

For more, keep up with Kathi at centralis.com or on Twitter as @kathikaiser.

How to Design a Company

Back in 2001, I quit a perfectly good job and founded a UX consulting firm in a garage (a cliché, I know, but it’s true). Sixteen years later, Centralis is a thriving research and design firm with a small but mighty staff of UXers dedicated to both our craft and the company. Along the way we’ve learned that designing a company isn’t so different from designing a product. In this talk, I’ll share some of the lessons we’ve learned through prototyping, gathering feedback, and iterating on our organization.

About Chicago Camps

Chicago Camps, LLC (chicagocamps.org) was founded in 2012. They plan multiple low cost, high-value events primarily in Chicago.

==========

"In the Basteal" music written and produced and performed by Christian Lane | @christianlane01

Simplecast - Publish your podcasts the easy way at Simplecast.fm.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

This podcast features Dan Brown, Co-founder of Eightshapes and author of several key design books, and his Presentation, “Curiosity, Skepticism, Humility: Achieving the Right Mindset for Design Discovery in Teams” from the design leadership conference Prototypes, Process & Play on August 11th, 2017.

Prototypes, Process & Play presentation podcasts are sponsored by Balsamiq - with Balsamiq Mockups, anyone can design great software.

Dan Brown - Presentation

Co-founder of Eightshapes

In 2006, Dan Brown co-founded EightShapes, a design firm based in Washington, DC. EightShapes designs digital products and systematizes design standards for Fortune 500 clients. Most recently, Dan has conducted user research for a higher education product, designed an application for architects seeking a license, and lead the design of a web-based consumer application for a major educational publishing company.

Dan’s two books, Communicating Design and Designing Together, deal with communications and collaboration on design teams, and are widely considered to be essential reading for UX designers. UX teams all over the world have played his game Surviving Design Projects, to improve their conflict management skills. His new book Practical Design Discovery deals with the very first phase of a project, in which the product team seeks to understand the design problem.

For more, keep up with Dan at eightshapes.com or on Twitter as @brownorama.

Curiosity, Skepticism, Humility: Achieving the Right Mindset for Design Discovery in Teams

Discovery, the first part of the design process, is crucial for aligning teams and leading them to design success. A well-aligned team works toward the same goal, and brings out the best in each other because they all understand what their trying to achieve.

Discovery can take many forms: a multi-month endeavor to prepare for a complex business application, or a four-day “sprint” to align the team around a vision for a new product. Whatever the form, however, teams are prepping and priming themselves to do detailed design and development work.

Discovery is complicated, chaotic, and messy. In discovery, teams gather information about the problem and then explore different ways to tackle it. Through critical thinking, they refine their understanding of the problem and zero-in on a concrete plan for execution. Discovery requires participants to shift attitudes and perspectives almost constantly. Team members go from “tell me more about” to “how about this idea” in the blink of an eye.

To pull this off successfully, team members need to embrace a discovery mindset. This attitude emphasizes learning. It relies on team members maintaining an open mind, questioning everything, and above all not taking themselves too seriously.

In this session, we’ll look at why this attitude is important, how it affects your team’s approach to discovery, and ways you can cultivate this mindset in yourself and those you lead.

About Chicago Camps

Chicago Camps, LLC (chicagocamps.org) was founded in 2012. They plan multiple low cost, high-value events primarily in Chicago.

==========

"In the Basteal" music written and produced and performed by Christian Lane | @christianlane01

Simplecast - Publish your podcasts the easy way at Simplecast.fm.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!

This podcast features Dr. Steve Julius, Founder and Chief Executive of HRCG and former Team Psychologist for the Chicago Bulls, and his Presentation, “Getting a Seat at the Table and Keeping It!” from the design leadership conference Prototypes, Process & Play on August 11th, 2017.

Prototypes, Process & Play presentation podcasts are sponsored by Balsamiq - with Balsamiq Mockups, anyone can design great software.

Dr. Steve Julius - Presenation

Founder and Chief Executive of HRCG and former Team Psychologist for the Chicago Bulls

Dr. Steve Julius is the founder and chief executive of HRCG, a Chicago based firm specializing in executive leadership, high performance teamwork, organizational effectiveness and strategic human capital solutions. A true proponent of the power that is derived from integrating diverse talents and points-of-view, Steve has built a team of professionals who combine the approach of trusted advisor with the first-hand knowledge and insight that comes from their having been in significant leadership positions prior to joining HRCG.

Steve believes that personal and professional success is the result of principled intention, consistent practice and skillful execution. As such, he maintains an active practice of advising senior executives and their teams from an array of major corporations, entrepreneurial companies and professional service organizations. He also serves on the advisory board for several private equity firms. Whether called upon during times of organizational transition or in anticipation of capitalizing on opportunities for enhanced business performance, Dr. Julius is known for his ability to combine his knowledge of human behavior, organizational dynamics and business strategy to create relevant and practical solutions. Steve’s enthusiastic, outcome oriented style has been described as “contagious” resulting not only in ready-to-use business solutions, but also a collective sense of personal satisfaction and empowerment on the part of those with whom Steve works.

Getting a Seat at the Table and Keeping It!

Design is now finding it has a seat at the leadership table, but is it/are you viewed as a practitioner of an arcane science that is called upon to facilitate business processes? Or, are you also routinely called upon to contribute to the overall business strategy at the company–wide or departmental level? Building strong, domain capability will maintain your status as a design expert, but it won’t lead to your being trusted as someone who can help build the overall business strategy. That requires a complementary set of skills.

Talk to any CEO in organizations small and large and she will tell you about the critical role technology—and design–play in that business’ success. Ask that same CEO to describe how the design functions contribute to the day-to-day operation and it’s likely she will describe an enabling or support role. Dr. Steve Julius will describe how you can contribute to significant value creation as a strategic business partner, while maintaining and even enhancing your status as a design expert.

About Chicago Camps

Chicago Camps, LLC (chicagocamps.org) was founded in 2012. They plan multiple low cost, high-value events primarily in Chicago.

==========

"In the Basteal" music written and produced and performed by Christian Lane | @christianlane01

Simplecast - Publish your podcasts the easy way at Simplecast.fm.

About Tent Talks

Chicago Camps hosts irregularly scheduled Tent Talks with people from all across the User Experience Design community, and beyond. Who really likes limits, anyway--If it's a cool idea, we'd love to hear about it and share it!

What is a Tent Talk? That's a great question, we'd love to tell you.

Tent Talks are short-form in nature, generally lasting from 10-20 minutes (ish) in a recorded format--we like to think of them as "S'mores-sized content" because that's pretty on-brand. Tent Talks can be a presentation on a topic, a live Q&A session about the work we do, or the work around the work we do, or really just about anything--we don't want to limit ourselves, or you.

You should send along an idea or topic of your own so we can learn from you, as well! You don't have to be a published author or a professional speaker on a circuit to be good at your job, so please, put yourself forward, and let's have some fun, talk, and share your experience with others!