23:48

Ep. 37 Dec 20, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Jane Ruffino

The session with Jane Ruffino explored the often overlooked yet crucial role of content in technology and design. Jane, a content strategist, discussed how content acts as a foundational infrastructure in digital products and services, likening it to the integral but usually invisible components of physical infrastructure. She shared her experiences in various projects, highlighting the importance of integrating content design from the onset rather than treating it as an afterthought. Jane also touched on the challenges of advocating for the value of content in tech environments and the importance of building alliances and educating colleagues about the vital role of content.Content as InfrastructureContent is a foundational element in products and services, akin to infrastructure in its essential yet often invisible role.Jane shared a project experience where content design was initially sidelined but later recognized as critical in structuring user interactions and decision paths.The project highlighted the importance of considering content early in the design process and integrating it with other aspects of product development.Value of Content in Tech EnvironmentsConvincing others of the importance of content is challenging; success often lies in working with those who already acknowledge its value.Jane emphasized the importance of making informed decisions about content and helping others understand these choices.She noted similarities between the challenges faced by content strategists and engineers, suggesting potential alliances.Educating on Technical ConceptsJane's approach to teaching complex subjects involves meeting people where they are and focusing on their goals rather than overwhelming them with jargon.She shared her experience teaching archaeology to school kids, using relatable scenarios to make the subject engaging and accessible.Advocacy for ContentAdvocacy in content strategy is about forming alliances and understanding the type of gap (awareness, knowledge, value) you're trying to close.Measuring the impact of advocacy and content work can be difficult; success often lies in prevention of problems rather than easily quantifiable metrics.Notable Quotes"Content is not an afterthought; it's the structure we build everything else around.""In content design, success is often about making informed decisions and helping others see the value in those choices.""Teaching is about helping people see the world through a new lens, not just imparting knowledge.""Advocacy for content isn't just about promoting its importance; it's about forming strategic alliances and being recognized for your expertise." About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

14:49

Ep. 36 Dec 5, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Tim Frick

In this episode of Tent Talks, Tim Frick delves into the evolving landscape of digital sustainability, a topic that's gaining traction but still relatively niche. Tim discusses recent regulatory changes, like the EU's Climate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Biden's executive order on AI, highlighting their impact on sustainability. He envisions a future where sustainable practices in digital product design and development become the norm, driven by a growing awareness and desire for change.Tim also touches on the significant environmental impact of the internet and data centers, a revelation from his journey as a B Corp advocate. The discussion also covers the Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSGs) and their potential to shape web development and design. Tim acknowledges challenges like lack of awareness, technical debt, data accessibility, and legislative incentives in adopting sustainable practices. Lastly, he emphasizes the importance of inclusive economic practices and regenerative design in the digital product lifecycle and advises on measuring and communicating the impact of sustainability initiatives, drawing on his experiences with MightyBytes and B Corp certification.Digital Sustainability's Future:Digital sustainability is an emerging, niche topic.Growing awareness in both technology and sustainability sectors.Hope for sustainability to become a default in digital product design in the next decade.Significant environmental impact of internet and data centers highlighted.Web Sustainability Guidelines:WSGs developed to provide guidance in digital sustainability.A multidisciplinary approach covering business, UX design, web development, and more.Aimed at making sustainable practices more accessible and actionable.Barriers to Sustainable Practices:Challenges include lack of awareness and understanding, technical debt, data accessibility, and lack of legislative incentives.Emphasis on the need for sustainable data strategies and supporting right-to-repair policies.Regenerative Design and Inclusive Economic Practices:Focus on systemic thinking and sustainability in all decisions.Importance of powering digital products with renewable energy and responsible data strategies.Inclusion entails personal wellbeing, equitable hiring, and sharing economic benefits.Measuring and Communicating Sustainability Initiatives:The B Impact Assessment as a valuable tool for measuring sustainability.Importance of collective action and making sustainability a journey rather than a switch to flip.Notable Quotes:"Digital sustainability...is growing rapidly. As technology advances, the intersection between digital innovation and sustainability becomes more crucial.""My hope is that 10 years from now, [sustainability] is just a default way that people design and develop digital products.""The internet is a big machine...the true environmental impact of the internet [is significant].""We need a set of guidelines to govern sustainable digital practices...and [the Web Sustainability Guidelines] aim to provide that.""Lack of awareness, technical debt, and data gaps are significant barriers in sustainable digital product development.""Sustainability is not a switch you flip. It's a journey. It's about continuous improvement and collective action towards a more sustainable future." About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

29:30

Ep. 35 Nov 22, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Steve Portigal

The session with Steve Portigal, discussing the second edition of his book "Interviewing Users," delved into how the field of user research has evolved over the past decade. Steve highlighted significant shifts, including changes in societal norms, the rise of remote work due to the pandemic, and advancements in technology, particularly in user interview techniques. He also touched on ethical considerations in user research and the role of AI in shaping future dynamics. Throughout the session, Steve shared insights from his extensive experience, emphasizing the importance of context, adaptability, and the ever-changing nature of user research.Evolution in User Research:User research practices have shifted significantly, particularly in compensating participants. The trend moved from cash payments to more convenient, digital forms.The rise of remote work, accelerated by the pandemic, has transformed user research methodologies, with a notable increase in remote interviews.There's a greater focus on data privacy and regulatory compliance in research, reflecting societal and legal shifts.Adapting interview techniques for remote settings has become crucial, with adjustments needed for communication styles and technological limitations.Impact of Remote User Interviews:Remote interviews lack the personal connection and context-rich environment of in-person interactions, affecting the depth of insights.Collaboration within research teams and post-interview synthesis have become more challenging in remote settings.New norms of communication, like managing turn-taking and interpreting non-verbal cues, have emerged, necessitating adaptation by researchers.Ethical Implications in Research:The ethical landscape in user research is complex, with a growing emphasis on informed consent and transparent data practices.Resources like Alba Villamil's "Ethical Researcher's Checklist" provide guidance on navigating these ethical considerations effectively.The approach to consent has evolved, with more nuanced methods being developed to respect participants' autonomy and privacy.AI in User Research:The role of AI in user research is evolving, with its potential impact still largely uncertain.AI's current strength lies in data summarization rather than synthesis, which remains a predominantly human-driven process.As AI technology advances, its application in user research could extend to supporting creative thinking and problem-solving.Most Profound Learning Experience:Steve recounted an experience where he confronted and overcame his own age bias during an interview, highlighting the human nature of biases in research.This experience underlined the importance of being aware of and challenging personal biases to gain true insights in user research.Notable Quotes:"We operate on biases, but research allows us to overcome and revisit our assumptions.""Remote research has changed our norms of communication and collaboration.""Ethical considerations are vital in user research, especially in the age of data privacy.""I had a conversation with someone that I respect the other day, and they said to me, a large language model, they can summarize, but it can't synthesize because it can only be based on what is, so summarization is like a great use of that, but synthesis isn't.""AI's potential in user research lies more in aiding creativity than replacing human analysis." About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

13:10

Ep. 34 Nov 8, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Haley Stracher

Haley Stracher shared her expertise on user onboarding, emphasizing the criticality of the initial user experience. Her practical, three-step method for effective onboarding—introduction, cognitive load management, and retention through rewards—highlights the significance of a user's first interaction with a product. She also tackled common onboarding mistakes, the importance of accessibility, and shared a success story to illustrate her points.Effective Onboarding Steps:Introduction:Emphasize the product's benefits.Utilize tutorials, carousels, and videos for user engagement.Cognitive Load:Limit tasks to three to avoid overwhelming users.Too many tasks without rewards can deter users.Retention:Reward users after completing tasks for serotonin boost and retention.Simple gestures of recognition can significantly impact user satisfaction.Common Onboarding Mistakes:Asking Too Many Questions:Unnecessary questions lead to false data and user drop-off.Explaining the purpose of data collection can enhance trust and compliance.Neglecting Analytics and User Feedback:Analytics reveal drop-off points indicating issues.User interviews provide insights to improve the onboarding process.Creating Memorable First User Experiences:Branding and Visuals:Align visuals with company's mission and identity.Brand identity impacts user's first impression significantly.Copywriting:Clear, error-free, and personable copy is as crucial as visuals.Accessibility in Onboarding:Standard Practice:Accessibility is no longer optional but a standard expectation.Contrast checkers, font sizes, and inclusivity in gender options are critical.Inclusive Design:Consider target audience characteristics, like age, in design decisions.Success Story in Improved Onboarding:Problem Identification:Diverse user personas require different onboarding paths.Understanding user context is key to providing value.Solution Implementation:A bifurcated onboarding approach tailored to user location (home/store).Algorithmic guesses of warranty expiry provided a "small win" for at-home users.Notable Quotes from Haley Stracher:"If you do too much and don't reward users, they're going to feel like it never ends.""Explain why at every juncture—it can be really helpful and useful.""Design is always an iterative process. It's never done.""Accessibility has become more of a standard than a nice to have.""Understanding your users a little bit better can solve onboarding problems by making a fork in the road." About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

13:50

Ep. 33 Oct 25, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Jesse James Garrett

In this insightful session, Jesse James Garrett, a visionary in the field, delves into the intricacies of design leadership amidst the dynamic interplay between executive expectations and team aspirations. He reflects on the evolution of design leadership, the spectrum of design maturity, and provides a nuanced understanding of navigating leadership responsibilities.Balancing Needs and Expectations:Acknowledgment of design leaders as a unique bunch, learning on the job due to a lack of formal education in design leadership.The "design leadership playbook" is an amalgamation of trials, errors, successes, and failures over the last two decades.Importance of translating the value proposition of design not only to the design team but to the larger organization.Reconciling Product Success with Design Maturity:Questioning the long-term goal of design maturity and emphasizing that it should lead to greater product success visible to people outside design.Design maturity described as an asymptotic approach towards perfection that can never be reached, thus requiring realistic goal-setting.Misunderstood Executive Motivations:Highlighting designers’ potential misinterpretations of executive motivations, especially regarding financial and quantitative aspects.Advocating for more empathy and attunement towards those who do not share the designerly way of seeing things.Navigating Tough Decisions:Discussing the delicate balance between being responsible and being compassionate when making tough decisions.Encouraging design leaders to clarify their mandates and align their change-making goals with organizational expectations.Notable Quotes:"Leadership is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can handle." - quoted by Chicago Camps from Carmen Medina’s Tent Talk session."Design maturity is not an end in itself... It has to add up to something more that is visible to people outside design.""If your boss is like, I thought I hired you to build me a function to keep this dev engine fed with front end assets. And you're all, I came here to create systemic organizational and cultural change to drive a revolution of human-centered thinking across the company. Yeah, you're going to have a disconnect." About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

30:20

Ep. 32 Oct 24, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Carmen Medina

Carmen Medina, a former CIA officer, shared her experiences and insights on being a 'rebel' within a bureaucratic setting during the Tent Talks session. Medina spent 32 years at the CIA, starting her rebellious journey in the mid-90s when the digital revolution sparked her interest. Despite facing resistance, she continued to advocate for digital adoption within the organization. Her narrative provided a wealth of advice for those keen on driving change within their organizations, emphasizing the importance of empathy, patience, and understanding organizational dynamics.Heretical Change and Organizational Resistance:Initial efforts to introduce digital adaptation at the CIA met with resistance due to the organization's contrasting ethos around secrecy.Encountering resistance led to a realization of the importance of aligning change proposals with organizational orthodoxy or finding overlapping interests.Approaching Change through Adjacency:Using adjacent areas of interest to bridge the gap between new ideas and existing organizational priorities.Emphasized the importance of practical steps and new metrics to avoid getting trapped in old processes.Importance of Allies and Bureaucratic Black Belts:The necessity of gaining and keeping allies throughout the rebel journey.Befriending 'bureaucratic black belts' who understand the organization's workings can be crucial for successfully navigating change.Pacing Change and Prioritizing Ideas:The notion of pacing oneself to ensure the organization can tolerate the rate of change.Prioritizing ideas based on various criteria including cost, practicality, and potential support.Operationalizing Empathy:Advocated for avoiding embarrassment and humiliation when interacting with others.Mentioned the phrase "connection before correction" to emphasize understanding before making corrections.Building Trust and Empowering Teams:Trust was described as a muscle that needs to be strengthened by testing its limits.Creating an environment where team members willingly provide discretionary energy towards excellence.Avoiding Common Pitfalls:The 'ego trap' where narcissism is hidden behind the language of innovation can be a common pitfall.Being cognizant of one's speed when pushing forward new ideas to ensure others can keep up.Understanding one's status within the organization and sometimes conforming to existing ways before proposing new ideas.Notable Quotes from Carmen Medina:"Innovation is the opposite of policy.""Avoiding the Athena complex telling stories appealing to emotions.""Leadership involves disappointing your followers at a rate they can tolerate.""An act of trust implies that you are not certain of the outcome if you let a particular individual handle the task.""You need to operationalize empathy... Stop embarrassing people.""You have to be really aware of what your status is in the organization...you have to become proficient in doing things the way they're done before anybody will listen to you and your new ideas."“Oftentimes narcissists, hide their narcissism in the language of innovation. Which is a sad thing. It’s their idea. They’re the one that can save the organization.” About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

22:24

Ep. 31 Oct 18, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Donna Lichaw

In this Tent Talks session, Chicago Camps engages in a rich conversation with Donna Lichaw, discussing the essence of leadership impact and how leaders can assess and enhance their impact within their organizations. Donna shares insights from her new book and her experiences coaching leaders, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness, interpersonal dynamics, and creating an environment conducive for growth and productivity.Assessing and Improving Leadership Impact:Leaders often face challenges when their teams expand rapidly, and issues arise that can lead to blaming others for performance gaps.It’s crucial to self-assess and gather feedback from team members to understand the leader’s impact on the organization.Engaging in conversations and assessments helps in discovering the good practices and amplifying them rather than focusing on the negatives.Meaning and Importance of Leadership Impact:Leadership impact is about understanding the results and reactions that follow a leader’s actions or decisions.It’s vital to assess leadership impact to ensure that actions are leading towards desired outcomes and not causing unintended negative effects.Using metrics and feedback, leaders can connect the dots between their actions and organizational performance.Essential Skills for Positive Leadership Impact:Self-awareness is paramount; understanding the impact one has on others and the organization as a whole is critical.Developing a sense of awareness requires a pause and notice approach, understanding the effects of one’s actions on others and the business.Appreciation and less judgment can lead to a better understanding and improvement in leadership impact.Advice for Emerging Leaders:Developing awareness and curiosity early in one’s leadership journey is crucial.Building alliances and relationships across the organization can provide a supportive environment for growth.Being open to feedback and willing to help others can foster a culture of growth and continuous improvement.Notable Quotes from Donna Lichaw:“One of the first things I do with anyone I work with is we go out and we find out, all right, how are you doing? And it’s as simple as talking to people.”“You want to find out what’s working, what could be better. There’s so much evidence behind this idea of first identifying and then amplifying your strengths versus trying to minimize them.”“Self-awareness, it’s everything… it requires you to do is if it’s skill, you pause, you notice, and you look at the impact.”“For emerging folks, I think showing up with people internally or externally who you admire and want to learn from and grow with showing up as a helpful human is key.” About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

21:49

Ep. 30 Oct 4, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Amy Bucher

Here are the main points from the Tent Talks session with Amy Bucher titled, “Personalizing Behavior Change: The Intersection of AI, Ethics, and Team Collaboration:”Session Introduction:Amy Bucher discusses personalization in behavior change.Highlights the importance of tailoring communication to each individual's context and needs.Explores the use of reinforcement learning in personalization.Distinguishes between broad, AI-driven approaches and audience-specific design.Defining Personalization:Personalization involves communicating with individuals as if you were talking to them one on one.It requires understanding an individual's context, preferences, and history.Goes beyond segmentation and adapts to changes over time and across contexts.Acknowledges that personalization should account for situational variations in behavior.The Role of Reinforcement Learning:Lirio employs behavioral reinforcement learning, a subset of AI.Reinforcement learning involves designating outcomes to reward the algorithm for achieving.In healthcare, the primary goal is to reward behaviors like completing a mammogram.Reinforcement learning is advantageous for its ability to learn individual characteristics over time.It can help overcome biases present in manually designed interventions.Amy emphasizes the importance of having data-attached behavioral outcomes for effective reinforcement learning.Benefits and Challenges of AI in Personalization:AI, specifically reinforcement learning, allows for broad, data-driven design.It enables the inclusion of various elements in interventions to cater to different subsets of the population.It's especially valuable in healthcare for tracking outcomes like appointment attendance.Challenges include detecting behaviors without data and maintaining privacy.Amy emphasizes the need for finesse in designing for more elusive behaviors like exercise.She also discusses the benefits of AI in overcoming biases and the validation of AI-driven messaging through behavioral science.Dealing with Limited Data:Amy discusses approaches to personalization with limited data.Mention of "transfer learning," where knowledge about one person is used to inform personalization for another with similarities.Emphasizes the importance of minimizing data hoarding and maintaining privacy.Talks about using demographic data and behavior-influencing demographics for "warm starts" in AI personalization.Stresses that interactions with individuals quickly replace initial data, making personalization more accurate over time.Ethical Considerations:Addresses the ethical question of why an AI should recommend actions to individuals.Draws on motivational psychology, discussing "volitional non-adherence" – allowing individuals not ready for action to make their own choices.Highlights the risk of resentment and short-term gains with forceful recommendations.Discusses the need to respect individual autonomy in healthcare decisions.Explains the importance of maintaining trust with individuals and not pushing them into actions they're not prepared for.Balancing Personalization and Intrusiveness:Discusses the need to obtain permission for data usage and communication methods.Emphasizes data privacy rules and regulations and securing data with certifications.Highlights the importance of "white-labeling" interventions to maintain trust with clients and end-users.Considers the "creepiness" factor and how personalization varies depending on communication channels.Discusses using first names in emails as an effective personalization strategy.Notes that personalization effectiveness may vary across different communication modalities.Navigating Interdisciplinary Teams:Amy leads the behavioral science team at Lirio, working closely with AI and platform teams.Emphasizes the importance of asking questions and seeking clarity, even if it means sounding "stupid" in interdisciplinary discussions.Stresses the value of cross-functional meetings and sharing ideas early in the design process.Reflects on her experience with the platform team when designing for colonoscopies and the importance of aligning behavioral requirements with technology capabilities.Highlights the value of collaboration among leaders of different teams.Types of AI for Different Design Needs:Discusses reinforcement learning as used by Lirio for behavioral outcomes.Touches on large language models like Chat GPT and Google's BERT as tools for generating content.Explains experiments with generative AI for content generation.Mentions recommender systems, such as those used in e-commerce, and their potential in healthcare for lifestyle management.Envisions using natural language processing (NLP) for bidirectional messaging and understanding user intent.Stresses the importance of managing risks when using AI for content generation, particularly in healthcare.Notable Quotes:"I think we really have to be okay with them still not being ready to do that. We can provide them the reasons we can have that gentle conversation with them. But ultimately, if they don't want to take action, I think that's something we just have to learn from and move on.""I think it's so helpful to have people at the top of the teams who are willing to work with each other.""The risk of delivering somebody the wrong message is so high. Whether they took action on something that's not really good for them, or they missed a recommendation that would have been incredibly helpful or even life-saving.""We really want to understand the role that [generative AI] might play, but we have some concerns about it.""One of our Lirio maxims that people say all the time, share before you're ready.""You really have to be willing to sound stupid in some of these conversations." About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

20:10

Ep. 29 Sep 28, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Shannon Leahy

Shannon Leahy explores the importance and versatility of using common office tools for UX deliverables. She shares her experience as a self-taught designer, the benefits of democratizing design processes, and tips for effective team collaboration.  She also offers a candid perspective on the ever-evolving world of UX and design. She addresses the hesitancy some professionals feel about stepping away from brand names or expensive tools, and also speaks to emerging designers and educators about fostering a resourceful and adaptable mindset.The Genesis of NecessityShannon emphasizes that her journey began from a need to adapt due to budget constraints.Working at smaller companies initially, she couldn't afford "fancy design tools," so she relied on accessible office software.Democratizing DesignUsing common office software makes design more approachable for non-design team members.These tools are familiar to people across various departments, reducing intimidation and making it easier for them to participate in the design process.Innovative Use of Simple ToolsExamples include using word docs and spreadsheets for user journey maps, ideation sessions, and even complex service blueprints.By harnessing the basic functionalities of these tools creatively, Shannon has been able to produce valuable UX artifacts.Boring Design is Good DesignThe focus should be on creating artifacts that are well-organized and help move the project forward.Pretty designs are fine, but the path to getting there may involve "ugly but effective" steps.Collaboration and CommunicationShannon stresses that the tool is secondary; what matters is good communication and relationship-building within the team.Tips for effective collaboration:Clear expectations and boundaries.Setting the stage by explaining where you are in the process.Making sure everyone has access and knows where to find shared documents.Legal InclusionIncluding departments like Legal early in the process can be enriching and prevent roadblocks down the line.Setting the context of the design phase helps in managing expectations and allows for more constructive collaboration.Balance and Context in Tool SelectionShannon advocates for a balanced approach when choosing design tools.Importance of context: Tools can be powerful but need to fit the task at hand.Balancing Between Different Design ToolsShannon emphasizes the importance of balance in choosing design tools.Sometimes less glamorous tools like wireframes or word processing documents are just as effective as high-fidelity design tools.When a project got stuck at the high-fidelity design stage, Shannon broke the deadlock by stepping back to create basic wireframes that facilitated discussions.Open-Mindedness & ExperimentationKeeping an open mind is essential for growth and innovation.She advocates for using existing resources in new and unexpected ways.Different tools can complement each other; they are not necessarily in competition.Advice for Early-Career DesignersShannon encourages those who are new to their careers to "make stuff up."There is room for all kinds of approaches and it’s not about one "right" way.She stresses the importance of sharing your unique methods and experiences; someone out there will find it valuable.Adapting Design Frameworks & ProcessesDesign is not static; it evolves based on context and needs.Shannon believes that one should declare their design process and then adapt it as they gain more experience.She emphasizes focusing on core behaviors like creative thinking, problem-solving, and research, rather than sticking to a particular method.Encouragement for Design Educators and LeadersEducators should expose students to a variety of tools and tactics.The end goal of design is to achieve something, be it a conversation, an agreement, or a solution.Provide designers with the flexibility to mix and match their approaches.The Importance of Sharing IdeasEven if you think you have a "weird" idea or approach, share it.You never know how your contributions could spark interest or become beneficial to someone else.Shannon shares an anecdote about how sharing her favorite design tools led to engaging conversations and new opportunities.Takeaways:Don't overlook the power of accessible and common office tools for UX deliverables.Always prioritize clear communication and inclusivity in the design process.Be open to "boring design" if it effectively serves the purpose.Context matters in design, both for tool selection and approach.Flexibility and an open mind can be your greatest assets in UX design.There's value in sharing your unique approaches and methods with the community, as it fosters innovation and collaborative growth.Embrace the variety of design tools and methods available.If you're new or transitioning into the field, dive in, experiment, and make your mark.Don’t hesitate to share your unique perspective; someone out there will find it valuable.Memorable Quotes:"It was all about what can I do to meet a need now in the moment.""It made them feel like they had a seat at a table that they did not usually understand.""We will eventually get to the beautiful, polished, high fidelity stuff, but on the path to that, oh yeah, I will bust out an ugly thing if it helps us make a decision.""It's less about the tool and it's about relationships, and it's about communication.""It's about balance because yeah, there's a time and place to use a prototyping tool.""How I ended up getting us unstuck was I made a really crappy wireframe of a couple key screens where we got stuck.""These things are not in competition with each other. Again, they're complementary to each other.""It's to achieve something. There's a conversation you need to have. There's agreement you need to reach with somebody." About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

34:52

Ep. 28 Sep 3, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Billie Mandel

Billie Mandel focuses on the well-intentioned yet harmful behaviors people exhibit in tech workplaces that contribute to toxicity. She outlines the top 5 such behaviors and offers tangible solutions for each, from avoiding complicit bystander tendencies to fostering transparent communication.Top 5 Well-Meaning Behaviors That Create Toxic Work EnvironmentsComplicit Bystander: Often rooted in people-pleasing or conflict avoidance, this behavior can have detrimental effects on teams and individuals.Workplace Gossip: Though often unintentional, gossip can have a corrosive impact on work culture, especially in startups where roles and power structures are fluid.Perfectionism: Aiming for flawlessness not only hampers individual growth but can also make leaders the "creativity ceiling" of their teams.Lack of Role Clarity: A nebulous definition of roles and decision-making processes can lead to workplace stress and confusion.Listening to Criticize: When people listen with the intent to appear smart, rather than to genuinely understand or connect, communication breaks down.Deep Dive Into PerfectionismPerfectionism stifles authenticity and induces fear of failure, keeping team members from reaching their full potential.Leadership that enforces perfectionism can lead to employee attrition.Effective CommunicationInviting Criticism: Leaders should use open-ended questions like "What am I missing?" to invite team input.Counteracting Power Dynamics: To build a culture of transparency, leaders should model vulnerability and invite team members into their problem-solving processes.Strategies for Navigating Complex RelationshipsPersonal anecdotes from Billie illuminate the complexities of relationships that are both professional and personal. The key takeaway is to set clear boundaries and be acutely aware of the potential impact on your professional roles.Approaching Difficult Conversations When You're the ProblemAcknowledgment: The first step is admitting to the mistake.Framework: Use the "Situation, Behavior, Impact" model to discuss the issue.Actionable Steps: Sometimes an apology isn't enough, especially in DEI contexts. It's essential to take steps to do better.Strategies for Inclusivity and Anti-ToxicityIf you're privileged, use your platform to amplify underrepresented voices.Focus on continuous improvement, particularly through actions, rather than mere apologies.Additional Insights from Billie MandelLeadership and Vulnerability: Inspired by Brene Brown, Billie recommends showing your own mistakes as a way to establish trust within the team.Gossip Trap: Be cautious with who you vent to. Gossiping, especially to a boss, can be destructive.Backstabbing Dilemma: When receiving feedback about someone, it's responsible to ask, "Have you talked to them about it?"Recommended Reading and Resources"Mindset" by Carol DweckBillie Mandel's coaching practicesActionable Tips for ImprovementSet Boundaries: Clarify roles and boundaries, particularly in complex relationships.Choose Vent Buddies Wisely: Keep professional and venting relationships separate.Encourage Open Dialogue: Create an environment where team members can directly communicate with each other.Be Cautious with Feedback: Redirect negative feedback to the concerned individual.Acknowledge Mistakes and Learn: Take actionable steps to improve, particularly in DEI contexts.Quotable Quotes"Critique is 100% that for creative teams. The hardest thing to teach people, but the most valuable thing to teach people, is to crave that discomfort.""Sometimes you've just got to forgive yourself but do better.""I seek my own consent first. Somebody asks me to do something at work. Am I willing to do this thing with the amount of knowledge that I have and the amount of support that I have?" About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

27:17

Ep. 27 Aug 25, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Jenae Cohn

Here are the main points from the Tent Talks session with Jenae Cohn titled, “Design for Learning:”Design PhilosophyJenae emphasizes that learning should center on the needs, motivations, and concerns of the learners, not just content delivery. Variety in learning methods, social interactions, and alignment of goals with activities form the core of her philosophy to foster a more effective learning experience.Challenges in Online Learning DesignThe design of online learning must break away from the traditional linear approach, focusing instead on achieving the end goal through consultation and creative insights. Jenae also highlights the multitasking required in online design and the limitations of available tools, offering practical solutions to overcome these obstacles.Feedback and Assessment in Online LearningJenae argues for the importance of formative feedback through informal progress updates, quizzes, and reflective exercises. She also stresses the need for summative feedback that emphasizes skill demonstration over mere memorization, providing space for safe failure.Concepts and Strategies in Design for Online EducationWith a strong emphasis on creativity, Jenae expresses disappointment at the lack of imagination in online courses. She advocates better use of existing technology and social platforms like Discord to create engaging learning communities. While recognizing the potential of AI, she remains skeptical about its ability to replace human connection in learning.Designing for Shrinking Attention SpansJenae encourages educators to critically analyze distraction and cultivate attention by demonstrating relevance to learners. Transparency in setting expectations, acknowledging neurodiversity, and striking a balance with natural distraction all play a part in her approach to keep learners engaged without competing directly with social media.Key InsightsJenae's insights underline a shift away from pursuing new technology towards creatively using existing tools to enhance online learning. By connecting personally with learners and setting clear, relevant goals, she presents a vision for a more engaged, effective online learning environment.Thoughtful Quotes“I just think the future of these ideas has to really just tie back to who are the people on the other side of these experiences and how do you better help them connect to each other?”“Knowing that occasionally people will drift to Instagram in the middle of something, maybe that's okay. People have doodled for all time... Our capacity to distract ourselves is balance. And that sometimes is part of the process too, is just being okay with a little bit of balance.” About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

20:00

Ep. 26 Aug 18, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Janelle Ward

Determining Organization Maturity: Start assessing during interviews. Consider the clarity of decision-making in research paths.Supporting Research Team Growth: Align with goals, involve in maturity determination, foster collaboration, and share insights.Handling Hybrid Lead/Manager Role: Recognize challenges, support researchers, keep focused one-on-ones, and track time.Reporting to Non-Research Leaders: Understand stakeholders, seek clarity, and educate on research challenges.Working with Stakeholders in UX Research: Understand needs, establish relationships, and provide support as needed.Hiring UX Researchers Responsibly: Trust in expertise, emphasize collaboration and transparency.Good User Research Planning: Utilize frameworks, include stakeholders, define outcomes, and align expectations.Explaining UX to Stakeholders: Align understanding, use accessible terms, and develop an "elevator pitch."Addressing UX Research Maturity Variation: Consider nuanced evaluations, understanding differences within the organization.Training Analysts in UX Research: Explore skills, provide tailored guides for different backgrounds.Conveying Evidence Over Gut Feelings: Engage stakeholders in research, show process, build trust.Involving Stakeholders in Research: Assess necessity, communicate directly, build trust.Research-First Approach with PMs: Offer help, start small with contributions like tests, show value and ease of research. About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

27:19

Ep. 25 Aug 11, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Dan Brown

Here are the main points from the Tent Talks session with Dan Brown titled, “The Information Architecture of Products:”Embracing Change in DesignAcknowledges the inevitability of change in design and the importance of flexibility.Emphasizes the alignment of understanding within a team, even if there's no agreement.Outlines a script and story arc for future-oriented design, akin to TV show creation, without filming every episode in advance.Future-Oriented Design ApproachDiscusses the impossibility of creating unchangeable designs.Advocates for understanding and appreciating underlying structures without rigidly defining every bit of a product.Compares product design to TV show production, including high-level mapping and teasing out definitions.Clarifies that it's abstract but provides a common language for the product team.Conceptual Modeling vs Object MappingShares the idea of using a conceptual model as a flexible tool for understanding a domain.Prefers the term "concept" over "object" because it doesn’t prescribe how it might manifest in the user experience.Emphasizes framing and the potential pitfalls of object-oriented UX, like unnecessary connections and data associations.Insights into Object Map CreationAcknowledges lack of knowledge about how others create object maps but recognizes potential similarities.Stresses a chill approach, listening to others and using the tool for personal understanding.Points out the risks of preoccupation with buy-in and making presumptions.Value of Returning to Basics in UXReflects on three decades of design progress, highlighting continuous thinking on the same topics.Revisits the article on design revolutions and the influence of new technology, like cloud-based design tools.Distinguishes between learning past lessons and focusing on essential basics such as writing, presenting, and drawing.Importance of Fundamental Skills in DesignEmphasizes writing, presenting, and collaborative drawing as core skills.Reflects on personal experiences, like college tours, to underscore the universal value of presenting.Advocates for building on these basics before adding technical skills of information architecture.UX Education for the Next GenerationAcknowledges the progress in UX design, with personal reflections on continuous thinking.Discusses the paradigm shift in design processes, such as cloud collaboration and the elimination of file-sharing challenges.Stresses the significance of articulation through words, structuring meetings, and drawing pictures.Shares the importance of core skills, including writing and presenting, for the next generation of UX designers, emphasizing how these skills are now considered essential in education. About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

15:08

Ep. 24 Aug 4, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Billy Carlson, Leon Barnard, & Michael Angeles

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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

17:15

Ep. 23 Aug 2, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Andrea Mignolo

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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

27:31

Ep. 22 Jul 26, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Lou Rosenfeld

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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

14:52

Ep. 21 Jul 19, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Natalie Dunbar

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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

31:13

Ep. 20 Apr 13, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Jonathan McFadden - It’s Okay to Be Inflexible in Content Design

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 McFaddenJonathan 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 TalksChicago 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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

21:47

Ep. 19 Apr 10, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Joie Chung - Hey New Design Manager

On Thursday, April 6 at 5:30pm Central, Joie Chung joined us for a live Q&A session “Hey New Design Manager.” Joie ChungJoie 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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

13:55

Ep. 07 Mar 13, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Ian Smile - Leadership & Community

On Friday, March 10 at 5:00pm Central, Ian Smile joined us for a live Q&A session “Leadership & Community.”Ian SmileIan 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 TalksChicago 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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

24:31

Mar 9, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring: Christina Goldschmidt - Key Business Concepts Design Leaders Need to Know

Tent Talks Featuring: Christina GoldschmidtOn 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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

15:08

Ep. 18 Feb 24, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring Emily Parcell - Design Management vs. Individual Contributor Leadership

Tent Talks Featuring: Emily ParcellOn 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 ParcellDriven 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 TalksChicago 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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

19:55

Ep. 17 Feb 16, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring Fred Beecher - Getting Started in DesignOps

On Wednesday, February 15th at 6:00pm CST, Fred Beecher joined us for a live Q&A session: “Getting Started in DesignOps.”  About Tent TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX. 

24:43

Ep. 03 Jan 30, 2023

Tent Talks Featuring Meena Kothandaraman - There is More to Research Than Asking A Question

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 KothandaramanWith 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 TalksChicago 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 The Feed & The ThreadThe Feed & The Thread is a daily summary of UX articles found in the industry and some light-touch updates from the UX Community found in online forums. It's brief, and meant as a light-touch overview of what's happening across UX.