A quick review of the 99U Conference. If I don\u2019t do this now, I\u2019ll have to wait until they post all the the videos from this year and reference backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kickoff Meet & Greet Studio Sessions: Spotify, Getting Started with User Research (On a Budget)<\/strong> Ryan Carson: CEO & Co-Founder, Treehouse<\/a> Kristy Tillman: Design Director, Society of Grownups<\/a> Jason Fried: Founder, Basecamp<\/a> William Deresiewicz: Author, Excellent Sheep<\/a> Tristan Walker: Founder, Walker & Co<\/a> An Ode To The Journey In-Between: Insights From Start To Finish Offsites<\/strong> Dan Mall: Director, SuperFriendly<\/a> Effie Brown: Executive Producer, Project Greenlight \/ Duly Noted<\/a> Jennifer Daniel<\/a>: Graphics Editor, The New York Times Cap Watkins: VP of Design, Buzzfeed<\/a> Yuko Shimizu<\/a>: Illustrator Tobias Frere-Jones: Founder, Frere-Jones Type<\/a> and some links\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a short week in the office since I had the good fortune of heading to New York City to attend the 99U conference. I did still find a few decent links to share with my team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Web Icons \u2014 https:\/\/www.elegantthemes.com\/blog\/resources\/elegant-icon-font<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n UX\/UI \u2014 http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2016\/05\/03\/spotify-ditches-the-controversial-hamburger-menu-in-ios-app-redesign\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Design\/Type \u2014 https:\/\/medium.com\/@BethanyHeck\/the-value-of-multi-typeface-design-ccd67227b0ee#.w4pu8x7sd<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n UX \u2014 https:\/\/medium.com\/@ux_in_motion\/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-designing-micro-interactions-a6f638ee6a86#.j76yiovve<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Identity \u2014 http:\/\/www.underconsideration.com\/brandnew\/archives\/new_logo_for_guinness_by_design_bridge.php#.Vykc9hIrJBx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n UX \u2014 http:\/\/blog.invisionapp.com\/world-class-ux\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Highlights for a nerd like me were ski-ball and a street fighter set up where you played on a screen on an adjacent building.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThursday, May 5th<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There was a lot of good info in this talk. The only problem was that it was painfully slow. For the kickoff talk, at 9:15AM, I needed something with a little more energy, or at least pace. I also wished they would have given us a little more behind the scenes from the Spotify office, where the talk took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSpeaker Session 1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Great kick off talk. Ryan gave some really good insights on balancing work and life and was up-front about their goals and mission matching with the office philosophy and structure. He referenced this article on \u2018Wait But Why\u2019<\/a> which really got the crowd thinking in a scary\/deep way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kristy was inspiration and action and a perfect match for the 99U stage. She talked about how she\u2019s had to invite herself to the leadership table throughout her career. She had real world examples and her humble and strong approach had the crowd on her side. The group saw themselves in her\u2013a designer who took action and let the results speak for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve seen Jason speak before. He\u2019s always good and was on point again. Key quote: \u201cAt the end of my talk I\u2019m hoping you\u2019ll end up destroying something you love\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nSpeaker Session 2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This was a key one for me. Mr. Deresiewicz has been doing a lot of reaseach about the creative professional. He gave a detailed account of how we\u2019ve evolved over history and gave a pretty grim state of affairs on how hard it is for us to make money and keep the creative dream alive. He tried to pepper in some positive notes, but the overview was clear. The creative fields are in crisis and if we don\u2019t protect it then it will be out of our hands. I really hope he puts all these thoughts together in book form. I\u2019d buy that in seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interview style talk with Mr. Walker was insightful and interesting. I don\u2019t view him as a creative in a tradition sense. But, he\u2019s able to bridge the world of entrepreneurship and design in a easy way.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMaster Class<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Scott Belsky
I\u2019m a Belsky fan, so yeah, I enjoyed seeing him talk again. He talked about the less glamorous part of the design process: the in-between. We all love the beginning of projects. That\u2019s the fun part. We adore the end part: the big win, success or acquisition for millions. The middle part is dirty, not fun and probably the most important part.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFriday, May 6th<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Slow and Steady: Enjoying the Journey of Building a Design Driven Brand: Jeff Sheldon, Ugmonk<\/a>
Jeff was humble, honest and I related to him immediately. He\u2019s a designer\u2019s designer and it was evident to me that his curiosity and work ethic battle for attention. He\u2019s clearly winning that war and has created a company over 7 years that is defined and smart.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSpeaker Session 3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I know Dan personally and was excited to see him on the big stage. I didn\u2019t know what he was going to talk about and I was surprised by his new effort\u2013apprentices. It was awesome and I\u2019d hire anyone who comes out of his program. I\u2019m big on mentoring and education, so this was a natural for me. Check out the Superfriendly Academy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe I\u2019ve been living under a rock, but I didn\u2019t know who Effie Brown was. I do now\u2013she rules. She detailed her creative rules. Short version: Know Thyself \u2014 What&Why \u2014 DBAD. Know what your strengths and weakness are. What are you doing and why. DBAD=Don\u2019t be a dick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was easily the most entertaining talk of the conference. She shocked the crowd with body parts, GIFs and honesty. I wish I could better summarize, but this one you\u2019ll have to watch on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSpeaker Session 4<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I have heard of Buzzfeed. I\u2019ve even accidentally clicked on a few of their articles. Cap was awesome. He talked about how he\u2019s been working to reshape the design culture within the office. There was a lot of good advice, but my main takeaway was to make your team the best, most efficient department and let that guide the rest of the office. He observed that often times when this happens, the rest of the office will try and emulate that successful group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you want to be Justin Bieber or Bjork? Yuko explains why she chose the later and how that decision shapes your work and creative experience. This was many people\u2019s favorite of the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The finale and Alva award recipient was Mr. Frere-Jones. This talk was polarizing. I loved it. It was detailed, personal and if you care about type (and I don\u2019t know why someone at this event would not) amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n