Welcome to World Information Architecture Day 2013! Please register for this event on Eventbrite.

Come learn about what Information Architecture means and about some of the challenges facing Portland's leading practitioners.

Ideal for: Anyone interested in technology, creative tech, business of tech, industry pros, students and everyone in between. 

Thanks to our sponsors: AIGA, IxDA, PDX Web and Design Meetup, Northwest Creatives Social Club, People's Sandwich of Portland and Floyd's Coffee

Our speaker lineup is amazing!

10am: Jeanne Turner-Walmart Labs  Cultivating Good Will in the Digital World When we have to wait 20 minutes for service after being seated at a restaurant, or when a grocery store is disorganized and the clerk is distracted and unhelpful, then we know that something is wrong with the situation. In the physical world, lack of information and poor interactions are obvious. In the physical world, we know how to make improvements that increase customer satisfaction. How can we translate this understanding to the digital world? What do we need to understand about human nature to improve digital experiences? In this talk, Jeanne Turner will discuss concepts and techniques that allow us to cultivate good will in the digital world.

11am: Patricia Colley-Interactionflow Civilizing Information Architecture: A meditation on systems design What is the scope of information architecture practice? To design optimal architectural structures, we know we must empathize with its inhabitants, and apply deep expertise in organization, language and flow. But we've learned, this alone will not ensure a design's success. As we dive deeply into the churning sea of design and technology trends, tools and methods, we often forget how we orient to design practice, and its increasingly complex problems, as thoughtful human beings. Will our apps, widgets and gadgets come to serve us, or will we lose ourselves in a wilderness of unmitigated digital distractions and breakdowns? To civilize our digital future, we are compelled to take a systems view of design practice. We are compelled to shift our perspectives and spark grander dialogues.This session will examine the origins and evolution of the IA role, the current and emerging climate in which our products reside, and put forth a few principles and methods to help answer the call to broaden our vision and expand our influence in a changing world.

12p: Huston Hedinger-Wikisway Networks as a User Interface The mathematics of graph theory and its many applications via network science in sociology, bioinformatics, intelligence, and even physics, represent a paradigm shift in how we study and consider information. Over the last 30 years, machines have allowed us to structure data in such a way that allow us to analyze the complex interactions between the individual actors in networks. These interactions turn out to reveal patterns that are both predictable and obedient to mathematical laws- many in the academic community are just beginning to grasp the power an the importance of these claims. The ability to visualize networks allowing the researcher/user/customer to quickly understand the structure and behavior of a network is the main focus of this talk.

1p: Matthew Baranauskas and Noah DiJulio-Ziba Meeting the Challenges of Innovating on Top of Existing Platforms Information architecture is the keystone of every digital experience. It's where consumer needs and desires often collide with a brand's hopes and dreams. The danger for companies as they grow is figuring out how to integrate new features into their customer's existing experience. Using real world examples and personal anecdotes, Matthew and Noah will discuss how they navigate the challenge of innovating on top of existing platforms using a consumer-centric approach. You'll gain perspective on where to look for inspiration and insight, how to prioritize features into something that is meaningful and authentic, and how not to lose your mind in the process.

2p: Joel Barker and Michael Sulis-Wordlions and Summit Energy Tech, respectively Capture, Tagging and Release of Institutional Knowledge: Delivering Information in the Real World When creating a system to deliver institutional information outside of the organization, the success of the project rests on understanding the requirements and work process of all stakeholders. In this case study, Summit Energy Tech and Word Lions collaborated to collect, organize, and make available the mission critical institutional knowledge that was the foundation of our client’s relationship with their customers. This presentation will cover not only our solution, but the points where understanding the client capacity makes the difference between implementation and project failure.

3p: Alison Stump-The Social Wall Visualizing Insight: Getting Started in Information Architecture Information Architecture has only recently been given the respect it deserves by those outside the realm of User Experience. Often the designs we build are so elegant they appear simple. The average person on the street knows that a menu bar probably goes at the top of the page. In most cases its "common sense". It is positioned on the top of the page because an Information Architect thought about all the options, considered the usability and user research data and delivered a product that just works.That is what information Architecture is. So how do you do it? We will discuss a basic schema, various tools and resources to help you get started as well as key terms and phrases that will allow you to escalate your career.

4p: Dedrick Sprick-OHSU Progressive Content Strategy: A content commitment model There are a lot of hurdles to overcome for managing content well on any site. Managing content well includes knowing your website, scheduling tasks, getting the resources together, staying on top of trends and responding to visitor needs. Learn how to tackle this monumental task one step at a time, so your team can grow with your website.  

We can have only 80 guests/session, so it's all first come, first served, so make sure you're on time! 

Also, food and drink is allowed, but not provided. Please go to Floyd's Coffee across the street or People's Sandwich of Portland to find food, or bring your own.

Afterparty @Backspace 'til whenever. Please register through Eventbrite for this. http://worldiadaypdx2013.eventbrite.com/

Hope to see you all here!  

InfoCamp PDX is a one day unconference for the information community. It's for anyone interested in user experience, information architecture, interaction design, user-centered design, information design, library & information science, online search, information management, informatics, and related fields.

InfoCamp features an egalitarian, community-driven format in which the agenda is created during the event -- so anyone who attends can lead a session.

This year we're very excited to announce Amber Case as the InfoCamp PDX 2013 Keynote speaker.

Amber Case is a researcher exploring the field of cyborg anthropology and the interaction between humans and technology. She is the founder of Geoloqi (geo-low-key), Inc., a company bringing the future of location to the world. She’s spoken at TED and around the world, and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, WIRED and more. Geoloqi was acquired by global mapping company Esri in Oct 2012.

Visit the website to learn more and to register. Find us on Facebook and on Twitter: @infocampPDX and #InfoCampPDX

Students $30 Standard $45

Shake off the winter blues with Amy Dubin, who will present on the myriad considerations all designers face in their roles as visual information disseminators.

Being a designer means taking into account an enormous array of factors, which includes the business and marketing plans that drive demand for your product. Coming up with a product that fits the whole picture will make you not only competitive, but in demand. The tough part is-how to gain this knowledge when 'business' just isn't your thing? This talk offers practical resources to help you understand how big the 'whole picture' really is, where you fit, where you may lack particular skills and how to get them in the most painless way possible. Knowing who to ask for help, and when, is a key strategy and we'll uncover tactics to help you design your career, as well as your products, successfully.

Apologies for shifting the date on this one... the second Thursday was Valentines day.

Thanks to Vitamin-T for providing food; Thanks to Webtrends for the space; Thanks to Amy for presenting an interesting topic!

-Eric Redmond, Organizer of meetup.com/pdxweb

Is It Usable Yet?

Forty years on, it's easy to forget that user-centered design and information architecture were once disruptive new ideas. Today, they're both presumed to be kind-of "thrown in" when UX work is being done.

"Of course we're user centered: that's the U in UX!"

"Of course we did the IA - we've got navbars and a site map, don't we?"

But as Peter Morville notes, when something is a part of everybody's job, that thing ends up being nobody's job and it does not get done right.

What's the situation around, and value of, UCD and IA in contemporary UX practice? Find out in a lively Q&A and short presentation on January 28 at Mozilla's office in Portland with Dan Klyn from The Understanding Group. There will be food and drink at the event.

Spoiler: what these things mean today is amazing, essential, transformative and not what you probably expect.

About Dan

Dan Klyn is co-founder of The Understanding Group (TUG), teaches information architecture at the University of Michigan School of Information and serves on the board of the IA Institute. He does IA work for clients including Herman Miller and JSTOR and his research focus is also his hero: Richard Saul Wurman.

Join us to discuss Kevin Lynch's classic The Image Of The City. Although the book is about the design of cities, it is widely cited in information architecture fields because of the parallels between urban planning and how we architect information online.

If you haven't managed to finish the book before the event, please feel free to come along and join the discussion

This is a combo technology and design event!!

Relaunching the Urban Airship brand was a task that took as much skill as sending off an actual zeppelin into the skies. Introduced with just as great fanfare, the Urban Airship experience reached impressive heights.

It fell to Portland's own Owen Jones and Partners to re-launch both the brand and the website. They developed a new logo, extensive illustrations, a robust icon system, and other secondary brand assets. At the same time, they re-architected their product platform and rewrote almost all of the site content. They then melded the creative with a responsive front-end and an Expression Engine back-end to bring the brand to life.

How did they do it? Come find out as the Owen team discusses the challenges of simultaneously handling a company rebrand and website launch.

Roles: Lucas Swick - Technical Director Josh Balleza - Art Director

Digital Dialogues is an event series developed by AIGA Portland in partnership with IxDA and sponsored by FILTER and ISITE Design. Each event provides a sneak peek into a different collaborative case study. Relaunching the Urban Airship brand was a task that took as much skill as sending off an actual zeppelin into the skies. Introduced with just as great fanfare, the Urban Airship experience reached impressive heights.

Come along and talk about Andrew Hinton's Understanding Context.

Technology is destabilizing the way we understand our surroundings. From social identity to ubiquitous mobility, digital information keeps changing what here means, how to get there, and even who we are. Why does software so easily confound our perception and scramble meaning? And how can we make all this complexity still make sense to our users?

Understanding Context offers a powerful toolset for grasping and solving the challenges of contextual ambiguity. By starting with the foundation of how people perceive the world around them, it shows how users touch, navigate, and comprehend environments made of language and pixels, and how we can make those places better.

We're going to be talking to Andrew via Skype, so it's going to be an interesting discussion.

Not finished the book? It doesn't matter—come along and join the conversation.

Only 20 tickets open to the public! XPLANE invites you to a special Visual Thinking School for World Information Architecture Day. XPLANE consultants and designers will share some methods for assessing your audience needs and organizing information through visualization, and co-creation, as well as people-centered design. Join XPLANE for this highly-interactive session where we will architect the information within the Jar of Whimsy. Time: 6-8 with time after for mingling and Q +A Facilitators: collaborative team approach, Cynthia Owens Sr Consultant, Roel Uleners Creative Director, Jacob O'Brien Senior Designer, Matt Morasky Consultant/ACD

WORLD IA DAY - ARCHITECTING HAPPINESS THROUGH DESIGN THINKING - FREE!

Our world is increasingly made of information, yet so much of that information is not as clear or accessible as it could be to those it is intended for. Every organization out there seems to say that they want to make their users happy, but who is really delivering on those promises? Who is really architecting for happiness?

On February 21, 2015 we want to ask the world to help us uncover answers to questions we believe to be critical to the future of what Information Architecture is and how we practice it:

Can information affect happiness? How can we best architect structures for information that promote happiness? What work are organizations doing to bridge the gaps we face as we transition from a primarily analog to a primarily digital way of life? What does Information Architecture actually mean?

Agenda:

9:00 - 10:00 Spencer Williams, Architect and City Planner, Futurewise

Social Architecture and City System Design: Integrated, Iterative And Intuitive Placemaking

In this talk, we'll examine why current city systems have the designs they do and what kind of information is required to plan for people. Information Architecture and Architecture itself are synonymous. What makes being in a building, a city, a community, or a body so rewarding is how that information is communicated and the response gleaned from those experiencing it. This talk covers information-as-architecture, cities that are more than a collection of just these objects (sidewalks, intersections, etc) and what we can learn about this planning process that can be applied to nearly any industry.

---

10:00 - 11:00 Thubten Comerford, Co-Founder of Pitchlandia, Founder & CEO of WePost Media

Optimal Sequencing - Human Interaction Design

Designing success in life and business through the strategic sequencing of interpersonal communication.

---

11:00 - 12:00 Jose Caballer Chief Education Officer, The Skool + Director of Digital Strategy, Blind and Chris Do Co-Founder, The Skool + CEO and Creative Director, Blind

Designing Powerful Facilitated Work Sessions

Brainstorming doesn't work. This talk is focused on how to design powerful, effective work sessions, which result in high-fidelity team interaction and create happiness for all involved. The most important takeaway will be how the design of the agenda extends beyond the work session, which will reveal techniques you can use right away. For example; shifting from follow-up design tasks to design experiments can be seen as a happier way of producing more innovative solutions. We will explain the best ways to document and track your ideas to help them become reality by engendering ownership from each team member and instill confidence across all stakeholders.

---

1:00-2:00 Sara Stowe, PHR; Talent Acquisition Manager, Smarsh

Culture Fit: More Than A Feeling

A bad hire is costly—financially as well as the impact on happiness and morale within the team. When we look back to understand what went wrong, it’s unlikely that the person wasn’t qualified or had the necessary skill set. More often, it turns out that they weren’t a “fit.” How can you really predict if someone is going to fit in and be successful? Does success at one company mean success at yours? Interview teams struggle to properly assess fit, and often rely on their “gut feeling.” Intuition is hard-wired for our survival, yes, but we’re also fallible human beings who have history, culture, experience, context which creates bias and, in hiring, makes the talent pool even more shallow. Understanding and articulating your company’s culture is at the crux of developing an approach to identify culture fit and the potential for success. It is the foundation of a structured approach to assessing talent, employer brand, engagement, talent development and performance feedback. Sara will walk you through her experience at Smarsh as they embarked on developing a program to assess fit, where “not-a-fit” trumps experience every time.

---

2:00-3:00 Rain Dove, Androgynous Supermodel and Public Figure, Major Model

Identity Design: Breaking The Binary Gender Code

Genderqueer Supermodel Rain Dove will help audiences become more aware of identity design through a look at binary gender identity ('he' and 'she'), its origins and why this form of social design is no longer relevant. This person will discuss implementation of a new system of gender identity, which exposes the advantages of designing one's own identity and thus engagement with the world around them

---

3:00-4:00 Ken Rubin,VP Culinary Training, Rouxbe Online Cooking School

Not Enough Cooks In The Kitchen: Curating Food Culture with Technology & Design

How does technology and information design around food impact how we cook and eat? In a world marked by an increasing sense of culinary culture amnesia, cooking is a lost art and many have a fragmented and distant relationship to food. So, the world needs more cooks - people who craft their world through a lens of food, cooking and eating. Cooking is not only a potent symbol of empowerment, it is among the most human of all acts that stands at the center of an opportunity for widespread social impact. An increase in cooking has innumerable positive outcomes for individuals, communities and our planet. As an example, cooking literacy is at the core of how we will solve our public health and chronic illness crisis. In designing learning technologies and educational experiences to build confidence in the kitchen, I am on a mission to (re)produce food culture through active participation and engagement with others.

---

4:00-5:00 Joshua Burkhow, Global Ops. Performance Management & Analytics, Nike

We Need All The Help We Can Get: Analytics For Happy People

One form of happiness is having the confidence to make fact-based decisions, but when there's so much data thrown at us, how can we make sense of it, regardless of our professional industries? Believe it or not, there is a shortage of Information Professionals and so we'll share what kind of valuable work these people do, how you can employ the best practices, even if you're a solopreneur and how best to organize data research. We'll leave you with key techniques that can be enacted before leaving this conference.

---

5:00-6:00 Cynthia Owens, Senior Consultant, XPlane

What the F*CK is IA?: Learn About IA Through Visual Thinking

After a day of sessions, we will discuss some key visual thinking concepts and develop a PDX-specific answer to that compelling question. Learn how visual thinking will help make the practice of developing IA delightful.

---

6:00-7:00 Charles Adler-KEYNOTE Designer, Co-Founder, Kickstarter

Designing for the Unknown

The design of any system is an experiment. The design thinking and execution behind Kickstarter was no different. Yet everything has been done before, so how do we cross the chasm of these two extremes? Using Kickstarter as an example, we'll look into experimentation across multiple facets of the platform, applied models from blogging, web video and audio while also pressing the envelope with regard to collective fundraising, community, and transparency. Charles will share stories from the company's genesis, design decisions met along the way, shaping Kickstarter into what it is today - the largest funding platform for creative projects.

---

ABOUT WORLD IA DAY

World Information Architecture Day is a free one-day conference hosted annually by the Information Architecture Institute and held simultaneously in selected cities all over the world. Each year, a new theme is selected, new cities are added, and our community continues to grow as more people from all across the world join this truly global celebration of Information Architecture.

http://www.2015.worldiaday.org/

ABOUT IAI

The Information Architecture Institute is a non-profit organization empowering local communities to shape the global practice of information architecture by providing places to share and opportunities to learn.

http://iainstitute.org/

FAQs

You can reach the organizers at [email protected] or [email protected] The conference, food and drink are all free and open to the public, but you must register! The afterparty is from 7-9 at our sponsor, FINE's HQ (wearefine.com), located at 1140 SW 11th, suite 200, Portland, OR 97205. This is a fair distance from the venue, and we will have transportations options available The raffle will take place at the afterparty, it's also a free event Yes, I need vounteers. Please email if you'd like to get involved! [email protected] All of the information shared at WIAD will be streamed live, uploaded to youtube, flickr and slideshare and available for free afterwards. *Doors at 8:30

We'll be reading and discussing Val Head's book, Designing Interface Animations: Meaningful Motion for User Experience. 

The author will join the discussion, digitally, around 6:30.

http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/designing-interface-animation/

http://amzn.to/2tfBSiB

Please read Puppet Labs' Event Code of Conduct below:

Event Code of Conduct

Exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, staff and all other attendees at events organized by Puppet Labs (PuppetConf, Puppet Camps, training classes, and others) or held at Puppet Labs facilities are subject to these Community Guidelines and Code of Conduct. We are dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, and we do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.

We ask you to be considerate of others and behave professionally and respectfully to all other participants. Remember that sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any event venue, including talks. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event without a refund at the discretion of the organizers or Puppet Labs staff members.

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, real or implied violence, intimidation, oppression, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the event organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no refund. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the event staff immediately.

Event staff will be happy to help participants address concerns. All reports will be treated as confidential. We strongly encourage you to address your issues privately with any of our staff members who are organizing the event. We encourage you to avoid disclosing information about the incident until the staff have had sufficient time in which to address the situation. Please also keep in mind that public shaming can be counter-productive to building a strong community. We do not condone nor participate in such actions.

We value your attendance. If you cannot find a member of the event staff or are not comfortable contacting one of the staff, you can alternatively contact [masked], Kara Sowles (kara at puppetlabs.com) or Nathan Rawlins [masked] or nathan.rawlins at puppetlabs.com).

We expect all participants to follow these rules at all event venues and related social events.

We'll discuss Brett Harned's recent book, Project Management For Humans: Helping People Get Things Done.

The author will join the discussion for Q+A, remotely, around 6:00.

You can purchase a copy of the book at Amazon
(https://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Humans-Helping-People/dp/1933820519)

or Rosenfeld Media
(http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/project-management-for-humans/).

About the book:

Project management—it’s not just about following a template or using a tool, but rather developing personal skills and intuition to find a method that works for everyone. Whether you’re a designer or a manager, Project Management for Humans will help you estimate and plan tasks, scout and address issues before they become problems, and communicate with and hold people accountable.

About the author:

Brett Harned is a digital project management consultant, coach, and community advocate from Philadelphia, PA. His work focuses on solving issues that are important to organizations who want to produce quality digital projects in harmony. He loves to build processes and communication tactics that work not only for projects, but for the people involved in them. Prior to starting his consultancy, he was Vice President of Project Management for Happy Cog. In that role, he mentored a team of PMs and managed projects for companies like Zappos, MTV, and Monotype. Brett began blogging about his adventures in project management at brettharned.com when he realized that there was a void in the industry for people in the digital PM role. He has had the privilege to speak at various events internationally and has written for widely read industry websites and publications. One of the most satisfying projects of Brett's career has been building a global All participants must read and abide by Puppet Labs' Event Code of Conduct below:

Event Code of Conduct

Exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, staff and all other attendees at events organized by Puppet Labs (PuppetConf, Puppet Camps, training classes, and others) or held at Puppet Labs facilities are subject to these Community Guidelines and Code of Conduct. We are dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, and we do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.

We ask you to be considerate of others and behave professionally and respectfully to all other participants. Remember that sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any event venue, including talks. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event without a refund at the discretion of the organizers or Puppet Labs staff members.

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, real or implied violence, intimidation, oppression, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the event organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no refund. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the event staff immediately.

Event staff will be happy to help participants address concerns. All reports will be treated as confidential. We strongly encourage you to address your issues privately with any of our staff members who are organizing the event. We encourage you to avoid disclosing information about the incident until the staff have had sufficient time in which to address the situation. Please also keep in mind that public shaming can be counter-productive to building a strong community. We do not condone nor participate in such actions.

We value your attendance. If you cannot find a member of the event staff or are not comfortable contacting one of the staff, you can alternatively contact [masked], Kara Sowles (kara at puppetlabs.com) or Nathan Rawlins [masked] or nathan.rawlins at puppetlabs.com).

We expect all participants to follow these rules at all event venues and related social events.

CHIFOO presents: Researching Smart + Spatial Computing with Hannah Scurfield!

Understanding how humans will react and engage with new and emerging platforms can be challenging, particularly with smart and spatial computing. These types of experiences often depart from existing mental models of human-machine interaction and are often tricky to prototype. Traditional behavioral research methods often become less effective, meaning researchers need to experiment with new ways to gather learning.

Using examples from research into mixed and augmented reality experiences, we will explore these hurdles and discuss techniques for gathering insights when existing research methods prove inadequate.

Join this session to hear about experimenting with user experience design research techniques and how people interact with augmented and mixed reality experiences.

About the Speaker

Hannah drives technology innovation by researching people, behaviors and culture. She works with design, development, product and business teams to help build products and experiences that people love. She has nearly 18 years’ experience in both research and design roles in the technology industry and an exciting 14 years spent working in the innovation labs of global technology leaders.

Her career has been focused on emerging platforms, from early mobile computing and the Internet of things to augmented and virtual reality experiences. A background in film, human-computer interaction and ergonomics prepared Hannah for experimenting with smart and spatial computing and her current passion: reimagining the traditional screen-based design research studio.

Hannah likes blank sheets of paper and big questions with no answers.

https://chifoo.org/may-1-2019/

Meeting Details
5:30 - 6:30: CHIFOOd and Registration: Please join us before the meeting to enjoy dinner and networking. Food and beverages will be available for $5.

6:30 - 8:00: CHIFOO program starts at 6:30pm.
This meeting is free for CHIFOO Members & $5.00 for non-CHIFOO Members. Become a member today at chifoo.org. Raffle Tickets are $1.00 for two (available at door during Registration).

Please note: CHIFOO wants to make sure that each meeting is a great experience for everyone. If you need an accommodation to help you better enjoy CHIFOO meetings and events please let our CHIFOO Programs Chair know how we can help a few days prior to CHIFOO event.

Let's PechaKucha!

It's been a while since we got together. We'll have snacks/drinks/networking from 6 - 6:30 and then run presentations until 8.

*You don't have to present to attend, but consider sharing something important to you or something you think would be interesting to the group!

Please bring your slides / short presentation to share with your fellow designers. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PechaKucha

See you next month!