IA Summit 2010: This One Goes to Eleven -- The Best Conversations Happen in the Hall

Designing With Constraints

Who is the content aimed at? IAs with 0-3 years of experience

What is the main message of the content? One of the keys to being a successful
IA is the ability to create meaningful designs despite ongoing requirements
changes and technical limitations. This workshop will help junior to mid-level
IAs learn to design in the face of emerging constraints.

What do you want the audience/participants to walk away with? Design projects
are subject to the continual evolution and refinement of requirements and
business goals. Workshop participants will come away with an understanding of
the tools needed to design robust experiences in light of these ongoing
changes.

How does the content advance people in their practice or help them do their
work? It will help IAs think about design decisions from different
perspectives, and will allow them to readily adapt to large-scale changes in
requirements.

Description: Creating meaningful digital experiences is a complicated
business. Fluctuating requirements, unexpected technical limitations, and
stringent branding rules can make experience design feel like an exercise in
compromise. This hands-on workshop is designed to teach junior and mid-level
IAs how to design and negotiate the best user experiences in the face of
corporate flux.

Participants will be divided into teams, and will be given a design challenge
to accomplish within a specific time period. Periodic requirements changes and
technical constraints will be introduced during the session. Participants will
need to react to these changes and re-think their designs or develop convincing
rationale as to why the proposed changes will not be viable.

Participants will come away with increased understanding of the following:

• A flexible approach to problem-solving
• Ability to “let go” of proposed solutions
• Cultivating the art of persuasion
• Developing ironclad rationale
• Picking appropriate battles