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

Open innovation is the dernier cri. Many large organisations are investing in
hackdays, competitions, and online community platforms to engage with
developers and to crowdsource ideas. My employer Vodafone is one of them.
Developers are the masters of code, hence god-like creators who make ideas
happen in a tangible form, to be experienced, discussed, and sold. As a
professional community, we have spent a lot of time discussing how UX can get a
seat at the strategy tables of our organisations. I think it’s time to
discuss how we can play a role in innovation by engaging with the people who
build stuff.

In my talk, I will discuss the role of UX in open innovation. Calls for
participation in competitions and design challenges are mainly aimed at
developers. How can we participate, and add value?

I asked myself this question, and the answer I found is: be brave, leave the
safe and familiar UX community, and meet developers where they gather. I will
share my experience of participating in hackdays and barcamps, and I will also
talk about the open innovation activities at Vodafone.

Who is this talk for?
I’m aiming this talk at people who are serious about spreading the love of
UX. If you are interested in educating non-UX people about human-centred
design, this talk will be of interest to you.

What’s in it for you?
If you want to participate in open innovation, my talk will provide insights
and encouragement on how to do so. If your organisation is trying to engage
with developers, and you are not involved in these activities but would like to
be, the story of the Vodafone UX team will be an experience report you can draw
from.