Happy Spring!

• It’s one of those weeks where we wrap up a project. I’m not taking the lead on this, but am dipping into the process constantly to see where the presentation is at, giving feedback and other edits, and checking in with the client to see if we’re tracking on their goals. Phew!
• It’s a short week I take an extra long weekend in wine country this weekend.
• One project kicked off last week and we’re now setting up interviews on their campus in April and figuring out what we need to be talking about. At the same time, the team is looking for industry experts and doing some secondary research in the space. It’s shaping up to be a great collaboration.
• Only a few tickets remain for for Moments of Influence, an interactive talk I’m doing with Dan Szuc and Jo Wong of Apogee.
• I’ve already had a good conversation today about my workshop Soft Skills Are Hard, part of the Enterprise UX conference this May in San Antonio. Please join me and also spread the word!
• Check out these video highlights from my World IA Day workshop The Designer is Present.
• I’ve just posted the latest 10 doodles.
• On Thursday I’ll be listening to Josh Seiden’s webinar Beyond Brainstorming: Create Breakthrough Ideas for Innovation.
• Ten years gone: From March 2005 – vivid colors for your pet.
• What we’re consuming: Birdman, Cookie Monster, Life Coach, Enter Sandman, Cowboy Fishing Co..

• My agency client is working diligently to get a draft presentation together. I’m helping to shape the insights and implications and to ensure they are well-articulated. We’re in the home stretch.
• I’m kicking off two projects this week. In one I’ll be guiding a client team as they plan for, conduct, and analyze ethnographic research. In another, I’ll be partnering with a couple of other small consultancies in a project that follows on some work I did with this same client last year. It looks like travel to Boston and Las Vegas will be coming up in the next little while!
• I’ll also be in Houston in May to lead a two-day user research workshop onsite for a client.
• Also in Texas in May, I’ll be part of the Enterprise UX conference in San Antonio. I’ll be leading an extended version of my workshop Soft Skills Are Hard. You should join us!
• Coming up in a few weeks in San Francisco, I’ll be presenting Moments of Influence, in collaboration with Dan Szuc and Jo Wong of Apogee. We’re starting to plot our topics and some exercises as well.
• Ten years gone: From March 2005 – creaky neighbor car, no sugar – no difference, apple tasting notes.
• What we’re consuming: Hapa ramen, Chuck Klosterman, Steve’s ice cream.

Happy March, everyone!

• I head to San Jose tomorrow to meet with our client team and talk about what we’ve learned so far and lead a discuss about where we can focus the analysis to ensure the research will provide the most value to the team.
• The rest of this week is heavily focused on about a dozen engagements in various phases of conversation, budgeting, waiting, scheduling, negotiating, sourcing and the like. It’s a bit overwhelming but at the same time very welcome.
• Video from my World IA Day DC workshop, The Designer is Present, is here (and the slides are here).
• Just announced, I’ll be doing a new talk, Moments of Influence, in collaboration with Dan Szuc and Jo Wong of Apogee. The event is April 1 in San Francisco, organized by IxDA SF.
• I’m interviewed by Lou Rosenfeld in this brief podcast about the upcoming Enterprise UX conference.
• Out on the town: On Wednesday evening I’ll be at the launch party for Indi Young’s new book Practical Empathy.
• Ten years gone: From March 2005 – Blobjects exhibit, Shopdropping culinary misadventures via Deadprogrammer’s Cafe, Eames sell out
• What we’re consuming: Cookie Monster wisdom, Gone Girl, ticklish hedgehog, Force Majeure.

• I’m at home this week after a fun but frigid trip to DC last week. I spoke at 18F about The Power of Bad Ideas. The video is here although I understand a properly captioned video is coming soon.
• I also led a workshop at World IA Day DC. It was a fun and interactive session called The Designer is Present. The slides are here and an edited video is coming soon.
• We’re planning a quick client workshop to help uncover what’s the most compelling direction to be uncovering in the remaining weeks of an ongoing diary study and interviews. We’ve got some pretty strong insight now and it could go in a few different directions but their interest and ability to act is undoubtedly varied for each.
• On Dollars to Donuts last week I spoke to Carol Rossi of Edmunds.com. That wraps up the first series. If you want more, one way to help would be to leave a review on iTunes.
• This Thursday, I will be one of several panelists at UX Careers 2015: Where is the field headed and how do you stay current?.
• Ten years gone: From February 2005 – Letting go of TV shows that are past their prime..
• What we’re consuming: xylophone Zeppelin, Green Pig Bistro, Megatron/Matrix, Bayou Bakery, Sleater-Kinney and Bob’s Burgers, Bakeshop, Bosch, Pupatella.

• It’s a holiday in the U.S., but I’m using this as a work day to try and get caught up. Last week, with the Interaction conference (and my Soft Skills workshop) and my talk at the Design Writing summit, put me behind.
• I’m headed to DC this Thursday. On Friday I’ll be speaking about The Power of Bad Ideas at 18F, and on Saturday I’ll be leading The Designer is Present at World IA Day DC which will also be streamed.
• The agency I’m collaborating with is leading a bunch of remote interviews this week; we started last week (in a moment reminiscent of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the participant took delivery of a pizza during the interview). I’ll be sitting in on a few more this week.
• Last week on Dollars to Donuts my guest was Kerry McAleer-Forte of Sears. This week we’ll have our final episode of the first series, so stay tuned! If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, you should review it on iTunes.
• Out on the town: We’ll be at the first Design Museum San Francisco event on Tuesday night.
• Ten years gone: From February 2005 – My days as a Ticketmaster niterun operator, Forbes on customer input into product development.
• What we’re consuming: Dungeness crab deviled eggs, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths Of Robert Durst.

• I’m staying up in San Francisco for the next few days. It’s the Interaction 15 conference and in addition to my workshop on soft skills today, there’s a ton of interesting talks and a plethora of people to catch up with.
• I’m speaking about Beating the Blank Page at The Design Writing Summit this Thursday. It promises to be a unique event and I understand there’s still a few spots left.
• I was the guest for an AMA (“ask me anything”) in the UX Community on Slack. It was a fun conversation; you can check out a gently edited transcript is here.
• Maxime Fortelle has a nice writeup (in French) of Why read Interviewing Users by Steve Portigal.
• Last week we had two new War Stories! One from Jenn and another from Jen!
• Coming up in May is Enterprise UX in San Antonio. I’m doing an extended version of the soft skills workshop and I’m also a “theme leader” for the Insight at Scale track. I’m enjoying the collaboration with the speakers and expect a really stellar experience.
• Dollars to Donuts was dark was last week; we’ve had to reset some of the production but we’ll have a new episode on Wednesday. If you’ve been enjoying them, it would help if you give the podcast a rating/review on iTunes.
• Check out the latest 100 doodles in 100 day.
• Ten years gone: From February 2005 – Tiger Power cereal unboxing, unfortunate design for USB drive, Crayola food.
• What we’re consuming: 20,000 Days on Earth, Samovar, Veep.

• I had an epic week in New York City last week: happy hour with the Brooklyn UX folks, lunch at Etsy, a visit to General Assembly, the NASDAQ ProDesign conference, hanging out at the SVA Products of Design studio and a few meals with friends. But I’m glad to be back in the warmer climes of home and digging into my work here.
• My first priority this week is get the details finalized for my full-up workshop on soft skills, next week at Interaction 15. ‘m also doing this workshop in May at Enterprise UX in San Antonio.
• I’m not only leading a workshop at Enterprise UX, I’m also a “theme leader” for the Insight at Scale track. Today we have our first meeting together to look more closely at what each of the speakers intend to cover.
• Last week on Dollars to Donuts I spoke with Nancy Frisbherg of Financial Engines. If the production works out (I’m cautiously pessimistic at this point in the week) we’ll have another one on Wednesday. Meanwhile, you can find them all on iTunes and Stitcher.
• I’ve got a couple of projects in the sales process, others in the bureaucracy of internal purchasing departments. It’s a pretty good range of interesting collaborations and I’m just trying to be patient!
• I’m teaching a workshop on improv, in the interaction design program at CCA on Friday.
• I’m speaking about Beating the Blank Page at The Design Writing Summit on February 12 in San Francisco.
• I’ll be one of several panelists at UX Careers 2015: Where is the field headed and how do you stay current?, February 28 in San Francisco.
• I’ve been doing a doodle every day since January 1 and intend to go for 100 days. You can see the results here.
• Ten years gone: From February 2005 – Evite: effectiveness, semiotics, and etiquette, Extraordinary Ordinary Guy In Japan: How Do Things Change in Here?, Tony’s collections.
• What we’re consuming: Doughnut Plant, ramen, Dim Sum Go Go, Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner, Beecher’s “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese.

• I’m here today, giving a talk about The Power of Bad Ideas for the UX students at General Assembly. Then (Juno permitting) I’m off to New York, to attend the NASDAQ Pro/Design conference. On Wednesday, I’m doing a casual meetup in Brooklyn if you want to come and say “hi.”
• Last week on Dollars to Donuts (my new podcast with people who lead user research in their organization) I had a stimulating chat with Frances Karandy. Another episode comes online on Wednesday; you can find them all on iTunes and now also on Stitcher. If you want to hear the whole theme song, the track – and the background story – are here.
• I’m sitting on one War Story that just needs me to edit before it can go up, I’ve seen another draft that is very close, too. Stay tuned for more War Stories!
• I’m continuing to enjoy being an advisor to my agency client and talking them through not only the research tactics but also supporting their interactions with their client. It’s a nice way to add value, for me.
• Other projects coming up include advising a client with their research project and still getting my hands a little dirty with some expert interviews and collaborating on the synthesis work; organizing a networking event with industry leaders; facilitating an internal summit to help different departments look for ways to be more effective in their collaboration. I’ve also got proposals out for a couple of other projects so it seems like there’s a lot happening!
• They’ve fully booked my Soft Skills Are Hard workshop at Interaction 15 ! Looking forward to the whole conference and to the workshop. I’ll be doing a longer version at Enterprise UX in May.
• I will be leading a session about the writing process at The Design Writing Summit on February 12 in San Francisco.
• I’ll be one of several panelists at UX Careers 2015: Where is the field headed and how do you stay current?, February 28 in San Francisco.
• Ten years gone: From January 2005 – FreshMeat #23: Total Recall, logo hell, An amazing job title, The vending machine takes on the obesity epidemic, Crazy Valentine’s Day bear upsets mental health advocates, Your Call (and Rants on Hold) Will Be Monitored, Captured fugitive was living in stores, Wacky Warning Labels.
• What we’re consuming: Ida, Kin Khao, 100 Doodles in 100 Days, Dr. Katz live.

• It’s a holiday today (MLK day) for some folks in the US. But we’re working today.
• Last week on Dollars to Donuts, my new podcast with people who lead user research in their organization, I had a great conversation with Alex Wright of Etsy. Another episode drops on Wednesday; you can find them all on iTunes.
• Video from my talk on Interviewing Users from the HOW Interactive Design conference is now on YouTube and Vimeo.
• My agency collaboration is going well; their client is doing some interesting work and the research is going to help unpack expectations around a few similar-seeming value propositions. This week they’re planning to start screening for participants across the country who will fill out diaries over several weeks.
• I’ve got the green light (at least the green light that means let’s begin the paperwork) from a client team to advise them through some in-home fieldwork. I’ll be doing some interviews with experts at the same time, and we’ll all come together and synthesize the results into…something! It’s a really nice group and we’ve been looking for a chance to work together for a few months now.
• Soft Skills Are Hard, my workshop for Interaction 15 has filled up! Looking forward to the whole conference and to the workshop. I’ll be doing a shorter version for a bigger crowd at World IA Day in DC on February 21.
• Tomorrow is my rescheduled workshop on improv, collaboration and creativity at GreatSchools in Oakland.
• Next week I’m doing a lunch-hour session with the UX students at General Assembly. We’re going to talk about the Power of Bad Ideas.
• Also next week, I’ll be New York to attend the Pro/Design conference.
• Ten years gone: From January 2005 – Dubious pancake mix FAQ, Titan Probe Drops Into ‘Creme Brulee’-Like Surface.
• What we’re consuming: Keep on Keepin’ On, Brenda’s Meat & Three, 100 Doodles in 100 Days, Boyhood.