Hello y’all!

• I kicked off the week sharing my strategic analysis and recommendations with my client. It was a short meeting, mostly with time for me to run through what I had to say, but their team leader gave a nice acknowledgement at the end that they need time to process, at the same time addressing how this type of input can be uncomfortable. She really took ownership of that reaction and gave permission to the rest of the team to feel that way. I think that’s healthy and I’m eager for their questions and challenges when we speak again soon.
• Just announced: Two events in Seattle this August. Dan Szuc and I are doing a small workshop about Healthy and Creative Work Environments and then a presentation the next night, Soft Skills Are Hard: A Journey To Healthier Work.
• UX-STRAT has published a brief interview with me in advance of September’s full-day workshop on Immersive Field Techniques.
• I’ll be listening to Chris Pacione, co-author of the book Innovating for People, speaking online about Innovation Tools: Reframing the Problem on Wednesday.
• Ten years gone: From July 2004 – My cool-hunting moment, Terrible survey from HBO for Entourage viewers, The box doodle project.
• What we’re consuming: Little Lucca, Monty Python, Scoop, nopales, Where Danger Lives.

Good Monday morning to all!

• I’m waiting on some feedback from my client team and will be working towards the next iteration of our recommendations for them in shifting their organization towards embracing user needs.
• There will be a good chunk of inward focus this week, trying to look at the business of Portigal Consulting and its offerings and target customers. This process is always running at some level, but it’s probably the right time to get more specific.
• I’m looking forward to seeing folks who sign up for my full-day workshop on Immersive Field Techniques at UX-STRAT in Boulder or my workshop The Designer is Present at UX Australia.
• Last week was a busy week for blog posts. Check out Ugly Yet Yummy, Take pictures (of food that) lasts longer, Kayfabe and narrative frameworks as well as David’s War Story: Let it Bleed.
• Ten years gone: From July 2004 – Loews says fat slobs are messy – but please buy more of our food, NOTAG license plate not so clever after all, Yo, Robot.
• What we’re consuming: Watermark, Fred’s First FedEx, Gialina, Jodorowsky’s Dune.

Hello, summer!

• We have had great discussions so far with our main client as we’ve been reviewing and refining their strategic plan for growth and innovation. I’ll be working over the next couple of weeks to finalize this.
• I will be leading a full-day workshop on Immersive Field Techniques at UX-STRAT in Boulder in September.
• Going to UX Australia? You should register now for my workshop The Designer is Present. This will be the first time doing this workshop, since we debuted it at Fluxible in 2013.
• Last week we published Ari’s War Story. More coming this week, the first later today.
• Grant Carmichael posted a great set of photos from my workshop at IxDA Grand Rapids.
• Out on the town this week, I’ll be at the Ammunition anniversary party on Thursday night.
• Elsewhere, I wish I could make it to Philly this Thursday to see Jessica Ivins talk about Beyond Pink & Blue: Gender, User Behavior & the Design Process or Atlanta on Thursday to see Jenn Downs speak about preparation and confidence in user research.
• Ten years gone: From July 2004 – FreshMeat column reporting on the Licensing tradeshow, Creepy words-on-your-face Best Buy ad, Angry Boy beverage.
• What we’re consuming: Hakata ramen, Yossi, Allegra, Californication.

I’ve been on the road for the last four weeks and am pretty happy to be around for the next few weeks.

• Last week with the Grand Rapids IxDA was great. We had a really exciting workshop about developing soft skills. You can see the slides here and the video here (it starts around 30:00).
• I’m wrapping up the first draft of a strategic plan for a client, looking at how they can incorporate insights into their next iteration of their offerings.
• I’m looking for some spare cycles to go through a few War Stories that have come in recently. Keep your eyes open and let me know if you have your own story to share!
• Ten years gone: From June 2004 – $300 toasters.
• What we’re consuming: The Master, MadCap Coffee, Grand Rapids Brewing Company, onion-rings-on-a-stick.

Greetings from the road!

• I’m in Western Michigan today and tomorrow visiting family, and then doing an event with the Grand Rapids IxDA: Soft Skills are Hard. I previewed the event in Brooklyn last week and it went very well. I think there’s actually a whole series of workshops here, including something more like a half-day.
• Out on the town this week, I signed up for a breakfast gathering way over in Silicon Valley (well, early in the morning it will seem like “way over”) to meet with other user research folks.
• Ten years gone: From June 2004 – Reality TV as a participatory medium, War criminal advertising, photos from the Licensing Show.
• What we’re consuming: Sigmar Polke, Box-pressed sushi, A Subtlety, Swoon: Submerged Motherlands, Grimaldi’s.

Well a good day to you all! I’ve been home for about a week and now it’s time to hit the road again!

• I’m flying to NYC tomorrow afternoon to meet with prospective clients and attend the Core77 conference. Hope to see folks there!
• While I’m in town, I’ll be doing an event with Brooklyn UX – Soft Skills for Design and Innovation. There are just a few tickets remaining.
• From New York, I’ll head to western Michigan for an event the following week: Soft Skills are Hard, June 24th in Grand Rapids.
• UX Magazine has published the latest QuickPanel where I’m discussing voice user-interfaces with Aaron Gustafson and Whitney Quesenbery.
• Last week, we published Carol’s War Story, Driving Force. Check it out!
• A nice writeup from last week’s War Stories event in Portland is here.
• I’ve got another almost-finished story in the pipeline that we’re hoping to get posted sometime soon.
• Ten years gone: From June 2004 – Akihabara geek taxonomy, Santana live.
• What we’re consuming: Alden & Harlow, Tim’s Vermeer, The Dark Knight Rises.

Happy Monday from the road.

• Today and tomorrow I’m in Cambridge meeting with stakeholders. I’ve really enjoyed my initial conversations with this group and imagine I’ll be learning a huge amount about their objectives and their cultural and technical barriers.
• There are still tickets for our June 20th in Brooklyn. It’s going to be an interactive session about Soft Skills for Design and Innovation. Come on down!
• June 24th in Grand Rapids, the IxDA chapter will be hosting me for a very similar session (with a slightly catchier title): Soft Skills are Hard. Looking forward to it!
• Coming later this week is another War Story, now in near-final draft form. If you’ve got a story you’d like to share, please let me know!
• Ten years gone: From June 2004 – The truth about toast, Yahoo’s storage error (also here).
• What we’re consuming: Multnomah Falls, Cocodonuts, Tasty n Alder, Powell’s City of Books, The Americans.

It’s June! For me, June is travel month…

• This week I’m headed to Portland. I’ll be speaking at CHIFOO about The War Stories project and taking some time to hang out and, well, eat a lot of donuts. Coming up, Boston, Brooklyn, Grand Rapids.
• I’ll be getting things set up for two days on-site with a client next week (in Boston) trying to understand their strategic objectives in order to build a research and insights plan for them.
• June 20th in Brooklyn, I’ll be leading a fun interactive session about Soft Skills for Design and Innovation. Sign up now!
• Ten years gone: From June 2004 – The miracle of Älmhult, Pepto-Dance, Dylan gets honorary doctorate, Pizza Jewelry.
• What we’re consuming: Lois the Pie Queen, Kallax, old maps, George Plimpton, Music from the Big House.

Hello to a short week.

• This week is all about the planning. Talks in Portland (CHIFOO is next week), Brooklyn (announcement imminent) and Grand Rapids (ditto). Also working on new plans and schemes for talks and workshops in Denver, London (hopefully), and Buenos Aires.
• I’ve also kicked off a short project to build a longer-range plan for a client’s re-envisioning strategy. Jargon-y but fun! I’ll be headed to Boston in early June to dig into that work in earnest, so now I’m just setting the stage for that.
• Did you see last week’s War Stories from Rachel, Doug and Jon? Did you notice that they all are based in Portland??!!!
• We’re exploring some new marketing to support Interviewing Users.
• Also slated for for this week is introductions to new (prospective) clients, developing a work plan for a team I just met with and some exploratory conversations about collaborations with a colleague I admire immensely.
• Ten years gone: From May 2004 – Asking questions, Slot machine UX, The More The Merrier published at Core77, Loft subdivisions.
• What we’re consuming: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Chubby Noodle, North Beach history, Rogue beer, Facebook Privacy Dinosaur, Frick wine, David Lynch’s Return of the Jedi.

Greetings.

• I’m hoping to put the wraps on my talk about War Stories (coming up at CHIFOO next month) today and tomorrow.
• One of the clients I’ve been coaching is presenting their findings to their executive team on Tuesday and then on Thursday I’m going to lead a workshop where we’ll translate their findings into a diverse set of business activities, and then prioritize them into their next steps.
• Have you registered for my workshop on synthesizing user research at EuroIA?
• Have you signed up for my workshop exploring mindfulness and presence at UX Australia?
• And a reminder that I’ll be looking for any internal training gigs near Brussels and Sydney later this year.
• Ten years gone: From May 2004 – That freaky Ball Park Franks “girthy” ad, Google “serves up” some awkward ads for a story about infected barbecue..
• What we’re consuming: The White Diamond, Cafe Gibraltar, Star Wars Burlesque, canine acupuncture, Nash the Slash.