Jamie Bresner's Page

Our profession talks a lot about the mechanics of our job, concentrating on the processes, tools, and techniques that lead to concrete deliverables. What we miss is that 90% of our work is in building and maintaining relationships.   Only through trusting relationships with our clients, co-workers, managers and stakeholders are we able advocate for our customers, have a seat at the strategy table, participate in the key decision making processes, garner buy-in, and become empowered to do our…See More

 Interfaces for social software are simple. But designing, developing and managing social platforms is not.Thomas Vander Wal will present some of the lenses he uses to help companies increase user adoption and engagement by better understanding the complexities around social software.  Schedule6:30 - 7:00 Networking & welcome7:00 - 8:00 Speaker presentation8:00 - 8:15 Wrap up8:15 - Happy hour @ Churchkey  About our speakerA Senior IA…See More

Join IXDA-DC for two great presentations: Veronica Erb's "How and Why to Start Sketchnoting" and  David Farkas on "IXD Through Mixology." David will be visiting from Philly just to give this talk and mix us some fine libations; Veronica is retiring her sketchnoting presentation, so this is your last chance to catch it. Note: Venue is on 14th Street, between N & Rhode Island Ave. Don't rely on Google maps!Schedule6:30 - 7:00 Networking & welcome7:00 - 7:30 Sketchnoting7:30 - 8:00…See More

Back by popular demand: UX show & tell The always-popular UX show & tell is back! Bring your websites, apps, wireframes, or even napkin doodles and get honest critique and feedback from your peers. Or bring a finished project to brag about. If you are a UX Team of One, this is your chance to brainstorm with 40 of your smartest colleagues. SCHEDULE6:30-7:00  Networking & welcome7:00-8:20  UX show & tell8:20-8:30  Wrap up & thanks8:30  Happy hour @…See More

Look out, August, we're bringing the heat!Jeff Gothelf (@jboogie) is coming to town to give us his LeanUX manifesto followed by 5-5-5 madness. The whole thing is happening at Sapient's new digs in Arlington. 5-5-5 MadnessWhat's 5-5-5, you ask? 5 talks for 5 minutes with only 5 slides. You bring the talks, the rest of us get to vote on which ones we want to see. Any topic that is remotely -- and I mean remotely -- related to IxD or UX is eligible. Start plotting your 5 minutes of fame…See More

For one night only, Jared Spool comes to Washington DC to present one of his most popular talks:Anatomy of a Design Decision.The best designs come from not one, but hundreds of well-made decisions. The worst designs arise out of hundreds of poorly-made decisions. All that stands between you and a great design is the quality of your decisions. Where do they come from?For the last five years, we’ve been studying how designers make their decisions. When do they use outside information, such as…See More

Join the UX Book Club in discussing Don Norman's book Emotional Design.  Find out more at the UX Book Club Wiki.Join our Google Group for updates and announcements.Special thanks to Threespot for providing the space for this meeting.See More

Can't make it to the Interaction11 conference in February? Here's your chance to see three presentations from the conference, right here at home: ACCESSIBILITY IS NOT A CHECKLISTJimmy ChandlerJimmy Chandler will demonstrate 10 methods in 20 minutes for improved accessibility that all interaction designers can use right away. These tips will help you enhance the user experience for those without disabilities, including those using mobile devices.At the end of this session, you will understand…See More

UserFocus was developed to serve two primary purposes: first, to bring together the Usability Professionals of the DC metro area to exchange ideas, best practices and resources that are meaningful to our local community. Second, to serve as an easily accessible, affordable way to gain some of this knowledge through one, local coordinated effort.We feel this year’s program will do both and we hope to see you there.See More

Chris Merkel talks us through the hows and whys of accessibilty design for websites.During his presentation you'll learn what types of devices the disabled use to access the web, and see videos of real people using them. You'll learn practical tips for how to make our websites and apps more accessible and even get a chance to try out a screen reader for yourself.Chris has 14 years of design experience across web sites, application interfaces, print, and visual identity. In the past, he's served…See More

Join IxDA-DC and Ironworks Consulting for happy hour on July 20 at 6:30pm.7 reasons to attend:1. Find out about job openings at Ironworks2. Win a free Balsamiq mockups license!3. Network, network, network4. Free appetizers5. $4 margaritas6. $5 beer, wine & rail drinks7. Near McPherson Square & Farragut North metro stopsSponsored by:Ironworks is a consulting services firm that doesn't believe in big-bang approaches or seemingly…See More

If you are interested in helping with IxDA-DC events, or have ideas for stuff we should do, I hope you'll attend.Meeting goals:- Make a final decision about the Ning site- Set an event schedule for the rest of the year- Assign tasks to make those events happenI plan to wrap this up by 7:30 so we can get food or go home at a reasonable hour.Make sure you RSVP, since we need to let building security know who's coming.See More

Book: Mental Models, by Indi Younghttp://www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/mental-models/Use coupon code UXBOOKDC2010 for 30% off all Rosenfeld Media products through July 1, 2010Description: There is no single methodology for creating the perfect product—but you can increase your odds. One of the best ways is to understand users' reasons for doing things. Mental Models gives you the tools to help you grasp, and design…See More

In conjunction with Digital Capital Week, IxDA-DC is running a panel session on the fundamentals of interaction design (IxD) moderated by our own John Yuda.Panelists Oonie Chase (IfWeRanTheWorld & GMMB), Will Evans (Semantic Foundry), Robert Freeland (Quatrefoil Associates), Whitney Hess (Herself!), and Dr. Kathryn Summers (Univ. of Baltimore, IxD/IA Program) will present examples of their work and answer your questions about…See More