My Key Takeaways from UX Australia 2018

10th-anniversary edition #UXAU2018

Kim Bonavia
Sep 5, 2018 · 5 min read
Attendee welcome at the entrance to UX Australia 2018

In its 10th anniversary, this was my first time attending UX Australia. It was Thursday morning, 800+ attendees in the main plenary of the Grand Hyatt, Melbourne and we were ready to be enlightened and inspired over the next two days.

Jon Kolko with a Bourne Digital sponsored coffee

The day started with coffee, of course! The company I work for, Bourne Digital, sponsored the coffee carts all day Thursday. It was great exposure while simultaneously fuelling the conference.


My Key Speaker Takeaways

I’ve had a few days to process the many quality talks. It was difficult to narrow my findings to three, however, these resonated with me at this point in time. Here are my three key takeaways from UX Australia 2018 (drum roll please…):

1. Designer vs. Non-Designer Mindsets

Keeping in mind the perspective of non-designers.

This was a light bulb moment for me.

We are so embedded in the ways of design thinking. We can often forget that other people are not.

It is our role as designers to be mindful and nurture design mindsets in non-designers. People are used to doing things one way and we go in and tell them to do it another. We need to collaborate and incentivise (including the awareness of incentivising for the short term and/or the long term).

2. Culture in our Design Teams

Farai Madzima’s Keynote Talk on the role Culture plays within Design

The difference that culture plays in the workplace and bringing your culture into your work without realising it. Once this is realised, it can be a powerful thing. It shapes the way in which we interact with each other and provide a critique. A team needs to be aligned in the method of engagement as well as critique.

This resonated with me, being of Southern European heritage, yet working with people of a myriad of cultures. I will be more conscious of the role people’s culture plays within the design team and the way we make it work for us, not against.

3. Ancestry in Design

Alan Cooper’s Mississippi River analogy: Identify possible design weaknesses in the product early in the process, when it’s easier to pivot.

Be a good ancestor. Identify weaknesses in products and look at the entire lifespan of our work. Identify possibly toxic behaviour when designing in order to cut it at the source, not when it’s a behemoth and too complicated. Reacting to the misuse of our well-intended design is too late.

As designers, we are the keystone in the arch. Use the responsibility wisely and forward think the negative implications as well as the positive.


My Key Conference Reinforcements

There were times throughout the conference where I was reminded of various pearls of wisdom. It’s always good to reinforcement what we know, especially when articulated by different people in their own context.

Here are my three key reinforcements throughout UX Australia 2018:

1. Step Away

An event such as UX Australia allows time to step away and refocus on what’s important.

“Step back from the problem solving and focus on the people”. Likewise, “step backwards from what you’re immersed in and examine your surroundings”…

This down to earth information was mentioned in two of the 10-minute talks. It’s self-explanatory yet always good to hear.

2. Microcopy for Confident Actions

The important role that Microcopy plays in gaining and keeping the user’s trust.

“Reduce the risk and encourage users to act by being clear, upfront and transparent.”

Be responsible with microcopy — make it timely and relevant. Moreover, front-load the critical information so it is timely and relevant. What you say in microcopy makes a difference in how you influence your reader, and whether they return to your product.

3. ‘Doodling’ Talent

The Bourne Digital booth showcasing the 18 Crazy 8’s competition entries (left) and, the competition winner as announced by Bourne’s Managing Director, Selim Ahmed (right).

At our Bourne Digital stand, we ran a Crazy 8’s competition. To win an Apple watch, entrants needed to ‘doodle’ their eight insights from the conference.

In addition to the amazing talent, it was fascinating to see everyone’s interpretation of UX Australia highlights. Several entrants chose to doodle the one speaker such as Lauren Currie, Eva-Lotta Lamm or Jon Kolko. Other entrants were more holistic, articulating overall learnings, or didn’t event doodle speakers and focused on the amazing food which was served.

The entries were so inspirational and timely reinforcement of how all of our talents differ.


Full circle

By Friday afternoon, I (like many other attendees) was mentally exhausted, yet exhilarated and ready for a celebratory drink with new and existing acquaintances.

I felt like we had come full circle over the two days. All of the speakers played their part connecting with Lauren Currie’s opening keynote talk where she began with ‘I believe in better’. It is our mission to take everything we have learned and play our part in realising what ‘better’ is.

Thank you for reading. If you liked this article, please leave a clap 👏🏼 (you can clap more than once, by the way!). You can go ahead and share it with people who’d be interested. 😁 If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.

Kim Bonavia

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