An Extroverted Conference For The Introvert Designer
Snippets from Epicurrence
It was my first time back to Tahoe in winter after 6 years.
A white and cold drive up from Walnut Creek to Truckee, California, I sat in my manager Charlie’s larger-than-life truck along with fellow Zendesk product designer Esther.
We arrived at the Ritz Carlton for a pretty unusual design conference, Epicurrence–The Montues. It was founded by Dann Petty and Epicurrence was already in its 4th edition. It was going to be a three day three night design conference where you get to meet designers from all around the US (and some international as well), ski or snowboard in the day, have meals and drinks together, meet new friends, and participate in intimate panel and Q&A sessions in the evening. It’s a pretty epic, non-traditional, non-workshop type of conference. In fact, the whole vibe just felt like you were stepping straight into the perfect winter retreat. It was very refreshing and inspiring.
Having attended several meetups in the Bay Area, this was turning out to be pretty special. First, there was a very long line forming from the ballroom entrance and I met my first friend while waiting to enter. Chris is a Product Designer at Lonely Planet who flew in all the way from Nashville, Tennessee. After we collected our welcome pack which was amazingly generous, we got our food and were encouraged to find a table with people you’ve never met and have dinner with them.
To some, this could be very awkward and intimidating, to others they just enjoyed talking and meeting new people. From the get go, we were encouraged to put ourselves out there, and how much you want to receive is totally up to how much you want.
From the get go, we were encouraged to put ourselves out there, and how much you want to receive is totally up to how much you want.
I found myself seated at a table filled with giants, people who have trekked and gone ahead over the past two decades to create and do things in so many ways that has helped shaped the world of design and product development today. One of them was Geoff Teehan, co-founder of Teehan+Lax and currently Product Design Director at Facebook who recently led the team to launch Facebook Reactions. In fact, I’d been using Teehan+Lax’s iPhone templates since 2010 when I started out in mobile UI design.
It took me a while to warm up and get used to meeting strangers and trying to figure out why I was here and what I’d wanted to get out of this.
Doing it scared
For two nights in a row, I repeatedly found myself doing the same thing. Once the panel talks were over, I went straight back to my room, shrinking back to my introverted, I’m-too-tired self.
But the very thought that there are so many wonderful people — experienced designers and leaders who have taken several steps before you, as well as younger, next generation designers with fantastic talent, skills and infectious energy. How could I simply let these opportunities to connect with these people slip away just like this.
This is especially so when it’s not the usual day conference or evening meetups, whereby people network and leave for home after them. Epicurrence literally kept us there. For better or for worse, you’re forced to go ski with new people, sit down and dine with strangers, start a conversation, feel awkward and feel interested, doing all of this at the same time. As one of my good friends once said, if you feel scared, do it scared.
If you feel scared, do it scared.
The first night, after I pulled myself out of my room I went toward the stage where the main panelists and Epicurrence alumni Dan Mall and Geoff Teehan were. Just like everyone else, I put myself in an awkward queue and just waited for my turn to introduce myself and ask some questions which I resonated with during the panel. One of which was when Geoff mentioned the transition from running his own agency to joining Facebook. It took him 3 months to get started, 6 months to know how things work and 12 months to make an impact. It was almost exactly how I felt with things here after joining Zendesk from running my own startup Burpple.
Dan’s exceptional ability to mentor and coach is inspiring and hugely contagious. He’s currently the founder and sole employee SuperFriendly and has a very unique way of internships and training people to become future designers, in a very all-rounded human way that consists both the hard skills as well as the soft skills. I found this very intriguing as mentorship is very under-amplified in today’s work environment.
I wouldn’t have experienced these feelings and insights had I not put myself out there to press in and connect. Oh, I later also became Twitter friends with Marc Hemeon and helped him fixed a mobile bug of his new website. And of course, meeting Dann Petty at the lift lobby and chatting with him in person (and not over email or online) just gives such a fresh, humbling touch. Nothing beats human connection.
On the second night, the Airbnb team took stage and it’s a company that shares several similarities with the Zendesk creative team and where we are at currently as a brand and company. During the Q&A, I asked a question about the role of their founders today and was very keen to learn more, in person after the panel.
So after excusing myself back to my room (again), I went back down and went straight for Katie M. Dill, who was still hanging out at the bar outside of the main ballroom. Katie is the Head of Experience Design at Airbnb and I also had the opportunity to connect with Alvin Hsia, an Experience Designer at Airbnb. Both of them were on the panel and we exchanged some pretty interesting and authentic conversations about Airbnb’s rebranding and redesign journey. Things like processes, growing pains between Marketing and Product organizations, stretching struggles amongst designers, product managers and engineers, and little tips on running their growing team organization.
I love it when conversations are real and when people don’t shy away from difficult topics. The truth is that every company, every team large or small has its strengths and deficiencies. What’s lovely about Epicurrence is that it sets an uncomfortable culture to talk about the difficulties and authenticity hopefully in a safe and trusting setting.
Ask, and you shall receive
I’ll end off with a simple note that even for a hybrid personality like myself (who is introverted by nature and a trained extrovert to be sociable), what brings exceeding value at the end of the day is the experiences shared and the knowledge learnt, simply by asking and hearing.
At the end of the day, everyone is a human being and we connect through shared experiences, new ideas and feelings. Being introverted can sometimes become an excuse to shy away and miss that very part of you that wants to receive.
Don’t allow this to become an excuse for the fear of rejection, the fear of getting something you did not expect that cripples you to end up not even trying.
“If you have free time during an event, resist the urge to sit in a corner and catch up on e-mail messages. If you are attending the event with co-workers, avoid spending all your time with them. It is easier for you to approach others — and for others to approach you — if you are by yourself.”
— Royston Tay, GM Zendesk Message
Stay tuned for my next post on an interview with Alvin Hsia, who shares some interesting insights behind the scenes with Airbnb’s design team.
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