An Event Apart Austin, 2013
My Top 10 Lessons Learned
I was lucky enough to attend An Event Apart this year, in Austin TX. This is my experience.
I’m a pretty passionate person as is. Some might say, enough so that I should lay off the caffeine a bit. But what I got from attending An Event Apart was more than just passion. I walked away feeling truly in awe of where we are on the web today. More than that, I feel lucky to be a part of creating some of the designs and experiences we’ll be using tomorrow.
After flying home from Austin, I’ve got a mini notebook and a half full of scribbles, and a mind full of ideas. Most of all though, I’ve found a renewed sense of excitement and purpose in what it is that I do on the web.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but while it’s fresh in my mind, I figured I’d at least write down my top ten takeaways.
1. We’ve reached the tipping point for multi-device design.
It’s no longer just a nice to have, it’s a requirement.
2. Stop treating mobile users as second-class citizens.
We need to start designing our content in such a way that it’s completely accessible from all devices.
3. You’ll get hired tomorrow to do what you’re doing today.
Fill your portfolio with the kind of work you want to be doing. Seems simple enough, but it’s easy to get sidetracked: stay focused.
4. It’s not your company’s fault they don’t have the best design practices in place.
It’s yours. Start taking a more pro-active approach in explaining why this is so important.
5. The mobile/tablet/desktop divide is no longer cut and dry.
Designing experiences under the assumptions that we can figure out what type of device our users are on is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible.
6. After a product ships, you keep working.
The best products are born from iteration; learn from what you have and keep going.
7. Specializing doesn’t mean pigeonholing yourself.
Be a master of your craft, but be mindful to keep your other related skills up to par.
8. Let your content dictate your designs, not the other way around.
If the content doesn’t fit, then maybe it wasn’t the best choice to begin with.
9. Don’t jump straight to JS for your animations.
CSS3 animations can cover a lot of the same ground, without the bulky JS.
10. Design for the edges and the middle works itself out.
Target the most extreme personas you have and you’ll find that your designs improve for the rest as a result.
Thanks to an amazing and brilliant set of speakers.
