A Design Conference Perspective
“Snickers satisfies your hunger!” Actually, it doesn’t, but for the life of me, I can’t explain why I keep believing it. It’s the only form of advertising that subliminally affects me and I’m still not sure why. I’m not proud of it, but I truly believe if I grab a Snickers bar, I will stop being hungry.
I have the same mindset toward design conferences. Arriving at the event is this exciting and special moment — like we are all here to solve the worlds’ problems (through design of course). As we begin to take our seats, music carrying a funky beat starts to fill the room, and the host kicks off the party by getting everyone pumped with industry jargon and quippy jokes. This may sound snarky, but I totally buy into — and fall in love with — the hype of it all. Everyone wants to feel like they belong to a group and that their group is the best.
The Awwwards conference took place at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, which if you have never been is definitely a site to check out next time you visit the Bay Area. The speakers use 30-minute blocks to discuss the latest in industry trends. While it was a lot of information to unpack throughout the day, it’s great to know the skills I have and teach are in high demand. It was evident in the product design and tools that are being used. For example, Figma and sketch have created a real battle for the go-to design tool overshadowing Adobe XD’s presence in the industry overall. While Milanote is an amazing collaboration tool with the momentum that continues to grow because of its collaborative collage functionality. Principle is a great tool to accomplish rapid prototyping animation which I’ve found is helpful in getting clients to buy in on a project. But these tools are only relevant because they are solving problems we have in the industry, whether it’s as a designer or a client.
The overall message of each speaker was to “Stop focusing on the solution, focus on the user.” This resonated because as Little Taller grows a team of professionals finding solutions to problems we need to keep our focus clear. Those solutions lack importance if the user is not the focus. I like solving problems and often, I want to solve them and quickly move on to the next problem. Especially when running a business it’s easy to say “Yes. That works, next?” and move on to the next billable project. However, that is not how I, or my team want our profession to be defined, just an assembly line of problems solved. It’s important to stop assuming, ask questions, and spend time on research. Diving into the customers' story allows us to craft the “right” solution not “a” solution.
“Stop focusing on the solution, focus on the user.”
Of course, when the conference comes to an end, we all go back to our lives and jobs, and the bubbly excitement starts to dissipate. It’s the classic high with the inevitable crash afterward. Just like a Snickers bar, it didn’t really satisfy my hunger, but rather I just came down from a sugar rush. Which I now understand because I went into the event with the wrong perspective of problem-solving for the solution, not the user.
I’ve added the links to some of the speakers below so you can challenge your own perspective.
23 Minutes that made me smile
InVision — Pablo Stanley
See additional conference talks
Work / Life Balance
Dropbox — Jennifer Brook
Key Takeaway
Focus on what co-workers are working on. Think more about what is going on in their life and how can you help them.
Lessons learned from starting a product company
Dan Cederholm — Co-founder of Dribbble
- Choose your partner wisely. “Co-founding is like a marriage.”
- Start with a t-shirt.
- Your first 100 members are critical.
- Pave the cowpaths. Watch your users carve paths. How can you build off user ideas?
- Don’t be afraid to throw things away.
- Persistent iteration over flashy launches.
- Not knowing what you’re doing is okay. As long as you try and laugh about it works. Be confident in your incompetence.
- Grow thick skin. Quickly. Learn who to ignore. Celebrate the positive. Create a #highlights slack channel.
- Trends come and go and come back again. Just be patient.
- Everything is temporary and that's ok. Product design does not last forever. Don't get depressed and think of the bigger picture.
- People & relationships are most important. Pixels disappear, people don’t. Be kind. Paths may cross again. “I am most proud of the team” -You
- Stay sharp with side projects. Side projects keep you up to date.
- —
- Don’t be superstitious
- Find a good lawyer and accountant.
- Don't be stubborn.
- Write. Teach. Share your ideas and process.
- Don’t take funding
- Take care of yourself first. You have to take care of yourself to take care of your team.
- Know when to let go & move on.
Amazing work that makes me jealous but also inspired
Fantasy — Peter Smart
https://petesmart.co.uk/ | https://fantasy.co/
