Spec is back with more conference than ever before
Slack’s two-day developer conference will feature product announcements, workshopping, app building and more
Last year, we introduced Spec, our first developer conference (check out the recap). Now, for Spec 2019, we’re going even bigger, with more speakers, more sessions, more opportunities to connect — and more conference. Spec will be hosted in San Francisco on Oct. 22 and 23.
We just rolled out our full agenda for Spec 2019 with two separate tracks and keynotes from Randall Munroe, the creator of the popular webcomic xkcd, and Sarah Franklin, EVP and GM, Developer Relations and Trailhead at Salesforce. Here’s a preview of the action-packed two days we’ve got planned.
Day 1: New releases, secure apps and community
Kick things off by learning about the latest Slack platform functionality. VP and GM of Platform at Slack, Brian Elliott, and Slack’s director of Product, Ellie Powers, will be sharing the newest Slack Platform features and product announcements that allow developers to build better, more deeply integrated apps.
Last year at Spec, we introduced Actions and Block Kit, our UI framework that enables richer app experiences in Slack. But how do you know when it’s time for a redesign? This year, we present Future-proofing your app with Block Kit, where you’ll learn how to identify when it’s time to redesign your app, and how to approach a migration. Our panel of experts will include Katie Chen, staff Product designer at Slack; Pete Michel, principal architect at Guru; and Netali Jakubovitz, product manager at Doodle.
In Slack on security: Demystifying how to build a trustworthy app, members of Slack’s own security team will walk you through best practices for building secure apps, including actionable steps to unlock enterprise adoption.
Wrap up the day with a soon-to-be-announced workshop (trust us, it’ll be worth the wait!) and then roll down your sleeves for Franklin’s closing keynote. Slack’s director of Developer Relations, Bear Douglas, will host a conversation with Franklin on the expanding role of developers and the lessons learned building a sustainable, equitable community.
Day one will wrap up with a reception before it’s time to turn in, get some rest and get ready for Day Two.
Day 2: Explore creativity and curiosity with xkcd
Ever wonder how Slack builds Slack? Join us for Day Two of Spec to hear from our co-founder and CTO Cal Henderson on how Slack engineers are thinking through — and solving — the big challenges affecting our shared customers. This morning keynote will be full of expert insights to help you achieve scale, accessibility and delight when building.
Version one of any product, however, is just that: the beginning. Creating a successful app begins with your first release, and continues with each iteration. In Continuous discovery and innovation in Slack, Aubrey Tatarowicz, a senior software engineer at Troops.ai, will share how Troops uses continuous deployment, feature flagging, and customer communication to test and launch incremental product updates.
In Building delightful experiences in Slack for large-scale organizations, Samir Diwan, the co-founder and CEO of Polly, will detail the journey of building enterprise-grade experiences for Intuit and other large Slack customers. Diwan will share special considerations for catering to large organizations, including handling rate limits and keeping up with the ever-evolving needs of complex customers.
On Day Two we’ll also look at how developers can take a hands-on approach to driving app adoption. At Driving adoption and engagement with outstanding onboarding, Rea Loretta, the co-founder and CEO of Toast, and Fletcher Richman, the co-founder and CEO of Halp, will show you how they’ve been able to maximize user engagement. Then, it’s time to start building. Learn how to show first-time users a welcome message, display a help message when needed, and give them the option to dismiss it or opt out entirely.
Spec 2019 will conclude with Munroe of xkcd joining the “voice of Slack,” Anna Pickard, Head of Brand Communications, in a conversation about creativity, curiosity and the value in asking big — even absurd — questions. We’re pretty sure you’ll leave feeling inspired to keep asking them.
Register for Spec 2019
This is just a small sampling of what we have in store; check out the full agenda. Early bird pricing ends Sept. 20, so make sure to register soon to take advantage.
