WWDC/Layers 2016
Being part of the design/software/tech industry for the last 6 years has been interesting. The speed at which software has evolved, and the capabilities of the devices that run it, is a little mind bending*. Both hardware and software are on a constant track of evolution with competing vendors defining new modes of interaction and influencing the way that we as designers consider how best to connect and present them.
Since the initial release of smart phones/devices there are now only two key vendors, Apple and Google, that are shaping the industry. Each year they present their vision of the future via a rallying keynote presentation followed by a number of days of talks and presentations to enable those who work in the industry to get up to speed.
It’s a defining week for all involved and a constant flurry of excitement and inspiration. For me it’s been really interesting to observe it all from back over the UK and then for the last couple of years be lucky enough to experience Apples WWDC first hand in San Francisco. Watching it unfold from these two different vantage points is subtlety different (I’m still watching a keynote on a screen with a bunch of other designers and developers it’s just in the morning rather than the evening) but what I’ve found is that being here significantly amplifies your excitement for what is being showcased.
Spending time in the city you get a sense of a real infectious nerdy buzz about the place. Everyone is walking around with their names badges and special jackets talking about playgrounds, sassy assistants and emojification. This doesn’t really travel well across the Atlantic. Unless you are here to experience it and see it first hand you just get by on what you observe online.
And while the announcements will significantly impact on the work of designers, they are almost all targeted directly at Developers. There was even a big slide this year that said as much. So while you can be here and bask in all the new technological nerdy glory you really need to seek out like minded designers to discuss and chew over what the next 12 months looks like. While you might debate the roundness of a roundrect or the or boldness of a font there is also warranted discussion on how you will take on the challenges of not only implementing these new exciting capabilities but also, if you are like me, how best to encourage their adoption to the clients and partners you work for.
That kind of discussion requires a much broader perspective on the industry and requires you to zoom out and look beyond a discrete set of functionality. It requires you to seek creativity in your approach and process. You need deepen your understanding of how people use technology now and how they might do so in the future.
That’s why it’s great to have a conference like Layers happening the same week that WWDC is on. It’s a single track (not single snack) design conference for the Mac and iOS community that happens just a few blocks away from Moscone West, the week long epicentre of all things WWDC.
In its second year their aim is to encourage talk about design and celebrate the industry we work in. They see it as a party, but for learning and having gone last year I’d tend to agree. It’s not a response to WWDC, a break down of what was announced or debate on its impact. Instead it’s a diverse line up of speakers, makers, and creative professionals interwoven who, along with with entertainment and obsessively curated snacks, hope to expand your thinking and add weight to your discussions around design in the future.
It’s audience is equally diverse and I’m hoping to be just as inspired as I was last year, have more of the same great conversations as well as reconnect with people I’ve been confined to communicating with online.
Time to roll!
* I worked for 10 years prior in the web industry and while it did evolve in the that time period it was at a snails pace in comparison. Today it moves a lot faster but still trails behind the wider software/tech space.
