Speaking
In the last 10 years, I've shared my interests in User Experience and Information Design with both academic and industry audiences. The following are selected talks from the last few years ranging in topics from rhetorical theory to UX process.
Storytelling for Alignment - 11.2023
This talk discussed the user storymapping methodology for helping product teams build the right thing, for the audience, at the right time. Using Jeff Patton’s User Storymapping as a reference point, this HubSpot product conference presentation not only broke down the methodology but ideated on the many ways this technique can be integral to a team’s planning and iteration.
API Products and the Role of UX - 02.2019
This talk discussed the crucial role of UX design in the development of API Products. I covered API basics and discussed best practices for API ecosystem design. The talk concluded with a look toward the future of leveraging the API economy to build ecosystems instead of software.
Your Biggest Problem is the Problem - 02.2018
In this talk, I focused on what I believe is the most important aspect of user experience design, the problem itself. I discussed common pitfalls in problem definition and shared activities designers and teams can utilize to ensure they are defining and solving the <em>right</em> problems before executing on any of the work.
Architecting the Onboarding Experience - 02.2016
This talk aggregated best practices from both my design process and a number of leading sources on the onboarding experience to discuss archetypical touchpoints all designers should be aware of when designing the progressive onboarding experience.
Intro to Affinity Diagramming - 11.2015
This talk was given to the Central Iowa Experiencing UX Meetup as an introduction to high-speed ideation. I discussed different ways product teams could use timeboxed affinity diagramming for idea generation and concept prioritization.
New Media Design and the Problem of Ease - 01.2014
Abstract: “In the decade independent web developers and open-source communities have created tools such as front-end development frameworks and plugins to aid fellow web developers in the rapid design and deployment of web applications. While using these tools is in the interest of efficiency, novice developers risk relying too heavily on the prefabricated components built by others, ceding agency and context-based decision making to the developers responsible for the tools. Public discussions among industry professionals have shown growing concern regarding the problems that arise from the non-rhetorical use of popular frameworks such as Twitter Bootstrap. This presentation addresses the problem of ‘extreme usability’ (Dilger 2007) in web development practice and considers how ancient and modern rhetorics theorize the concepts of propriety and use in ways that can guide the deployment of development tools. The presentation concludes by discussing the implications that tool-based decision-making has on new media design within the humanities.”
Other Relevant Speaking
“Making a Career in User Experience Design,” Society for Technical Communication Meeting, Ames, IA, November 19, 2024
“Should I Stay or Should I Go?: Choosing Between Academic and Non-Academic Careers,” Rhetoric and Professional Communication Colloquium Series, Ames, IA, November 16, 2016
“How the Humanities Took Me from Here to Here,” Data Culture lecture series, Decorah, IA, February 24, 2016
“Cultivating Professionalism Through Locally Grown Tools,” 2014 Conference for the Council of Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication, Colorado Springs, CO, September 25-27, 2014
“Rethinking Praxis in the Technology Age,” 2013 Conference of the Association of Business Communication, New Orleans, LA, October. 25, 2013
“Development Frameworks as Commonplace(s),” 2012 ACM Special Interest Group on Design of Communication , Seattle, WA, Oct 3-5, 2012