Web Directions Year round learning for product, design and engineering professionals

Literally as Web Directions 2015 was taking place, a controversy blew up around the legendary SxSW conference, and two of the selected panels for the 2016 conference focusing on the issue of ‘gamergate‘.

It certainly generated a lot of comment on places like Twitter, and so much interest that the venerable Slate magazine ran a piece called “I Was on One of Those Canceled SXSW Panels“, by Caroline Sinders. While reading it, I noted in particular this observation of hers,

For our panel submission to SXSW, my co-organizers and I created an in-depth design discussion on how to stymie online harassment through design: new kinds of layout, buttons, privacy settings, different posting options. We wanted to cover a certain kind of “design thinking” methodology—design thinking is the specific rationale that goes into creating something such as, for example, a mobile application. We didn’t want to talk about Gamergate. We wanted to talk about design, and particularly design around solutions for harassment.

This idea, that the sorts of online interaction models we’ve been “designing” (I use the shudder quotes since we often don’t design these things at all, we simply use existing “tried and true” patterns of online interaction without giving it a second thought) for years–commenting, avatars, forums, upvoting and downvoting, rating–struck me as an ideal presentation for Direction.

It’s driven by ideas and deep thinking. It challenges long held preconceptions about the ‘right’ way to do things. And whatever the role of someone watching, there’d be actionable take aways.

Social interactions are the lifeblood of many many sites, and yet, present such challenges that even such institutions as NPR (the National Public Radio network in the US) are simply abandoning comments. NPR the month before comments were turned off had nearly half a millions comments at the site. And yet they were turned off. Why? In writing to explain the decision, NPR ombudsman Elizabeth Jensen observed,

The number of complaints to NPR about the current comment system has been growing—complaints that comments were censored by the outside moderators, and that commenters were behaving inappropriately and harassing other commenters.

So, having decided this would be an ideal presentation, I connected with Caroline (this in general is becoming harder than it once was, as fewer and fewer people have their own web sites, and publicly available email addresses. I’ve probably done everything other than use carrier pigeons to make initial contact with speakers over the years).

I sent details of my thoughts around a session based on her ideas, and what we could offer to hopefully going her to Australia and speak on this topic. We emailed a number of times, and have spoken on Skype at least a couple as well, to help Caroline understand the audience, and event, and to refine the idea.

You’ll see the resulting presentation, Designing Civility, at Direction 16.

Now, not every presentation has quite the same story, but many do. As I mentioned, we really do invest in the program, and unique content and ideas, to ensure it is a great investment for you.

From AV and VR to the future of Web design, A/B testing to AI and chatbots, CX to content design, Direction will cover the what, and how, but most importantly the why of creating great digital experiences.

Come and join us.