Second day of my conference notes for the UPA. May 27, 2010 in Munich.

1. UPA 2010 CONFERENCE
DAY 2: MAY 27
CHRISTINA YORK’S NOTES, THOUGHTS, AND TAKEAWAYS
DISCLAIMER:
THESE WERE NOTES TAKEN QUICKLY DURING CONFERENCE SESSIONS.
I DID NOT ALWAYS DISTINGUISH WHO SAID WHAT.
I AM NOT TRYING TO STEAL SOMEONE’S THUNDER OR CONTENT.
I AM TRYING TO SHARE THE IDEAS PRESENTED, THE IDEAS I HAD, AND THE
EXPERIENCE OF THE CONFERENCE WITH THOSE WHO COULDN’T ATTEND.
MUNICH, GERMANY

2. ETHNOGRAPHY 101:
USABILITY EN PLEIN AIR
PAUL BRYAN (90 MIN)
“STUDYING USERS IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IS
KEY TO DESIGNING INNOVATIVE, BREAK-THROUGH WEB
SITES RATHER THAN INCREMENTALLY IMPROVING
EXISTING DESIGNS.”

3. FULL HOUSE IN A NOISY ROOM, BUT PAUL WAS
POISED, PROFESSIONAL AND UNFRAZZLED.
HE IS CLEARLY A DEEP EXPERT AND HANDLED
QUESTIONS WELL. I WAS IMPRESSED THAT HE
TOOK A LARGE GROUP AND DID A PLANNING
EXERCISE WITH US (WHERE WE PLANNED AN
ETHNOGRAPHY TOGETHER). EVEN MORE
IMPRESSIVE WAS THE LENGTHS THAT HE WENT TO
IN ORDER TO PROVIDE US WITH VIDEO EXAMPLES, :
HE HAD HIS TEAM PERFORM A SAMPLE “VIDEO SHOP
ALONG” ETHNOGRAPHY FOR US. THANKS, PAUL!
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4. 2 OF 2

5. CULTURE: YOU’RE SOAKING IN IT
STEVE PORTIGAL (90 MIN)
“CULTURE IS EVERYWHERE WE LOOK, AND (PERHAPS
MORE IMPORTANTLY) EVERYWHERE WE DON’T LOOK. IT
INFORMS OUR WORK, OUR PURCHASES, OUR USAGE,
OUR EXPECTATIONS, OUR COMFORT, AND OUR
COMMUNICATIONS.”

6. THIS WAS THE PERFECT COMPLEMENT TO RACHEL
HINMAN’S OPENING KEYNOTE. STEVE
ENTHUSIASTICALLY DIVES DEEPER INTO CULTURAL
CLUES, CUES AND GAPS THAT IMPACT OUR WORK
AND OUR OWN EXPERIENCES IN THIS WORLD.
IN THIS SESSION I SAT AT THE FRONT, WHICH I
USUALLY DON’T DO (I LIKE TO OBSERVE THE ENTIRE
ROOM). HOWEVER, I AM A FAN OF STEVE’S AND
WAS LIKE A GROUPIE IN THE FRONT ROW. HOW
EMBARRASSING. BUT CAROL SAT NEXT TO ME,
AND I FELT BETTER ABOUT MYSELF.
STEVE DELIVERED AN IMPASSIONED TALK AND
ENGAGED AN AUDIENCE THAT RICHLY
REPRESENTED THE CULTURES PRESENT AT THIS
CONFERENCE.
THE GROUP DISCUSSION WAS AS RICH AS THE
PRESENTATION AND I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT
STEVE’S FOCUS WAS TO GIVE US SOMETHING TO
THINK ABOUT AND NOT TRY TO GROUND
EVERYTHING IN APPLICATION.
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7. 2 OF 3

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9. COMBINING METHODS: WEB
ANALYTICS AND USER TESTING
MARTJIN KLOMPENHOUWER & ADAM COX (40 MIN)
“WE WILL EXPLAIN HOW AND WHY YOU SHOULD USE
WEB ANALYTICS DATA IN THE USER TESTING PROCESS.
THE PRESENTATION WILL FOCUS ON PRACTICAL
EXAMPLES, SHOWING HOW ACTUAL PROJECT BENEFITED
FROM USING QUANTITATIVE DATA.”

10. AFTER LUNCH IS ALWAYS A TOUGH TIME SLOT:
PEOPLE ARE LATE AND SLEEPY AFTER A HEAVY
BAVARIAN MEAL. THIS ROOM WAS PACKED AND I
HAD TO SIT ON THE WINDOW SILL BEHIND A GIANT
PILLAR.
THE PRESENTERS WERE WELL-ORGANIZED AND
PRESENTED THEIR TOPIC LIKE A DIALOGUE: THEY
WOULD WALK THROUGH A CASE STUDY IN THE
WAY THEY WORKED TOGETHER, FIRST ONE
FRAMING THE PROBLEM AND THEN THE OTHER
PICKING UP WHEN IT GOT TO THEIR PART IN THE
WORKFLOW.
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11. MAKING ICONS MAKE SENSE: SOLVING
SYMBOLS FOR GLOBAL AUDIENCES
PATRICK HOFMANN (40 MIN)
“IN MY EFFORTS TO SYMBOLISE ACTIONS, CATEGORIES,
AND PLACES FOR GLOBAL PRODUCTS LIKE GOOGLE
MAPS, I’VE ENCOUNTERED NEW CHALLENGES IN
CREATING SINGLE ICONS THAT WORK FOR THE ENTIRE
PLANET. WITNESS THE SURPRISING REACTIONS OF
VARIOUS CULTURES AND AGE GROUPS ON THESE ICONS,
AND HEAR NEW IDEAS MOVING FORWARD.”

12. PATRICK IS A DYNAMO, HOLDING THE ATTENTION
OF A PACKED AND HOT ROOM, EVEN GETTING THEM
TO LAUGH! HE EXUDES LOVE FOR HIS WORK AND
REALLY GAVE US A GLIMPSE INTO HIS
PROFESSIONAL LIFE, INCLUDING HIS CHALLENGES
AND FAILURES. I FELT HE WAS HUMAN AND I
RELATED TO THE COMEDY THAT DESIGN CAN BE.
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13. PATRICK AS HE IS DEMONSTRATING “VISUAL
NOISE” IN AN ICON. I LIKE THIS PICTURE BECAUSE
THERE IS A MAN, A MAN’S SHADOW, AND ICONS OF
“MEN” ALL ON SCREEN. I REALLY HOPE HE DOESN’T
MIND THAT THIS PICTURE IS “OUT THERE”...
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14. GREAT DINNER AND AWARDS CEREMONY!
TWO MOMENTS OF GREAT IMPACT:
1. HEARING HOW MANY COUNTRIES WERE PRESENT AND THAT NO ONE COUNTRY
REPRESENTED MORE THAN 40% OF ATTENDEES. BEST BALANCED CONFERENCE YET.
2. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: HOW COULD ANYONE LET JAKOB IN THEIR BED???
OK, SO SHE WASN’T IN IT AT THE TIME...BUT SERIOUSLY, I ADMIRE THE HELL OUT OF
MARILYN TREMAINE.
I ALSO APPRECIATE THE HELL OUT OF THE UPA COMMITTEES AND CHAIRS WHO MADE
THIS HAPPEN. THANKS, GUYS.
DON’T FORGET THE VOLUNTEERS!
DAY 2 COMPLETE.
FELT LIKE A FAIRY TALE...