SXSW is just around the corner! As SXSWi veterans and Austin locals, we’ve got some great recommendations.
Happy Hours & Meet Ups
Integrating Design into the Agile Development Process
Thursday, March 12
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Searsucker Austin
Eureka Software is hosting a SXSW happy hour and roundtable discussion. We’ll talk through our approach, hurdles we face, lessons we’ve learned, and priorities to keep in mind when the goal is to ship a well-designed, highly usable product. Space is limited. RSVP is required to guarantee a spot at our roundtable. Click here to request an invitation.
Keynotes, Panels, and Sessions
UX and The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
Friday, March 13
3:30 – 4:30 pm
JW Marriott Salon A
Laura Blanchard and Jeff Alpen of Blink UX, a user experience research and design company based in Seattle, will lead a case-study conversation on user experience (UX) and MetaUX, discussing observer bias and effect, the Witness Effect, and how to use these tools to your advantage. This session is advanced and a great fit for those experienced designers and developers who’d like to expand their knowledge of UX design.
Virtual Function, Physical Interface
Friday, March 13
3:30 – 3:45 pm
Austin Convention Center Ballroom B
Spend 15 minutes with Patrick Mankins (designer at Artefact in Seattle) where he presents the problem with our current symbolic representations as icons (ex. the floppy disk signifying ‘save’) that are based on obsolete technologies. “As digital technology replaces the mechanisms physical interfaces were once based on, how can we create interfaces that help people understand how to interact with the functions they control?”
Applied Improv: Change The Way You Look at Work
Friday, March 13
3:30 – 6:00 pm
JW Marriott Salon F
Michael Jastroch (Director of ColdTowne Theater) and Rachel Madorsky (a Second City alum and performer/teacher at ColdTowne Theater) will be leading a workshop on how to apply improv skills in the workplace. While this workshop will not turn you into the next Stephen Colbert or Tina Fey, it may just give you the skills and confidence to pursue that management position you’ve been eyeing.
Well-Designed: Creating Empathy-Driven Products
Friday, March 13
5:00 – 6:00 pm
JW Marriott Salon A
Jon Kolko, VP of Consumer Design at Blackboard, will present his empathy-driven design process to build useful products that people love. The SXSW schedule writers, “The key is empathy-driven design thinking, using a process of storytelling and iteration, with results that provoke emotion, change behavior, and create deep engagement.”
What It Really Takes to Win in Business
Saturday, March 14
3:30 – 4:30 pm
Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5
I think this description says it all: “To win in business, you need to fight. Catch two business heavyweights in a no-holds-barred Q&A session featuring legendary business leader and former GE CEO Jack Welch and rogue entrepreneur and venture capitalist Gary Vaynerchuk.” Best-selling author Suzy Welch will moderate the Q&A. Start thinking of questions to ask the duo.
User Experience Design Shaping Our World
Saturday, March 14
5:00 – 6:00 pm
JW Marriott Salon 5-6
Cultural anthropologists Genevieve Bell (Intel Labs) and Mimi Ito (UC Irvine) will discuss how technology being present in our everyday lives impacts our society. Bell is a featured speaker for SXStyle.
Even Hardware is All About the Software
Sunday, March 15
12:30 – 1:30 pm
JW Marriott Room 210
“Hardware success is often short lived, but software can create consumer relationships that can last beyond a company’s first great product. Software is what the consumer experiences between different versions and platforms of hardware products.” Dylan Boyd and Nick Coronges of R/GA will discuss the importance of the software-hardware relationship.
Fixing Transportation with Humanity and Technology
Sunday, March 15
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5
Logan Green (Lyft CEO/Co-founder) sits down with Doug MacMillan (Wall Street Journal Reporter) to discuss the future of ride-sharing and tech and the impacts they have in our local communities and economies.
A New Generation: Creativity and Open Source
Sunday, March 15
3:30 – 4:30 pm
JW Marriott Salon 3
Matt Mullenweg and a special guest will sit down to discuss their creative process, focusing on open source software and music platforms. The panel is describes open source as exemplifying “the free thinker perspective that many artists have, and enables artists to be in control their online world.” Matt Mullenweg is the co-founder of WordPress and the founder & CEO of Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and Jetpack.
We’re All ADHD: Social Media and Attention Disorders
Sunday, March 15
5:00 – 6:00 pm
JW Marriott Salon 7
Is social media making us all ADHD? Lizz Pietrus (Associate Director of Mobile and Social Platforms) and Michael Pietrus PhysD (University of Chicago) team up to discuss social media and its effects on our health and ability to focus.
The VEEP Speaks
Monday, March 16
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Austin Convention Center Ballroom D
Julia Louis-Dreyfus will sit down with Anne Fulenwider (Editor in Chief of Marie Claire) to have an uncensored discussion about comedy, politics, Seinfeld, Veep, and more. Matt Walsh and Timothy Simons will also be in attendance.
ATI Fast Pitch
Monday, March 16
9:30 – 10:30 am
Hilton Austin Downtown Salon K
The Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) presents the Austin Startup Fast Pitch featuring local startups competing in front of venture capitalists and the SXSW audience.
Leading the Startup UX from 0 to 100 Days
Monday, March 16
9:30 am – 10:30 am
JW Marriott Salon C
Uday Gajendar, Director of UX at CloudPhysics, went from being a principal UX designer for corporate to Director of UX at a startup. He shares his story of working in a brand new environment with lean and agile design principles.
$1 Prototype: Modern Approach to Mobile UX Design
Tuesday, March 17
9:30 am – 1:30 pm
JW Marriott Salon F
This workshop will provide expert advice for Android Material Design and iOS7. Sign up in advance to guarantee your spot. The workshop is advanced. Expect to learn the $1 prototype method and walk away with wireframes at the end of the class. Be sure to look at the description for prerequisite requirements and supplies needed.
Learn to Embrace Your Immutable Servers
Tuesday, March 17
9:30 – 10:30 am
JW Marriott Salon A
“A senior-level developer specialized in enterprise-scale software development tools will share his experience implementing continuous delivery within his engineering organization using state of the art tools while discussing the benefits (including real performance numbers), as well as the technical and cultural challenges.” Nikhil Vaze is a Senior Software Engineer at Electric Cloud.
Moonshots and Reality
Tuesday, March 17
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5
If you’re interested in futuristic tech, this keynote is just for you. Google[x] is Google’s semi-secret lab dedicated to making science-fiction-like technological advancements. Astro Teller (Captain of Moonshots) will share stories and lessons from Project Loon, the self-driving car, and more.
SEE ALSO: Eureka’s Guide to SXSW Interactive 2015: Part 2
