planning for wednesday: speaker veronica erb (EightShapes)

[Thom Haller]

Planning for Wednesday

• Let's plan to spend time thinking about where we've experienced value in class...  Plan to tell us about "what sticks" from last class AND "what sticks" from the time we've spent together.

Our Speaker

For Week 7, we'll work with Veronica Erb (EightShapes). 

We envision a 40 min design patterns lecture/activity (including brief navigation exploration), 15 min break, 40 min sketching lecture/activity, 25 min prototyping and Q & A.   (We had also hoped to hear from her colleague James Melzer, but James is unable to join us.)  I think you'll find Veronica will provide new perspectives on patterned thinking and value of sketching.  

Veronica's bio:

Before joining EightShapes, Veronica brought user-centered design best practices to her team at AED, in addition to writing front-end code for their web portals. In her largest project, a USAID-funded program, she and three design volunteers visited teacher training schools in Rwanda. Their research investigated how teachers prepared and taught classes, and how a website could best fulfill teachers’ needs.

A fan of the DC UX community, Veronica enjoys attending local events. She has also had the pleasure of contributing to the local and national UX community with presentations sharing her Rwandan experiences and her sketchnoting skills.

Veronica graduated with a BA in Art from Grinnell College with a focus on printmaking. Through her position at the college helpdesk, Veronica practiced observing, soothing, and helping users—which proved to be the soft launch of her UX career.

When not living in the world of user experience, Veronica plays ukulele, dances Balboa and Lindy Hop, and hangs out in Washington, DC.


Veronica's Presentations & Workshops:

• How and Why to Start Sketchnoting <http://uxweek.com/2012/speakers/veronica-erb/> , UX Week 2012, San Francisco, CA, August 2012
• Let's Sketchnote! (Workshop) <http://verbistheword.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/lets-sketchnote-at-midwestux-2012/> with Binaebi Akah and Charlene McBride, Midwest UX 2012, Columbus, OH, May 2012
• Why and How to Start Sketchnoting <http://2012.iasummit.org/schedule/why_and_how_to_start_sketchnoting.html> , IA Summit 2012, New Orleans, LA, March 2012
• UX Research in the Real World, <http://www.slideshare.net/veronicaerb/ux-research-in-the-real-world-stories-from-rwanda-big-redux-2011> 2011 Big Redux, Washington, DC, April 2011
• UX Research in the Real World <http://www.slideshare.net/veronicaerb/ux-research-in-the-real-world-stories-from-rwanda> , Midwest UX 2011, Columbus, OH, April 2011

V-Erb's Posters & Podcasts:

• Sketching Out a Greater Understanding <http://johnnyholland.org/radio-johnny/sketching-out-a-greater-understanding/> , Radio Johnny, September 2012
• UX Research in the Real World: Stories from Rwanda <http://veronicaerb.com/folio/IASummitPoster.pdf> , IA Summit 2011, Denver, CO, April 2011