An Event Apart Seattle 2009

Welcome to An Event Apart Seattle 2009, two days of peace, love, design, code, and content. The schedule for both days is available below.

Download speaker presentations from the secret URL posted between sessions. The AEA 2009 Playlist, heard between sessions, is available on iLike.com. Photo fans, join our Flickr group. Thanks for coming! Have fun.

Monday, May 4

1. 8:30am–9:30am

   A Site Redesign, Part 1

   

   Jeffrey Zeldman, Author, Designing With Web Standards, 2nd Ed.

   When and why should you redesign? How can you change the way a site looks, while preserving the way its brand feels? How can “listening to your content” help you retool a design to more effectively (and more excitingly) meet your users’ needs? To uncover these lessons and more, Zeldman will review the thinking behind his recent redesign of a site you know well.

2. 9:45am–10:45am

   A Site Redesign, Part 2

   

   Eric Meyer, Author, CSS: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Ed.

   Master of the CSS universe Eric Meyer, who coded the site Zeldman redesigned, will reveal the semantic experience behind the user experience, and the code tricks that make difficult multiple columns and overlapping content work smoothly and easily across browsers and platforms.

3. 11:00am–12:00pm

   Comps vs. Code: Couples’ Therapy

   

   Ethan Marcotte, Co-author, Web Standards Creativity

   High-end design. Standards-compliant code. Doesn’t exactly sound like a match made in heaven, does it? We’ll look at high-profile brands, and discuss the intersection of quality code with top-notch art direction. Developers will learn strategies to achieve that extra level of “bulletproofing” in their templates; designers will pick up tips on how to better convey creative requirements to coders.

4. 12:15pm–1:15pm

   Web Form Design in Action

   

   Luke Wroblewski, Author, Web Form Design

   Building on topics in his top-selling book, Luke will illustrate how to apply design best practices to redesign crucial web forms. He’ll also outline how gradual engagement approaches to form design can create compelling new user experiences for a wide variety of web applications and services.

5. 1:15pm–2:30pm: LUNCH

6. 2:30pm–3:30pm

   Whuffie-Rich Design

   

   Tara Hunt, Author, The Whuffie Factor

   What makes for a website or product that people love so much they want to tell everyone about it? It’s the same principle that grows word of mouth everywhere: social capital, or as Cory Doctorow calls it, “Whuffie.” Learn to create amazing customer experiences that raise Whuffie, studying examples from beloved products and websites to understand how to integrate these lessons into what you design.

7. 3:45pm–4:45pm

   Content First

   

   Kristina Halvorson, Founder and President, Brain Traffic

   11th hour copy. Fix-it-later launches. Our users deserve more than the last-minute content we often get stuck with. And you have the power to change the game. Learn how to introduce (and sell) content strategy into your web design process.

8. 5:00pm–6:00pm

   Revealing Design Treasures from The Amazon

   

   Jared Spool, Founding Principal, User Interface Engineering

   Amazon.com isn’t flashy, but its pages hide secrets every designer should know about. In this entertaining presentation, Jared will share some of UIE’s latest research into the hidden treasures of (the) Amazon. Learn the simple yes/no question that increased revenues by more than $1 billion, the subtlety of Amazon’s security system, the hidden aspects of its business model (and why designers need to care), and more.

9. 7:00pm–?pm

   Opening Night Party

   Sponsored by (mt) Media Temple

   Pike Pub and Brewery
   1415 1st Ave (at Union Street)
   Seattle, WA 98101

   Since 1989. Showcase for the great Northwest brewing company. Local, seasonal pub fare includes fresh mussels and clams, hand crafted bratwurst with Chef Gary’s Washington State apple sauerkraut, artisan cheese, smoked salmon, local wines, beer to go, and gifts. “Best local bar and pub.”—Where Magazine, 2006

Tuesday, May 5

1. 7:45am–8:15am

   Beyond Pixel Pushing: 3 Steps to Better Websites and Happier Clients

   

   Brett Welch

   Sponsored by: GoodBarry

   Many web designers find themselves frustrated with the overreaching demands of clients as technology improves. But the question is: are clients being unrealistic, or are you unprepared? The answer lies in the middle; the “new web” requires you to go beyond pushing pixels and lead your client to the promised land. Learn a simple process to working effectively with your clients that helps you build effective and future-proof websites that clients will love.

2. 8:30am–9:30am

   The Survey, Year Two

   

   Jeffrey Zeldman and Eric Meyer

   Web design is practically the only business in the global economy that is still going strong. Yet, as in years past, not much is known about web designers and developers except what we find out for ourselves. Get the highlights from the second A List Apart survey for people who make websites. Then learn how Eric created hot-looking charts and graphs using nothing more than accessible, semantic XHTML, clever CSS, and the occasional line of JavaScript.

3. 9:45am–10:45am

   Change the World (Wide Web)?

   

   Scott Thomas, AKA SimpleScott, Design Director, Obama for America

   The web has accelerated our communications, made the daily grind more efficient, and allowed each of us to have a voice, but how will it change our politics, make our society more efficient, create a better world for us and our children? It will be our generation’s responsibility and opportunity to design a web that no longer traps us, but frees us to pursue the highest form of happiness.

4. 11:00am–12:00pm

   The Wisdom of Communities

   

   Derek Powazek, Author, Design for Community: The Art of Connecting Real People in Virtual Places

   The web’s greatest gift is that it gives everyone a voice, but how you design and manage community features will determine if you get a chorus or a cacophony. Get practical tips and tricks for how to create positive participation on your site.

5. 12:15pm–1:15pm

   Findability Bliss Through Web Standards

   

   Aarron Walter, Author, Building Findable Websites: Web Standards, SEO, and Beyond

   Connecting with your audience is objective number one for any website. Findability—the discipline of helping users discover the content they seek—not only helps businesses get their message out, but it improves the user experience, too. The secret to attaining findability bliss, both with search engines and beyond, lies in the wisdom of web standards.

6. 1:15pm–2:30pm: LUNCH

7. 2:30pm–3:30pm

   Designing Virtual Realism

   

   Dan Rubin, Co-author, Web Standards Creativity

   The real world is rarely flat and devoid of texture, yet our virtual designs often do little to mirror what lies beyond the monitor. Tasteful use of lighting, shadows, gradients, and more traditional arts such as photography, oil, water color, pencil and charcoal can help us mimic the world around us. Learn to use and create realistic textures and media, and make your designs leap off the screen.

8. 3:45pm–4:45pm

   On-the-Spot Usability Reviews

   

   Robert Hoekman, Jr., Author, Designing the Obvious

   Get ready for slam-bang action as Robert performs on-the-spot usability reviews of sites submitted by our live audience on the fly. It’s a ton of fun, with loads of audience participation—and you leave with great ideas on how to improve your own site.

9. 5:00pm–6:00pm

   Implementing Design: Bulletproof A–Z

   

   Dan Cederholm, Author, Bulletproof Web Design

   As the browser landscape changes, so does our approach to implementing flexible design. Learn 26 ways to help your interfaces become more adaptable, worry-free, and bulletproof.