Notes from An Event Apart, Washington DC

I had the good fortune this week to attend the storied An Event Apart conference for the first time. This Washington DC installment was a welcome glimpse at what I'm getting myself into when I join the Event Apart show in Atlanta in February. Lordy, what a smart crew both onstage and in the audience.

I took a slew of notes via the Twitters, but given the ephemeral nature of that particular channel, I figured I'd collect 'em here to share. Herewith, a few of the gems spilling from the lips of some of the best thinkers in our industry.

Jeffrey Zeldman, "Content First!"

Standards stalwart and web godfather Jeffrey Zeldman kicked off this hootenanny, setting the stage for the next two days with a content-focused overview of current challenges facing web builders. Specifically, he argued (and I couldn't agree more) that designers have less control than ever over our audience's visual experience. Among other things, he explored how a mobile (or small screen) strategy can help improve content, rethink the web experience, and put the user first.

My notes on Jeffrey's talk, "Content First!" (19 tweets)

Jeremy Keith, "Design Principles"

Big thinker Jeremy Keith revealed the big principles behind the web and nudged us all to be explicit about the big principles behind our own projects. A project's goals, he explained, shape its design principles which in turn determine the form of the design that emerges. Along the way, Jeremy also announced that his excellent book HTML5 for Web Designers is now available for free on the web.

My notes on Jeremy's talk, "Design Patterns" (20 tweets)

Andy Budd, "Persuasive Web Design"

Interaction designer Andy Budd got inside our heads with a look at how marketers deploy cognitive psychology to subtly persuade us in contexts as varied as the casino and the supermarket. Andy explained how we can make use of those gentle cues to coax web audiences, too, not as tricky manipulation but to help people make choices in their own interest.

My notes on Andy's talk, "Persuasive Web Design" (15 tweets)

Luke Wroblewski, "Mobile Web Design Moves"

Mobile design guru and smartypants entrepreneur Luke Wroblewski taught us some new dance moves (Thriller!) and more than a few new gyrations for the mobile-web disco, too. Luke offered a data-rich explanation of why mobile is important now (and why it's not just native apps). He looked at new design patterns that depart from desktop norms and closed with a call to action to push our interfaces into new frontiers.

My notes on Luke's talk, "Mobile Web Design Moves" (25 tweets)

Karen McGrane, "Adapting Ourselves to Adaptive Content"

Content strategist and information architect Karen McGrane gave a barnstormer of a talk about how this emerging era of a jillion connected devices requires more than new design techniques; we have to create, organize, and store content in new ways, too. She took a hard look at the publishing industry with case studies showing what's working and what's not. What worked for the desktop web simply won't work for mobile, Karen argued. As our design and development processes evolve, our content workflow has to keep up.

My notes on Karen's talk, "Adapting Ourselves to Adaptive Content" (49 tweets)

Ethan Marcotte, "The Responsive Designer's Workflow"

Mr. Responsive Web Design (and dapper dresser) Ethan Marcotte spilled the details on what went into designing the new Boston Globe website, which looks great on devices ranging from the fanciest phones to a 15-year-old Apple Newton. Ethan covered how the team adapted the design process itself then dove into the nitty-gritty of how the site is built: flexible grid, flexible images, and media queries to target common device sizes.

My notes on Ethan's talk, "The Responsive Designer's Workflow" (20 tweets)

Aarron Walter, "Idea to Interface"

Just about every person in the Event Apart audience makes stuff for a living. Professional makers. So it might seem a little counter-intuitive that UX designer Aarron Walter took the stage to coax us to just please make something. The difference: Aarron wants us to make things for ourselves, and urged managers to give employees room to do it. When you're working for the man, Aaron said, it's hard to find time to make something fun for yourself. You've got ideas swimming around in your head for your next website or app, but translating abstract thoughts into a usable, successful interface is no easy task. Aarron talked up the whys and hows of getting independent projects off the ground. Put that taco down, and work on those ideas.

My notes on Aarron's talk, "Idea to Interface" (16 tweets)

Andy Clarke, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"

CSS3 ain't just drop shadows and rounded corners. That stuff can dance. Hard-boiled CSS slinger Andy "Malarkey" Clarke showed off spiffy films, games, and animations made with nothing but HTML, CSS, and a few whiffs of JavaScript. The lesson: CSS can make animations that give Flash a run for its money. Andy used the remarkable CSS-powered Madmanimation, a recreation of the Mad Men opening sequence, as the working example, walking through the code for the whole thing.

My notes on Andy's talk, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (11 tweets)

Kristina Halvorson, "A Content Strategy Roadmap"

Content strategy maven Kristina Halvorson was wearing boots made for talkin'. She surveyed the workflow process for making sure that great content is at the center of your design. It's more than just writing, Kristina said, it's wrangling. She covered topics from content audits to style guides to editorial calendars and more.

My notes on Kristina's talk, "A Content Strategy Roadmap" (16 tweets)

Jared Spool, "The Secret Life of Links"

You think you know your links, don't you? You don't know 'em the way Jared Spool knows 'em. (For that matter, you don't know Beyonce dance moves the way Jared knows 'em, another tale entirely.) Jared took up the content, design, and placement of links that create a strong "information scent" for users to follow to their desired destination. Links never smelled so good.

My notes on Jared's talk, "The Secret Life of Links" (11 tweets)

I regret that early-morning phone calls and emails meant that I missed the CSS wizardry of Eric Meyer and the UX principles of Whitney Hess. Bummed.

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