I have notes from Webstock 2014. Being the chronic doodler and note-taker that I am, I have pages and pages of scribble and jots and doodles. Here are a few, with more (and maybe more detail?) to come - recorded for my benefit but maybe you’ll find a tid bit or two too. 

Scott Berkun

Scott is an author who looked at his job at Automatic (Wordpress) as a writing assignment. His talk was titled THE FUTURE OF WORK. Hired to head a team in a company which had never had them before, Scott wondered what his role needed to be. He decided that his best first step would be to bring clarity and trust to his relationship with his team. To do that, he looked at what he did best, what he brought to the equation. He became the team’s scribe.

A few notes from Scott Berkun’s talk at Webstock 2014

Aarron Walter

Aarron says he strives to make software more human. He currently works as Director of User Experience at Mailchimp. His talk was entitled CONNECTED UX. He talked about how we soak up so much information but when we come to retrieve it, it’s gone or we’ve forgotten it or we just can’t get at it in any useful or meaningful way. He talked through how he used feedback users sent his as the basis of an Evernote database of information with email as the API. It’s so great when speakers can share their real world thoughts and processes to solving problems and finding value.

A few notes from Aarron Walter’s talk at Webstock 2014

Dan Saffer

At Smart Design, Dan is one of the directors of the interaction design practice, leading and advising teams to create new interaction paradigms across a wide range of products, spanning both digital and physical. He came to Webstock and talked to us about microinteractions. The small, invisible details that do one thing very well, and can delight or distress us when using software. He urged us to focus on the details that delight.

A few notes from Dan Saffer’s talk at Webstock 2014

Erika Hall

During Erika’s dayjob, she talks about cross-disciplinary collaboration and the importance of natural language in user interfaces. She’s recently written a brilliant Book Apart edition about Research. She talked about getting blasted with “data exhaust” and about how important it is to understand the context of data.

A few notes from Erika Hall’s talk at Webstock 2014

Josh Clark

Josh is a designer who specialises in multi-device design, strategy, and user experience. His enthusiasm is evident and his imagination something to behold. His talk was entitled MIND THE GAP and he wanted us to think about how devices work together; about the ‘magic’ that lies between devices. He said the problem with the gap between devices isn’t a technical one and that we need to sync behaviours, not just content.

A few notes from Josh Clark’s talk at Webstock 2014

Liz Danzico

This talk gave me so much perspective on my life! Liz’s ability to jetisan a project as soon as she’s learned all she can (or wants) was so refreshing for me. I, too, have lists of ‘unfinished’ projects but maybe they’re not unfinished, maybe it’s just me who’s done with them? The right talk at the right time for me!

A few notes from Liz Danzico’s talk at Webstock 2014

Tom Loosemore

Tom is leading a team that is changing the government. So much of his talk resonated with me as I work in an institution while not as large and complex as the government, shares many of the traits. His talk was lively, and full of good information, but did not disguise the monumental shift they have made in creating gov.uk and influencing other countries such as ours, to do the same.

A few notes from Tom Loosemore’s talk at Webstock 2014