Here's a quick update of places I'll be in the next few months. If you are going to any of these events, please look me up!
Blogger Social
April 4th-6th
I'll be joining a group of friendly and highly connected individuals in NYC for a mix of conversation, cocktails and I'm sure industry talk as well.
IIT Institute of Design Strategy Conference
May 22-23
I'll be live Twittering from one of my favorite events of the year. This year's conference will include P&G's AG Lafley, Microsoft's Bill Buxton and BusinessWeek's Bruce Nussbaum to name a few. Several weeks ago, I was interviewed by ID student Ash Boopathy and will be featured in some of the print material given out at the conference. Here's a sample from the interview:
AB: Give me your favorite example of a company or project that used design to figure out "where to play" or "how to win".
DA: Interesting timing on this question. I used to reference the Motorola RAZR as a textbook example of the power of design. The story had all of the right ingredients: A brand that needed a breakthrough product, a prototype that pushed the idea forward, an end product that had reflective emotional appeal and influenced the design of other products. But it’s worth taking a look at Motorola today which is currently having difficulties finding a buyer for their handset division. Somehow along the way, they could not disseminate the success of the RAZR and the story ironically becomes a case study for the limitations of design. I still believe design can be transformational, but it cannot be divorced from the corporate culture or values that a company
believes in.
The Conference Board
June 5-6
I'll be co-leading a digital customer experience workshop to senior level marketing and brand execs.
Widget Web Expo
June 16-17
I'll be moderating a panel to discuss the current state of content and functionality distribution. The panel is still coming together, but Adweek's Brian Morrissey will be on it (see Brian, you can't back out now!)
Hope to see you!