And if you are already registered, don’t be sad. He’ll be giving away 3 copies of his book at the event as well, so be there!

Register at http://wvnyc.eventbrite.com/

As user research becomes firmly established in organizations around the world, it’s tempting to congratulate ourselves and retreat to our shiny new labs. But our work is nowhere near complete. As currently practiced, user research remains narrow in focus, often limited to the qualitative methods that reflect our own educational biases, and the tools that fit within our own comfort zones.

In “Beyond User Research“, keynote speaker, Lou Rosenfeld, explores some of the other research perspectives and practices available and suggests how you can use them to develop better products and services for yourselves and your clients.

A well known speaker, teacher, and moderator, and founder of Rosenfeld Media, Lou helped establish the fields of information architecture and user experience, and has advocated for the role and value of librarianship in those fields.

The new frontier of gaming is all about HTML5, with its fancy new features that allow designers and developers to create awesome gaming experiences that can be delivered to modern desktop and mobile browsers. If you haven’t played an HTML5 games, stop by HTML5games.com and take a few for a spin.

Convinced? Roll up your sleeves and get started developing your own games in Jesse Freeman’s fabulous half-day workshop on “Building HTML 5 Games,” where you’ll learn how to use Impact JS to create amazing retro-style games that deliver fast, fluid performance and can be deployed on a wide range of devices.

Jesse’s hands-on workshop will cover game design and theory, deployment and distribution, and the installation of HTML5 tools and ImpactJS. You’ll not only jump start your capabilities, you’ll get started in making a game, generating assets, and working with inheritance, animation & sound. Workshop attendees will also get a free non-commercial license of Impact JS along with documentation and lesson source code.

An expert in the gaming field, Jesse (@jessefreeman) is on the cutting edge of interactive development on the web and mobile platforms and is a Technical Architect and Technology Evangelist at Roundarch.

Sure, you want to roll up your sleeves and start using HTML5 and CSS3…it’s what the cool kids are doing. But, alas! Your client (or boss) wants the website to look good on older browsers. What to do?

In his half day workshop on “Adaptive Web Design,” author and web standards aficionado Aaron Gustafson (@aarongustafson) will show how novices and experienced professionals will gain insight and understanding about progressive enhancement and how to use it in their work.

Learn the secrets of building web pages from the content out with “mobile first” and ”responsive design”, use JavaScript wisely, work with layered CSS (including CSS3) and comply with accessibility standards. You will also learn about ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) and see how you can employ them.

Aaron has a love of web standards and an in-depth knowledge of website strategy and architec­ture, interface design, and numerous languages, including XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. He is Group Manager of the Web Standards Project (WaSP), wrote the JavaScript library eCSStender and writes for .net Magazine. His latest book Adaptive Web Design: Crafting Rich Experiences with Progressive Enhancement is…well, all about adaptive web design.

Come build apps for education with us!

In partnership with the City of Portland and the Mayor’s Office, we’re honored to announce a CivicApps Hackathon dedicated exclusively to making mobile applications for education. There will be time in the morning for ideas and presentations from educators involved with the city, and brainstorming sessions and hacking in the afternoon.

When?

Sunday, May 22nd, 10:00am-7:00pm

Where?

PIE / Portland Incubator Experiment
1227 NW Davis Street
Portland OR 97209

Register (free)

Registration link: [Event registration is closed]

Presenters and Judges

Skip Newberry, Economic Development Policy Advisor to Portland Mayor Sam Adams

A significant portion of Skip’s work focuses on developing initiatives to support Portland’s software and digital media industries. Last year, Skip s projects included helping to draft the City of Portland s open source procurement and open data policy, which was adopted by Portland City Council in September of 2009. Since then, he has been working with Portland’s Bureau of Technology Services to launch Civic Apps for Greater Portland the nation’s first regional open data and software application design contest. Other recent projects include contributing to the development of a community broadband strategy for Portland and identifying ways for local government to serve as a test market for new and innovative technology.

Kali Ladd, Education Strategies Director for Portland Mayor Sam Adams

Kali manages the policy strategies and objectives that the Mayor has outlined for his education agenda. Kali has spent her career committed to improving educational outcomes for youth particularly low income youth and youth of color. Prior to arriving at the Mayor’s office, Kali worked as a Policy Analyst for State Superintendent Susan Castillo, a SUN Site Manger at King Elementary School, a consultant for the Portland Schools Foundation and the County Commission on Children and Families and a program coordinator of CampFire’s then, pilot school-based programs.

Sarah Singer,Project Director, High School System Design Initiative, Portland Public Schools

Sarah Singer serves as project director of the high school system design initiative for Portland Public Schools. In her role, she manages key project work-streams such as community comprehensive core program implementation, the Marshall campus closure, Jefferson Middle College program design, Benson High School program design and community outreach. Prior to joining Portland Public Schools, she worked for Deloitte Consulting for five years and specialized in strategy and operations for public sector/non-profit organizations.

Karen Gray, Parkrose School District Superintendent

Dr. Karen Fischer Gray is superintendent of the Parkrose School District and a Portland Planning and Sustainability Commissioner. She has been in education for the last 32 years and has three children and three grand children. Her grandchildren all attend Parkrose Schools. She loves to read, see live theater and travel.

Matt Kinshella, Communications Director for @211info

Matt is the Communications Director for 211info. 211info in a nonprofit that connects the people of Oregon and Southwest Washington with community resources. Matt oversees all aspects of branding, marketing, online communications and plays an active role in legislative advocacy and technology planning. Matt also has an education policy and campaign background.

Who should come?

Anyone with an interest in changing education through technology. This includes educators, concerned citizens, mobile developers, graphic and UX designers, and students. Teams will have a chance to present their projects at 6:30pm and will be judged by members of the City of Portland, Education District and local tech leaders. The three top projects will be automatically entered into the Webvisionary Awards in the Mobile Category.

CivicApps will be kindly sponsoring lunch, and we are looking for sponsors for breakfast and refreshments. Please contact @caseorganic or @wv2011 to find out how you can support the event!

Schedule

10:00-10:30Am – Doors Open, Breakfast, Coffee and Networking

10:30-11:15Am – Presentations from the city and education department on the current state of education, education technology, and what’s missing from education today.

11:15-11:30Am – Presentation of project ideas from attendees.

11:30-12:15Pm – Breakout discussion groups on project ideas and education topics.

12:15-1:15PM – Lunch, discussion and networking

1:15-6:00Pm – Project work and development begins in teams or as individuals.

6:00Pm – Project wrap-up and presentation preparation. Judges and audience arrives for judging and presentations. Beer is served.

6:30-7:30Pm – 5 minute presentations and judging.

7:30Pm – Event wrap-up, feedback and cleanup.

Please Register for the event here!

Come change the future of education! See you Sunday, May 22nd, at 10:00am!

See the event details and save to your calendar at http://calagator.org/events/1250460422

Many Thanks!

Presented by the City of Portland, CivicApps, WebVisions and Software Association of Oregon.

More Thanks!

Beer lovingly sponsored by Widmer Brewing

Join a panel of web, mobile, design and social media experts as they explore the future of communication and its potential as a catalyst for positive change.

When: Wed., March 30th, 6:00-8:30pm

Location:
Portland State University, Rec Center – Auditorium 1
1800 SW 6th, Portland

Presented by WebVisions, Software Association of Oregon , AIGA Portland and Portland State University.

Ticket Prices

General Admission: $25 $12.50
Association Members (see below): $15 $7.50
Students: $10 $5.00

Associations: AIGA Portland, Software Association of Oregon

Speakers:

Jensine Larsen, Founder and CEO World Pulse Media An unstoppable social entrepreneur, Larsen runs World Pulse, a global media source which covers world issues through women’s eyes. Her leadership has garnered partnerships with the world’s top international women’s organizations and endorsements from global luminaries and visionaries.

Carla Axtman, Editor Blue Oregon Carla is the Online Community Builder for Compassion & Choices , a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding and protecting the rights of the terminally ill. She’s also an editor for the state-based progressive blog, Blue Oregon and is considered one of the most influential political bloggers in the state.

Carri Bugbee, Principal Big Deal PR Carri is a social media marketing strategist, writer and PR pro who helps companies and organizations get ramped up in social media spaces, integrate those with traditional marketing channels and engage customers. She teaches a class in social media marketing at Portland State University and is a contributing author to “The Big Book of Social Media Case Studies, Stories, Perspectives.”

Dene Grigar, Associate Professor and Director of The Creative Media & Digital Culture Program Washington State University – Vancouver Dene teaches in the area of electronic literature, emergent technology and cognition, and ephemera. Her most recent project is the “Fort Vancouver Mobile Project,” a locative / mixed media effort that brings together a core team of 23 scholars, digital storytellers, new media producers, historians, and archaeologists to create location-aware nonfiction content for mobile phones.

Moderator: Brad Smith, Executive Director WebVisions Brad runs the nationally recognized WebVisions conference, an event that explores the future of web and mobile design, technology, user experience and business strategy.

Event Sponsors:

Register by December 7th for only $275 (or $199 for students) at http://www.pdxdmc.com/register.shtml

Wed., Nov. 17th, 6:15-8:30pm at the Hollywood Theatre

Digital media, the Internet, games and mobile applications have opened up new channels of distribution for film and television and offer tremendous opportunities for enterprising companies. The traditional model of media production is rapidly changing and it’s more important than ever to develop plans to fully leverage film, video and interactive projects to reach audiences around the country and around the world.

From 6:15-7:00pm, we will be serving h’ordeuvres from Blue Coyote Cafe & Catering and Drifter Pale Ale courtesy of Widmer Brothers Brewing.

Presented by WebVisions, Oregon Film, Portland Creative Conference and Oregon Creative Industries

Ticket Prices

General Admission: $35
Association Members (see below): $25
Students: $15

Association partners include OMPA, AIGA Portland, AEPDX, 3DPDX, WebVisions, Portland Creative Conference, CHIFOO, and Cre8Camp

Event registration is closed. We hope you enjoyed the show!

ABOUT THE EVENT:

“A Conversation with Jeff Geoffray”

Vince Porter, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Film and Television, and Jeff Geoffray, a gap financing expert at Blue Rider Pictures, will look at the brave new world of meta-media production and share his insights for businesses to evolve and grow in the fast-changing media environment.

Panel Discussion: “Six on Media”

Join a panel of experts from feature films and television to advertising and gaming as they explore the secrets of their success and share their insights on the future of media production.

Event Sponsors:
PayDogs	Metal Toad Media	Oregon Film	MacPac
PSU Multimedia Professional Program	Pacific Grip & Lighting	FILTER	Widmer Brothers
brytCAST
AIGA Portland	OMPA	PCC Cascade Multimedia Dept.

Speaker Bios:

Jeff Geoffray is a founding partner at Blue Rider Pictures, one of the most prolific and successful independent production and financing companies in the entertainment business. Blue Rider has more than 100 movies and TV projects to its credit since it was formed in 1991.

Beth Harrington is an independent producer, director and writer, born in Boston and transplanted to the Pacific Northwest. Her films often explore American history, music and culture. Harrington’s independent production Welcome to the Club – The Women of Rockabilly, a music documentary about the pioneering women of rock and roll, was honored with a 2003 Grammy nomination and reflects her long-standing love of music. She is currently in production on The Winding Stream – The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music which features her interview with music legend Johnny Cash.

Robert Lewis is the founder and executive director at Portland-based Fashionbuddha Studio. The studio has built a reputation for creating innovative world-class animations and interactive experiences. A clever mix of technology and fine art has led the studio to blaze ahead with projects as diverse as designs for Umpqua Banks Innovation Lab, programming open source software that tracks the movements of Oregon Ballet dancers, and an upcoming permanent exhibit at the Portland Art Museum. Robert is also curator of the Grassy Knoll Gallery and Board Member of the Oregon Media Production Association.

Bruce Wyman is the Director of Creative Development at Second Story and provides strategy, vision, and leadership for the studio’s creative output. He establishes new initiatives and creative directions, along with providing leadership to oversee the efficient, collaborative execution of the interaction design process. Formerly, Bruce was Director of Technology at the Denver Art Museum, overseeing all the technology of the museum, including new media experiences, infrastructure, and business systems. He has spent much of the last two decades doing exhibit design, exhibit content development, and user experience design.

Dan White is one of the co-founders of Pipeworks Software, a 65 person game studio in Eugene. Dan his been in the games industry for 15 years and has worked on everything from punching-kick-fighting games to party games for pre-teen girls.

Dean McBeth is a cyclist, digital soothsayer and Senior Digital Strategist at Wieden + Kennedy. He is the Social Media Community manager on Old Spice: Responses, arguably the largest and fastest-growing viral video campaign of any Brand in history.

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Tuesday, November 9th, 2010, 4:30 to 6:30 pm

Liquid Agency | Brand Marketing
1800 NW 16th Ave., Suite 200
Portland, OR 97209

Register: http://www.sempdx.org/sempdx-events/paid-search-for-google-microsoft-facebook-more/

Webvisions Followers Use Discount Code: WEBVIS

Speakers:

Tom Hale — founder/owner of Thomas Creek Concepts, an online
marketing agency specializing in Google AdWords account management,
consulting, and training. His professional credentials include:
Former Top Contributor to the Google AdWords Help Forum (pre-quota),
Google AdWords Certified Partner, recognized Google AdWords Help
Expert, and he is on the SEMpdx Advisory Board, as well as a Moderator
and Rabble Rouser in the SEMpdx Forums

Heather Schwartz — from Anvil Media will be presenting about
Microsoft Ad Center, which has now replaced Yahoo. Heather has been
with Anvil for over 2 years focusing on paid search initiatives for
clients. Heather has been published in industry publications such as
PPC Insider in addition to contributing to PPC specific whitepapers at
Anvil. As Account Executive, Heather has been the lead on eCommerce
accounts such as Lucy Activewear as well as non-profit accounts such
as The Nature Conservancy and AFS USA and health care clients such as
Providence Health & Services.

Steve Burnett — from Engine Works will speak about Facebook and other
alternatives to traditional Pay Per Click marketing.