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January 21, 2008

What's going on here?

I'm happily back from the place that has to forecast the weather with two sets of temperature: the real temperature and the windchill temperature. I wish I never learned what windchill feels like. I love you, tropical Seattle!.

Anyway, I forayed into Chicago for a "design conference" but oddly enough I only met one other designer. The conference was put on by 3 designers: Jason Fried of 37 Signals, James Coudal of Coudal Partnerships, and Carlos Segura of T26. The audience seemed to consist of business-minded people. I have never before witnessed business people attending a design conference.

And on the flight home I was working on some mockups the person sitting next to me asked me what I do. When I told him my role as a designer he said, "Oh, so you are really a business consultant?" I told him that it is my role to know a company's business and then create an interface so the consumer can understand it. "So really I am the bridge between the business and the customer," I told him.

I am thinking perhaps the time has really come that businesses are realizing "Design Does Matter." Designers are the last stop between the customer and the business and it looks like people are finally starting to realize that. I'll try and write up my conference notes soon. Those of you looking for the inside scoop on Karsten and Britta can skip that post.

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Post Script: I was also one of the only women at this conference. Which reminds me, "Where are all the women?"

Posted by jana at January 21, 2008 12:27 PM