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Leave The Comfort Zone, Get Creative – A UX Conference Recap

September 28, 2015

Leave The Comfort Zone, Get Creative – A UX Conference Recap

A couple of weeks ago I flew up to Brisbane to attend the UX design conference. I’m not going to lie, I was nervous. UX is an industry anchored in digital design and my knowledge of wireframes and split tests are sub-par to say the least.

Despite my sometimes-irrational fear of techie things, the UX industry is actually at the forefront of adopting the principals of design thinking, the iterative process we follow at BrandHook to innovate products and services. And creative minds need to refuel to stay sharp. Stepping out of my comfort zone and learning from different industries keeps me on my toes and keeps our agency inspired to push the boundaries in everything we do.

Not being afraid to look to the outside world for inspiration is at the heart of creativity. As humans, we borrow ideas from all over the place, and then put them together in a way that is new, beautiful and workable for us.

In light of this, we wanted to share with you three of our favourite speakers from the conference (from different fields, all outside of my comfort zone), along with their respective pearls of wisdom; perhaps they will inspire you to put your own creative story together…

1. Sydney-based agency Tobias & Tobias partnered with QSuper to understand how young people manage their money in order to design a superannuation solution framework. What really struck me during the presentation were the simple steps the agency took to involve the client during every stage of the research process: from co-creating the brief, all the way through to the analysis sessions. Designing a partnership yields better results than the normal (and often disparate) client / consultant relationship. Working closely together, sharing your process and IP allows you to gain a shared understanding of the problem space and to help better facilitate the transfer of skills and knowledge.

Check out their presentation here:

http://www.slideshare.net/AshDonaldson/hyperbolic-discounting-turning-goldfish-into-squirrels

2. Studio Thick, a Melbourne based design agency raised a great point about designing without ego. Many times we have been asked to help create delightful experiences that people love. But have you ever been asked to create a delightful experience that really shouldn’t be? There are many services, especially government, that really don’t require a delightful experience. They require one that is reliable, robust and invisible. The experience should be so good that the customer forgets about it as soon as they walk away.

Check out their great presentation on designing experiences that nobody cares about below:

http://www.slideshare.net/monsieurmorris/designing-experiences-nobody-cares-about

3. Finally, opening keynote speaker Dave Gray (who specialises in the human side of change and innovation) had a takeaway message that’s not just relevant to the working world, but everyday life as well. Dave feels that the most powerful thing you can do to become good at changing other people’s behaviour is to become good at changing your own. Whether it’s taking a different route to work or spending time with people that aren’t from your usual social circles, challenge yourself to try something new.

 

Written by Sarah


The 11-part Closing the Gap podcast series brings to life issues that most marketers are now facing – the gap between how consumers are behaving and what business is delivering. Over the series, we’ll explore the seven key ways consumer behaviour has changed and what it means for marketers. To listen on iTunes click here, for the BrandHook Continue reading

The 11-part Closing the Gap podcast series brings to life issues that most marketers are now facing – the gap between how consumers are behaving and what business is delivering. Over the series, we’ll explore the seven key ways consumer behaviour has changed and what it means for marketers. To listen on iTunes click here, for the BrandHook Continue reading

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