Adjustments To My Work-Life Balance

By Georgia Otto | Published: 08.21.2009

I work at a web design company, doing user experience design. Then I write blog posts about that same stuff during my (very limited) spare time. This is rather overwhelming when you consider the number and variety of other hobbies and interests that I have. Therefore, I have concluded that in order to optimize my work-life balance, reduce my stress levels, and get the most satisfaction out of my spare time away from work, I will not be committing myself to blogging on a regular basis anymore, ever.

Here’s the deal, in bullet-point format, for brevity’s sake:

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Webitect ~ Conducting Collaborative Design Sessions – Part 4: Maintain

By Georgia Otto | Published: 08.17.2009

Flow DiagramMake sure you never leave your participants hanging after an important meeting. Part 4 of this series will help you maintain a long term relationship with your participants.

Part 1 of this series gave an overview of the purpose behind collaborative design sessions and how to prepare to conduct your own. In Part 2, we showed you how to begin your meeting by making sure everyone is aligned with the primary objectives. Part 3 outlined some of the difficulties that can arise during collaborative meetings and provided tips for how to handle tough situations if they happen to occur. Now, in the final installment of this series, you’ll learn how to follow-up your meeting with an appropriate and purposeful message.

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Webitect ~ Conducting Collaborative Design Sessions – Part 3: Facilitate

By Georgia Otto | Published: 08.10.2009

Conducting Collaborative Design Sessions – Part 3: FacilitateClients and users need guidance when contributing their design ideas. Part 3 of this series will prepare you for the challenges inherent in facilitating collaborative meetings.

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we explained how to prepare in advance for collaborative design sessions and how to begin your meetings with a solid focus and foundation. To get the most out of your design session now that it’s begun, you need to ensure that your participants feel comfortable sharing their ideas. A number of things can get in the way of this, which we will discuss in this article. However, to combat these factors, you must first understand your dual role as both a facilitator and design specialist in this meeting.

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Webitect ~ Conducting Collaborative Design Sessions – Part 2: Inform

By Georgia Otto | Published: 08.4.2009

Colored Post-it NotesGetting the most out of your users requires that you take the initiative. In Part 2 of this series, you’ll learn how to begin your design session in a goal-oriented manner.

In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the benefits of collaboration with users and clients at various stages throughout the design process. We also provided tips to help you more effectively prepare for your design session. At this point, your users have been thinking about the topic of your meeting and are eager to share their ideas. When they arrive, you need to initiate the discussion in a way that will keep them focused on the meeting objectives and help them feel that the process itself is as rewarding as the outcome. The following tips will help you achieve these benefits and set the stage for a successful and productive collaborative design session…

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