SxSW Pick ’n’ Mix for 2010

I know I’m woefully late. Voting ends today! I don’t really mind, though. It embodies this restful period I’m having. However, I did want to write a bit about SxSWi 2010. I loved Austin when I went for the first time earlier this year. Perhaps it was the grumpy dude at Bobalu on 6th street making cigars by hand who Matthew Smith and I visited on a leisurely stroll. Perhaps it was sharing a room with Chris and Elliot. Maybe it was the Brit invasion. It could even have been the polar bear nochalantly strolling down 6th Street.

I’m hoping for a return visit to Austin from March 12th to the 16th, next year. If you have the chance to go, go! You honestly won’t regret it. This post is part plea for your endorsement and part top picks from some friends who were panelists last year, with some juicy bits thrown in at the end. Panel voting ends today!

Homemade sweets:

1. View and endorse

   Web Typography: Get Your Glyph On 2

   I was so surprised at how packed the room was last time out. In the last few months, we’ve seen Kernest, TypeKit, and Fontdeck emerge (I should mention I’m invloved with the latter). Proposals have been flying around like chilli in a Singaporean kitchen. Foundries and designers are optimising for the Web. It’s all about to explode, beautifully. Who knows what the next six months will bring. We’ll try and explore it all. Richard, Elliot, Samantha, and I will be pontificating and hosting the discussion again. Join us!

2. View and endorse

   Is Your Website Heading for a Car-Wreck?

   Behind the ominous title are a few simple questions that have plagued many a good idea for a web project: How can ideas be successfully brought to life by design? Why do so many good ideas fail, and how can designers help make a good idea become a good product? Join Giles Colbourne, Rich Rutter (penciled in), Alan Colville and I for a few insights into successful collaboration. We are (in order) user experience designers, a UX designer who used to be a product manager, and a web designer. We don’t necessarily share the same viewpoint; should be fun!

Friends’ favourites:

1. View and endorse

   Where the Sidewalk Ends

   

   ‘I’m really intrigued by Where the Sidewalk Ends because I’m fascinated by the difference between good design and great design — a concept I personally find very difficult to put into words — so it’ll be interesting to see what sort of definitions the panel come up with.’

   —Elliot Jay Stocks

2. 

   ‘My #1 panel for SXSW 2010 is Where the Sidewalk Ends. I am really in favor of seeing more design thinking content at SXSW, not just web design content and feel confident that anything these guys would talk about would leave me feeling reinvigorated.’

   —Samantha Warren

3. View and endorse

   Secrets of Open Source Communities

   

   ‘For me, it’s Secrets of Open Source Communities mainly because I’m trying to build a FOSS community around Spaz and SpazCore. As the project lead, I find it challenging to know how to encourage involvement, manage devs, and work with commercial interests.’

   —Ed Finkler

4. View and endorse

   Cross Device Accessibility: Is This For Real?

   

   ‘Accessibility is so often portrayed as a boring subject, so I’m excited to see some interesting accessibility panels proposed. My #1 pick would be Cross Device Accessibility: Is This For Real?, which touches on the Mobile Web and geolocation, which should be very interesting, even for beginners.’

   —Jon Gibbins

5. View and endorse

   Delight

   

   ‘Delight, inspiration, pleasure are all words that we as designers strive to deliver. However, at the pinnacle of the hierarchy of needs, delight is often hard to achieve. So, I’m very interested in hearing how to replicate delight first time and every time.’

   —Alan Colville

6. View and endorse

   Design Thinking: Create Lasting Ideas and Better Brands

   

   ‘I’m a huge advocate of the idea that design is about problem solving more than about exercising one’s visual skills. Design Thinking is a topic that parallels some of the work of Edward DeBono who promotes thinking as an exercise you should practice to perfect. I don’t plan on just designing pretty things the rest of my life, I want to effect change, I want to solve real problems, and I think Design Thinking is addressing that. Plus I’m hoping Ian Coyle will sign my chest.’

   —Matthew Smith

Other sugary treats:

1. View and endorse

   Social Web Security: From Psychology to Programming

   Put Ed Finkler, Simon Willison, Alex Payne, and Chris Shiflett in a room together. It’s like a talent and experience super collider. Have them talk about where user experience and security overlap. It can’t be anything but interesting.

2. View and endorse

   Travelog With Maps: When 1000 Photos Aren’t Enough

   Maps, pictures, and GPS. I’ve seen the little app that luminary developers, Andrei Zmievski, Helgi Þormar Þorbjörnsson, and Chris built for their trip to Iceland. It’s a wonder. Definitely worth a vote if you’ve ever wanted a better way to record your travels.

3. View and endorse

   New Publishing and Web Content

   The future of publishing is a subject I find fascinating. I wrote a piece for OmniTI around it, and with Jeff Zeldman hosting a panel on the topic, there’s bound to be some erudite opinion.

4. View and endorse

   Web Fonts: The Time Has Come

   When it comes to designers who know about publishing, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more knowledgeable than Roger Black. I’m curious who else might appear, but I’ll be there, regardless. Definitely worth your vote!

For more hand-picked goodness, there’s Joe Leech’s south west picks, and to give the Brit contingent in general some love, see the 60 Brit panels in a handy list from Chinwag. For the designers reading this also see Ian Coyle’s panels for designers, or Samantha Warren’s top ten panels.

Thanks to everyone who made ‘South-by’ such a blast last time, and here’s to seeing you there in 2010!