As the decade draws to a close, I was inspired to create a personal visual annual report on the past year. In putting this report together (which I drew on an iPad Pro) I learned that self-tracking “the quantified self” is a movement that started even before this past decade. I guess I was never…
World Usability Day I celebrated World Usability Day on November 15, 2019 with the Indiana chapter of the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) – a single day of celebration and educational events occurring around the world that brings together communities of professional, educational, and other groups for a common objective: to ensure that the services…
Here’s an interesting – and challenging – project I recently completed: the How to Plan Your Meeting or Workshop process map. This step-by-step infographic provides a color-coded, single-page pathway to the significant components of an important meeting or workshop. Background This past spring I earned a certification as a Structured Professional Facilitator with the goal…
Julia was a fantastic addition to our conference. She took complex information and distilled it into graphic notes that enhanced learning, provided beautiful visuals, and added an element of fun to the day. Her work played perfectly to our social media strategy of creating Instagram-worthy content to help fulfill our nonprofit’s educational mission.” – Erin…
The more iconic something is, the more we project ourselves onto it; the more detailed and realistic, the more we see it as something other than ourselves.” – Scott McCloud Drawing out concepts and ideas instead of writing down words is an effective way to communicate. Simple drawings such as icons can help overcome…
HOW Design Live is one of the largest annual gatherings of creative professionals in the world. In the past I’ve been an attendee and a speaker, but this year in Chicago I made a special appearance in the Expo Hall by doing live graphic recording. At an “Interaction Wall” I captured attendees’ thoughts in response…
Heading into the new year, I have two concerns: one professional, one personal. Call them resolutions, if you will: How can I continue to use large-scale visual note-taking to channel my passion for helping people enjoy meetings more, and increase the value clients receive when they hire me? Give me all the carbs: Flying in…
For 30 consecutive days during Nov–Dec 2017 I drew a minimal cat picture using a 9-in x 12-in sketchpad and a black sharpie. (It wasn’t always easy since I was looking at a small cell phone screen and usually had cats and a dog trying to climb all over me.) Then I posted the original photo +…
Exciting update to my grad school MFA (Master of Fine Arts) plans (see Why I decided to go back to school at age 48): I’ve enrolled in the NEW #designthinking for innovation and collaboration certificate program at Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis. Hopefully I’ll get a bunch of credits transferred to Indiana State University. With apologies to my ISU…
Experiments with #digitaldrawing continues. This time it’s #sketchnoting while listening to a 17-min. #TEDx talk in my studio. I used a #Wacom #Cintiq and #AdobeIllustrator. It was really hard to get the control I wanted from the pen, but it was fun to be able to move elements around and colorize stuff, which I can’t do…
