I admit it: I am a picky conference attendee. I want things to be easy. I don’t want to be told what to do nor do I want to have to make my own decisions. I want to talk to people who are smarter than I am, but not so smart they make me feel dumb. I want to have fun but also have an enriching experience. Yes; I am one of *those* people who can rarely be pleased.
UXCampOttawa 2011, an annual volunteer-organized event for User Experience practitioners, fell into the right space between my extremes. I noticed every detail. So did many others, who commented on the – branding, flow, way finding tools and the quality of the speakers. Yesterday, I got to hear it all.
The main auditorium at uOttawa, host of UXCampOttawa (photo by RichLoen)
I also got to see it all. I had a chance to take it all in and really noticed a lot of improvements from last year, as well as things I liked a lot more than some of the other events I’ve been to. Here’s why I thought it was great.
First of all, value to cost was very high. Heck, I drank $40 worth of coffee and that was before I sat down to listen to an inspiring, engaging and informative keynote by Dana Chisnell from Usability Works.
There were just the right mix of people I already know with people I haven’t met yet, many from Ottawa with a few venturing in from afar.
I saw some of the latest trends highlighted, shared my work and learned from other people’s experiences recent or past.
The branding looked gorgeous again this year. And the size & set-up was perfect. Logistics mostly ran smoothly, even though we got off to a late start.
UXCamp podium (photo by booklover_)
The marketing and communications were timely, informative and fun to read. Even the organizers were having fun.
Happy Halloween: Here comes UXCampOttawa (photo by @Corneliux)
Prizes: UX books from Rosenfeld Media arrive in the mail (photo by @Corneliux)
The swag was appropriate to the cost. Environmental degradation was low. Points for local food and compostable cups from Bridgehead. Everyone got a free online workshop courtesy of User Interface Engineering. And a few people won books or t-shirts.
Many unconference sessions looked interesting. It was difficult to choose one.
The Grid (photo by book lover_)
Of course, what I loved best was the community feel.
Community: we couldn't do it without everyone working together (photo by book lover_)
There sure were a lot of superhero powers in that room. I’ll leave you with the question from keynote speaker @danachis –What are we going to do with that?
Campers pondering what to do next in front of the Grid (photo by RichLoen)
I’m guessing you meant, value to cost was quite high.
Fixed