Post Normal Design – a provocation, Alastair Somerville

KEYNOTE: Post Normal Design – a provocation, Alastair Somerville

ABOUT THE TALK
Normal is the default state in product design and development and in recruitment. We research and make based on data and averages. We recruit and form teams around industry-defined titles and established credentials. Yet, every element is biased by…normality.
How can we design for divergence and recruit for diversity if we only really value normality and convergence?
Post Normal Design is a talk to provoke discussion around the bias of Normal. Normal privileges and Normal excludes. It is the bias within Normal, towards a tiny group of people, that we need to remove before we can really value divergence and diversity.
This event includes a talk by Alastair Somerville from Acuity Design and then a mini-workshop to consider practical steps for Post Normal Design.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Alastair Somerville is a sensory design consultant. He provides expert advice on cognition, perception and ultra-human centered design to companies, government agencies and other public organisations who provide both physical and digital products/services. He facilitates workshops on sensory and emotional design for corporations and major conferences, including SouthBy Southwest (SxSW) and UX Week. He is currently involved in cognitive accessibility and VR projects in visitor
attractions and museums.

LIGHTING TALK: 'Pattern Libraries: How can they be of use?, Carmen Martínez-Freile

ABOUT THE TALK
The importance of UI Pattern Libraries has increased in the tech world in the last few years. Designers, clients and developers are now understanding the importance of consistency across a website or app and its maintenance. This is where a design system and in particular where pattern libraries come in. In this talk I will outline what a pattern library is, why pattern libraries are important, and how they can make the design flow easier and quicker for everyone.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Carmen is a User Experience and User Interface Designer at Fruto (fruto.studio), a UX design studio helping tech teams and startups improve the user experience and interface of their websites and mobile apps.

Carmen holds a First Class degree in Typography and Graphic Communication from The University of Reading. Her work ethic is centred around creativity, enthusiasm, attention to detail and designing for the user’s needs. She enjoys illustration and use it as a tool for her designs when appropriate.