The Art and Science of Workshop Design

Workshops are an excellent, people-centered way to get work done. As a participatory session that replaces a standard meeting, or as a full-blown, multi-day experience, a workshop lets teams explore options, analyze alternatives, and come to consensus.

But if workshops are so valuable, why are so many of us so ill-equipped to design them? Successful workshops don't happen by accident. They’re time- and resource-intensive to plan and deliver, and require particular skills and knowledge. UX practitioners are uniquely positioned to develop and facilitate excellent workshop experiences. However, workshop how-tos aren’t often taught in school or on the job.

Join us for The Art and Science of Workshop Design, where you’ll learn how to leverage design thinking methods to create collaborative sessions that are fun and highly productive for teams, clients, and stakeholders. This workshop will provide you with the foundations of workshop design and delivery, and the hands-on opportunity to create and practice facilitating an exercise. You’ll explore design activities, tools, and techniques, and develop your unique facilitator’s stance. You’ll leave with your own Action Plan to take the next step - from leading a working session on the job to delivering a workshop at a future conference.

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PRESENTER BIOS

Stacy Merrill Surla - Vice President @ MetaMetrics Inc.

Stacy Surla helps people design products and services that work across interfaces, enterprises, and ecosystems. As an information architect and UX strategist she's establishing a human-centered and design-thinking way of working with the goal of helping people and programs solve big problems, especially in the areas of expression, engagement, invention, and knowledge. Stacy is Vice President of MetaMetrics Inc., serves as adjunct professor at the University of Maryland iSchool, and was a twice-elected officer of the Information Architecture Institute.

Bernadette Irizarry - Founder and CEO @ Velvet Hammer Design

A creative leader with roots in sculpture and graphic design, Bern delights in combining the aesthetic with the usable. She has developed award-winning experiences and holds two patents in color-selection methods. Whether launching a business-changing product or revamping a company division, Bern relishes the juicy problems that can only be solved when designers and change agents collaborate. Dedicated to empowering women to design and code, she can be found on weekends teaching user experience, prototyping and facilitation. Bern founded and leads the Los Angeles Chapter of Ladies that UX and currently sits on the Board of AIGA Los Angeles.

Erika Abrams - Director of Production @ Encore VFX

Erika Abrams ignites culture and community within creative spaces. As the Director of Production with a 300+ member crew, she is known as an innovative leader and artist whisperer who develops versatile workflows that fulfill high-quality and quantity demands. She also serves on the advisory boards for AIGA, Los Angeles.

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ABOUT MEDIABARN

Mediabarn’s UX capabilities fall into three distinct disciplines: a digital agency, creative placement, and research services. Whether you’re seeking new digital products for your business, new talent for your company or new insights from your customers (maybe a mix of all three), we are capable of providing flexible solutions for all of your digital needs. To learn more, visit us at http://mediabarninc.com or follow us on social media.

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PARKING

Parking is free in Mediabarn's building. Directions can be found at www.mediabarninc.com/contact

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Financial Hardship

Our goal is to make UXPA DC events accessible to all. We have a number of tickets available to anyone facing financial hardship - just email treasurer@uxpadc.org

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Want to sponsor future events? Email treasurer@uxpadc.org