azPHP Meetup: UX for Backend Developers

This month, Bret Feddern will be speaking on UX (User eXperience) and how many of us, as primarily backend developers, should relate to it (full abstract below).

As usual, we will have trivia, a raffle, and some time to hang out and eat/drink afterwards.

We hope you enjoy our PHP meetup!
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Title: End Users Are Not Idiots – Explaining UX to Backend Developers

Abstract:

As developers, we tend to assume the end user is dumb. Years of adjusting our applications due to the end user's inability to figure something out has given us ample evidence to prove that most end users are Neanderthals when it comes to technology.

While the evidence might suggest the end users are dumb and at fault, in actuality it is us developers that are at fault for a user's lack of understanding. Every developer has an impact on user experience, yet most of us fail to acknowledge it's importance. Every element of the systems we build contributes to the overall user experience of those systems, yet we often think of user experience more as an obstacle or after thought than a priority.

This interactive talk will help backend developers understand the importance of the user's needs and motivations, and will show that thinking about the user in a positive way will help us become much better at building awesome applications. The talk will provide examples (with Laravel's help) of how being mindful of the user will improve information architecture, application security and accessibility, all while making our jobs even more enjoyable.