Decipher conversation

I am leading a Conversation about “UX practitioner & design researcher interaction” at the Decipher conference, September 27th, at the University of Michigan. My “conversation” proposal: UX practitioners at Decipher are invited to a session to recap what they have gotten from learning about and discussing the academic version of design research. Design researchers are …

UX for Blockchain

I am leading a roundtable on Designing User Experiences with Blockchain at the next Connect Tech on July 31st and I would love to have my Toledo colleagues join me. Connect Tech is EPIC Toledo‘s update to its roundtable event for IT professionals. It now includes a broader coverage of tech topics for a wider …

Sponsoring Architecture Walk & Opera Tour

Dexterity UX is proud to be the first sponsor of Michigan UXPA’s Architecture Walk & Experience Design Tour on September 6th in downtown Detroit. “We will explore places made of atoms and discuss how to design places made of bits.” See michiganuxpa.org/dmod2018 for the details. Buy an individual ticket (starting in August) to either visit architectural …

Notes from Design & ED presentation

Originally published on trep.org on August 31, 2014. A PDF version of the slides/notes was published in July with this overview: What is design (in 3 contexts), how it matters in today’s economy Designing touch points with regional economic development audiences Using design to improve the Toledo region economy I uploaded the 3 slides from my NORED Ignite talk to …

TFP Cover Story, April 12, 2014

April 12, 2014 was the original date for this article on trep.org. Be sure to read this weekend’s Toledo Free Press cover article: ‘It Matters Where You Make It’ drives new Toledo branding effort. It covers the latest activities and some of the larger issues in the Toledo Region Branding Initiative and has an additional article …

New Toledo Region branding

Original: April 5, 2014, trep.org. The next iteration of the Toledo Region branding effort was released yesterday. I was still out of town, so I did not get to participate in the Mud Hens/Walleye events where the new logo and slogan were debuted. But I did get to hear about the plans a few weeks …

Basic Economic Development Course

March 4, 2014 is the original publication date for this, on trep.org. I am “going back to school” this week, to take the Ohio Basic Economic Development Course (by OEDA). To better understand how the economic development world works, I thought I should at least take the beginner course. I have been observing economic development from …

Keith Burris Commentary, 12/29/13

The original, longer version was published at trep.org on December 29, 2013. Keith Burris has joined the recent stream of Toledo region brand coverage by the Blade with his Sunday commentary “City branding effort just one part of pitch“. I do not agree with every one of his articles, but I enjoy reading them (and not just because he has …

Building the Brand editorial

From trep.org, December 28, 2013. The Blade editors printed a commentary entitled “Building the Brand” on Friday. Hinted at 2 weeks earlier, this followed a news article on the 20th about the branding initiative. (Separate is the work of advertising, the 3rd leg of the Blade organizational chart.) I agree with the basic premises of the editorial: Residents …

Planning video-based experiences

Originally published on trep.org, December 1, 2013. Now that people are talking about the role of YouTube videos in economic development around here (old news for others), let’s move to the next level and start planning better digital experiences (that include video) to support our regional ED goals. Hopefully we can move beyond the inane aspects of EconCat88-gate. Here is how I think we should move forward. First and foremost, create positive (yet …