Enabling Research Findings [studio+lecture]

and other things we never talk about...
hosted by Formation Design Group with Steve Portigal

In product development circles there has always been a lively discussion on how to best transform product concepts into new goods and services. Conversely, there is precious little dialog about translating research findings into product concepts. The murky time between research and the beginning of synthesis is one of the most critical parts of any development process. Join guest speaker Steve Portigal and members of Formation’s Industrial Design team for a presentation and discussion highlighting this critical but often overlooked part of the development process.

Based on a process used in Portigal Consulting client engagements, Steve’s presentation will emphasize strengthening the creative link between "data" and "action." One of the most persistent factors limiting the impact of user research in business is that projects often stop with a cataloging of findings and implications rather than generating opportunities that directly enable the findings. As designers become increasingly involved in using contextual research to inform their design work, they may find themselves holding onto a trove of raw data but with little awareness of how to turn it into design. How can designers and researchers work with user research data to create new things for business to do?

About Steve
Steve Portigal is the founder of Portigal Consulting, a bite-sized San Francisco firm that brings together user research, design and business strategy. Portigal Consulting helps clients to discover and act on new insights about themselves and their customers. Steve is a frequent speaker at design and marketing events and writes for interactions, Core77 and the Portigal Consulting blog, All This ChittahChattah. He is an avid photographer who has a Museum of Foreign Grocery Products in his home.

Event details:

Date: Monday, April 12, 2010
Time: 6:30-9:00pm EDT
Location: Formation Design Group
555 Dutch Valley Rd NE - Atlanta, GA. 30324
Cost: Free (Light refreshments will be served)
Please RSVP: Please let us know if you will be attending rsvp@formationdesign.com


View Larger Map

"Thirsty Thursday"

making its return - March 18, 2010
hosted by IDSA Atlanta at The Bookhouse Pub

Join your fellow Atlanta IDSA professionals for a happy hour of design discussion, networking and, of course, a pint or two. Design with Impact will be a central theme to our events over the coming year. We'll discuss as it relates to how we can build an effective design community in Atlanta and the surrounding areas.

Have any news to share? Share it over a pint!
Want some project feedback? Get it over a pint!
Need to step away from the office? Step away over...
ah, you get the point.

Event details:
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010
Location: The Bookhouse Pub
736 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30306 [map]

Appetizers are on us

[Save the Date] December Studio Tour & Talk

Big Bang Studio Tour and Talk
presented by IDSA Atlanta and Big Bang

Set aside an evening for IDSA Atlanta's last Studio Tour & Talk of 2009 to be hosted by Big Bang. Big Bang's Devin Moore and Maureen Carroll of Creature LLC will be sharing experiences in design, strategy, and entrepreneurship. Details coming soon.

Date: Thursday, December 10, 2009
Time: 6:30-8:30pm ET
Location: Big Bang - 409 Mead Road, Bldg 7
Decatur, GA 30030 [google map] [pdf map]
Cost: Free (Light refreshments will be available)

October Studio Tour & Talk

Formation Design Group with
Russell Kroll on "Reframing Industrial Design"
presented by IDSA Atlanta and Formation Design Group.

Set aside an evening for IDSA Atlanta's first Studio Tour & Talk of the Fall season to be hosted by Formation Design Group. Relax, share, and network with fellow chapter members at Formation's studio in Midtown Atlanta as Russell Kroll presents his talk:

Overextended – Reframing Industrial Design
"Job security, international competition & bankrupt countries… The global business context is changing and experts don’t agree on what to expect.

As a future looking profession Industrial Design must consider its path through the economic carnage of collapsing markets and enhance its relevance. 'Overextended' uses humorous examples from the marketplace to highlight contradictions within the Industrial Design profession. The presentation is both an introspective discussion of recent events and a call to arms for designers effected by the turmoil wrought by rapidly changing market conditions.

Overextended will present a strategy for cementing Industrial Design’s position at the center of the innovation process. Examples will highlight this central role as our past, future and as the core of what Industrial Design provides."

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2009
Time: 6:30-8:30pm EST
Location: Formation Design Group
555 Dutch Valley Rd NE - Atlanta, GA. 30324 [directions] [pdf]
Cost: Free (Light refreshments will be available)
Please RSVP: Please let us know if you will be attending rsvp@formationdesign.com

Atlanta Screening of "Objectified"

Save the Date - May 13, 2009
A Special Atlanta screening of the film "Objectified"
presented by IDSA Atlanta, AIGA Atlanta, and MODA

Join the IDSA, AIGA and the Musuem of Design Atlanta for a very special screening of the new documentary "Objectified". Making this an even more memorable event will be the opportunity for a post-screening Q&A with director Gary Hustwit and special guests. These events have been selling out quickly across the US, let's see that this one is no different.
Ticket are on sale now!

About the film:
"Objectified" is a new documentary about our relationship to manufactured objects and the people who design them. Directed by Gary Hustwit ("Helvetica"), the film is a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It's about industrial designers, the people who re-examine, re-evaluate and re- invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It's about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability. Through vérité footage and in-depth conversations, the film documents the creative processes of some of the world's most influential designers, and looks at how the things they make impact our lives. What can we learn about who we are, and who we want to be, from the objects with which we surround ourselves?

See the trailer and more about the film on the web at objectifiedfilm.com

Event details:
Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Time: 7:00pm ET
Location: Plaza Theater
1049 Ponce De Leon Ave. Atlanta, GA. 30306 [map]
Cost: $15 for AIGA, IDSA, and MODA members, $20 general public.
On sale now at objectifiedfilm.com.

2009 IDSA Student Merit Award - Atlanta Chapter

IDSA Atlanta is pleased to announce the recipients of this years Student Merit Award from schools within our chapter.
For those of you bound for New Orleans and the Southern District Conference, please take time Saturday afternoon to encourage and support our student representatives.

The winners for the class of 2009 are:

  Alex Marshall - Savannah College of Art and Design
All aspects of design interest him, and he loves to explore all types of subject matter and methodologies. He has been inspired by the work of RKS and Astro studios where he sees cutting edge design language in their designs, supported by strong user research in the creation of outstanding solutions. Alex is originally from Tyler, TX.
coroflot: www.coroflot.com/alexmarshall
blog: www.byronalexmarshall.blogspot.com

  Stephen Kennedy - Georgia Institute of Technology
Stephen is the outgoing president of the IDSA Student Chapter at Georgia Tech. During the Merit Award process, reviewers commented that Stephen represented the new breed of designer - one able to produce results in areas outside of traditional industrial design. Stephen grew up in Metro Atlanta.
blog: www.stephenjameskennedy.com

Paul Possien - Auburn University
Paul's studio experience includes multiple industry collaborations. His career interests include furniture and point-of-purchase design, and he hopes to launch his own studio one day. Paul is from Daphne, AL.
coroflot: www.coroflot.com/Paul_Possien

About the student merit awards program:
In an effort to encourage, reward and celebrate excellence in industrial design education, IDSA encourages student chapters to nominate its best and brightest for the Chapter Student Merit Award Competition. Each student chapter holds a competition, juried by professional designers, to select the one Student Merit winner who will represent their school at the District Conference. The winner from each school presents at the District Conference, and a jury of professional designers select the National Student Merit Award winner for the district.

2009 Southern District Conference Update

Registration is now available
IDSA Southern District Conference Committee

"Through innovation and vision, designers can help bring powerful, transformative and positive change to people's lives. Join us this spring in New Orleans - a city not only known for its charm and beauty, but also for its strength and resiliency - for a stimulating conversation on how the power of design can restore and replenish not just individual lives, but entire communities and societies."

Speaker information as well as online registration for the Southern District Conference are now available on the conference website.
("Early Bird" registration ends 2/28, "Late" registration begins 3/22)

Event details:
Date: April 3-5, 2009
Location: Hilton St. Charles
333 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130

Conference Registration	Early Bird	Regular	Late
Non-Member	$295	$350	$399
Member	$195	$245	$295
New grad (1-3 years)	$125	$155	$200
Student w/ ID	$99	$115	$165

January Studio Tour & Talk [Updated]

January 23, 2009
Propane Creative, Studio Tour & Talk
presented by IDSA Atlanta and Propane Creative, Inc.

Join us for a casual evening with beverages, foosball, and Rockband at the studios of Propane Creative. Relax, share, and visit with others from the Atlanta Chapter's diverse IDSA community, while gaining practical insight from James Harris, the CEO and Chief Storyteller for Elemental Interactive. A broad array of industrial design and branding examples will be on display, providing a glimpse into the studios process through its' collection of 3D renderings, photos, sketches, drawings, and presentation materials.

Mr. Harris' presentation will address social media marketing head-on. We've all heard about it. We each have our own idea of what it means. James has the experience and knowledge to provide valuable insights on just how social media marketing works and ways that it can be leveraged. The talk will be followed with a Q&A session/discussion.

Date: Friday, January 23, 2009
Time: 6:30-8:30pm ET
Location: Propane Creative
934 Glenwood Ave. SE, Suite 100 - Atlanta, GA. 30316 [directions]
Cost: Free (Light refreshments will be provided)
RSVP: let us know you're coming! (404) 627.4249

For event specific information...
contact Steve Swonitzer - (404) 627.4249

January Studio Tour & Talk

Save the Date - January 23, 2009
Propane Creative, Studio Tour & Talk
presented by IDSA Atlanta and Propane Creative, Inc.

Save the date for a casual evening with beverages, foosball, and Rockband at the studios of Propane Creative. Relax, share, and visit with others from the Atlanta Chapter's diverse IDSA community, while gaining practical insight from the nights guest speaker. Watch for more details in the coming weeks.

Date: Friday, January 23, 2009
Time: 6:30-8:30pm ET
Location: Propane Creative
934 Glenwood Ave. SE, Suite 100 - Atlanta, GA. 30316 [directions]
Cost: Free (Light refreshments will be provided)
RSVP: let us know you're coming! (404) 627.4249

For event specific information...
contact Steve Swonitzer - (404) 627.4249

December Studio Tour

Creature Studio Tour & Talk with
Clive Roux on Sustainable Design
presented by IDSA Atlanta and Creature, LLC.


Come check out Creature’s studio, see what we’re up to, and hear what Clive Roux from Green LLC has to say about life as a Sustainable Design consultant. Sustainability is the new design/business buzzword, but who is really applying the principles? Join us to learn about real-life solutions, the skill set a designer needs to learn, and the day-to-day challenges in designing for environmental responsibility.

Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Time: 6:30-8:30pm ET
Where: Creature LLC
2195 Defoor Hills Road, Suite A - Atlanta, GA. 30318 [map]
Cost: Free (Light refreshments will be provided)

For event specific information contact:

Maureen Carroll - (404) 492.5601

Note: This event was previously scheduled for October 29, please note the new date.

End-User Research at Steelcase, Inc.

"Maximizing the Patient and Practitioner Environment
in the Healthcare Industry: Steelcase, Inc"
Joyce Bromberg, Director of WorkSpace Futures - Research
Co-sponsored by PDMA Georgia and IDSA Atlanta

Join us on November 12, 2008 at the Atlanta headquarters of Newell Rubbermaid, to learn how Steelcase, Inc. utilizes end-user research to help deliver a better healthcare experience, from the radiology lab to the patient room.

As Director of WorkSpace Futures - Research, Joyce is responsible for user-center research for vertical markets and Phase 0 research for product development. Sometimes called “pioneering research,” this activity utilizes her 25 years of industry experience in the areas of observation, synthesis and design.

Leveraging a number of case studies from the healthcare industry, Joyce will illustrate and discuss the tools that the Steelcase WorkSpace Futures and Nuture teams have used to provide meaningful improvements within a highly stressed and emotional environment. Looking beyond traditional physical ergonomics, their team emphasizes cognitive ergonomics - the connection of learning, memory, and physical space.

Ms. Bromberg’s presentation will be divided into two parts, the first will give an in depth overview of Steelcase’s Human Centered Design Research Process. It will focus on how Steelcase uses the insights gained through this method to develop new product and setting solutions and explain how they are beginning to measure the effectiveness of both. The second will allow the attendees to have a hands on observational experience that allows them to develop design principles and product concepts. Attendees will come away from the experience with some new tools to add to their repertoire.

Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Time: 6:00-8:30pm ET
Where: Newell Rubbermaid
3 Glenlake Parkway NE, Atlanta, GA 30328 [map].
Parking will be available in the deck to the left of the office building.

Cost: IDSA members - $10 (due at registration)

Students w/ID - Free! (using "Priority Code" STUDENT08)
[PDMA members should register through PDMA Georgia's site]
Pre-registration REQUIRED, via the web through PDMA Georgia