Practically Speaking : How Prototypes Can Create More Collaborative Teams

DevFest MN, Feb 2018

Have you ever gotten a massive deck of wireframes and a clickable prototype dropped in your inbox to try and interpret? Have you ever had a conversation with a designer where it felt like you were both speaking different languages? We talk a lot about designer and developer collaboration, what does that really mean? This is a big, complicated issue that many teams struggle to solve.

In this talk, we will explore some of the prototyping tools used by the Google Design Team and how we can use prototyping in native code to overcome collaboration barriers between design and development teams. As a designer, I will also share my own stories and tools for breaking down barriers with my development peers and strategies you can use for your own cross-disciplinary teams.

Nerd Therapy : The Future of Mobile

The Nerdery, July 2017

Mobile has already revolutionized the way we interact with and consume technology – and this is only the beginning. Today, millions of people around the world are walking around with supercomputers the size of soda cans in their back pockets. So where do we go from here? In this panel, we’ll be discussing just how powerful mobile can become, the advancement of mobile AR/VR and what this all means for businesses and consumers in the future.

The Future of Mobile is Coming this Fall

July 2017

Welcome to the future of mobile. With explosive growth in the mobile space over the last few years, it can be challenging to keep up with all the new technology coming to mobile apps. We gathered a team of our mobile Nerds (Android Engineer Patrick Fuentes, Principal UX Designer Laura Heurung, iOS Engineer Jon Rexeisen and myself) to offer expert insights on the coolest technology emerging in the mobile space and what it could mean for consumers.  

Nerd Therapy : IoT What You Need to Know to Grow Your Business

The Nerdery, May, 2017

The internet has grown from a curiosity in the early 90s to a constant presence available just by reaching into our pockets. It isn’t hype; the age of the Internet of Things (IoT) is here, with the primary goal of creating better, more efficient experiences. These experiences are only continuing to improve, which creates an opportunity for businesses. Our panel discusses how to leverage these increased capabilities to stay ahead of competitors.

Native Mobile App Design Panel at DevFest MN

DevFest MN, February 2017  

Myself and 4 other panelists (Annika Hey, Andy Davis, Briana Como, and Josiah Gulden) answered questions about native mobile app design, developer collaboration, and user experience. The panel was moderated by the wonderful Patrick Fuentes.

Growing Successful Mobile Apps that Engage Your Users

Nearly two-thirds of Americans carry and use a smartphone daily. That number is only expected to grow in the coming years. When considering statistics like this, creating a native mobile app for Android or iOS can be a tempting — and smart — proposition for many businesses, not to mention an exciting project for your team!  

Multiplatform Mobile Apps: A closer look at Material Design

AIGA Minnesota Luncheon Series, June 2015 

A talk given at the AIGA lunch and learn with my colleagues Larry Sickmann and Patrick Fuentes detailing what the new Material Design Guidelines means for Android and how to start embracing platform design standards on both iOS and Android.