Understanding Web Design

Jeffrey Zeldman

We’ll have better web design when we stop asking it to be something it’s not, and start appreciating it for what it is. It’s not print, not video, not a poster—and that’s not a problem. Learn how to explain to clients and bosses what it is you do, and why they should stand back and let you do it.

Eric Meyer Live Code Workshop

Eric Meyer

CSS got you stumped? Browsers got you bugged? Worried that your site’s markup isn’t all it could be? Eric Meyer is here to help! Submit your site’s code for live debugging and review by the maestro. Six lucky winners will get ten minutes each. Watch the clock tick down the minutes as Eric spins CSS straw into gold!

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Debug / Reboot

Eric Meyer

With judicious use of CSS, you can visually call out problems in your markup, as well as wipe out a great deal of browser inconsistency. This exploration of how (and why) will illuminate some of the dustier, darker corners of CSS in the service of gaining a deeper understanding of CSS and browser behavior.

Design Lessons in Chess

Rob Weychert

Most people understand the basics of chess, but merely knowing how the pieces move won’t secure a victory against a master. Likewise, the building blocks of a well-designed site are common knowledge, but few can assemble them into something truly remarkable. Learn how a disciplined perspective from the chess board can strengthen your approach to design, from reiterating fundamentals, to deconstructing problems and solutions in unexpected ways.

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Storytelling by Design

Jason Santa Maria

Successful design strikes the balance between form and message. When that balance is threatened by generic templates and design sameness, even the most thoughtful messages can come off as dull and insincere. Learn how design can be a supportive storyteller (not just a passive bystander).

Implementing Design: Bulletproof A-Z

Dan Cederholm

As the browser landscape changes, so does our approach to implementing flexible design. Learn 26 ways to help your interfaces become more adaptable, worry-free, and bulletproof.

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Design Criteria: Actionable Ideas

Sarah Nelson

As the complexity of our projects increases, so does the need to develop and maintain a consistent vision. When faced with a thousand small decisions, how do you know which are the right ones to make? Design criteria can provide your team with a touchstone from which you can empower, inspire, and evaluate your work. We will look at examples of design criteria in action, explore different types of criteria, and discuss how to generate your own.

The In-House Designer

Cameron Moll

The fundamental principles of design remain constant irrespective of organization size, technical discipline, and the like. Yet within larger organizations, the dynamics of applying these principles, the ability to produce quality output, and overall job satisfaction are a challenge at times. Learn how to hone your technical skills, and, more importantly, your soft skills, to effectively grapple with the politics and red tape that are common to larger organizations—or, for that matter, to client services work.

Lunch

On-the-Spot Usability Reviews

Robert Hoekman, Jr.

Get ready for slam-bang action as Robert performs on-the-spot usability reviews of sites submitted by our live audience, on the fly. It’s a ton of fun, with loads of audience participation—and everyone leaves with great ideas on how to improve their own sites.

The Arts & Crafts of Web Design—or What Would William Do?

Curt Cloninger

William Morris began the Arts & Crafts movement in the 1800s as a reaction to shoddy, mass-produced, Victorian un-craftsmanship. Contemporary web designers face similar challenges. How do we maintain a standard of hand-crafted quality in an age of cookie cutter design templates and push-button development? What is the role of ornamentation in web design? When do grid systems become dehumanizing? What are the ethics of Ajax? What Would William Do?

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Designing the Details: Web-App UI Design Beyond the Basics

Jason Fried

What Mies said of architecture is also true of web application design, “God is in the details.” Learn which details to focus on, how to focus on them, what matters, and what doesn’t. Walk live through 37signals’s applications to see examples of the types of details that matter.

Designing the Next Generation of Web Apps

Jeff Veen

The hype around Web 2.0 continues to increase to the point of absurdity. But what can we learn from these trends to actually apply to our designs? Take a tour through the web’s past, present, and future of the web to answer these questions:

• What can we learn from the rich history of data visualization to inform our designs today?
• How can we do amazing work while battle the constant constraints we find ourselves up against?
• How do we really incorporate users into our practice of user experience?

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Underpants Over My Trousers

Andy Clarke

Comic books have long been an inspiration to artists, designers, and filmmakers. But what lessons are there to be learned by those web designers who dare to look into this muscle-bound, four-color world for inspiration? Learn how Andy applied his passion for comics to, of all things, his design for a Puerto Rican newspaper website by studying his design inspiration, creative concepts, and how he implemented his designs using superhero CSS.

A Panel Apart

Eric Meyer, Jeffrey Zeldman, and Special Guests

Wrap up An Event Apart Chicago by joining Eric, Jeffrey, and selected speakers for an extended Question and Answer session that’s just a bit ... different. At Lunch on Day 2, we’ll pass out index cards. Jot down your questions about web design and we’ll do our best to answer them during this final AEA session of 2008.