A Weekend in New Orleans: IDSA International Conference 2011

September 27, 2011

“The IDSA Conference in New Orleans was extremely motivating and focused on co-creation and the future of the designer’s role.” —Trevis Kurz

Trevis Kurz, one of our industrial designers, attended the IDSA International Conference in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. Trevis was the 2011 IDSA Mideast District Merit Award winner and was able to accept his award at the conference. The focus of this year’s event was “Community: You. Me. We.” and it had an excellent lineup of speakers. Kickstarter and Quirky were a big part of the event—both companies representing a true example of what it’s like to have designers and end-users working together.

One of Trevis’s favorite presenters was Margaret Gould Stewart, Director of User Experience at YouTube. “She was a very compelling speaker who shared personal experiences and spoke about the collaboration between designers and the end-user.”

He especially liked a video she shared about the joy of open-ended creation. Very cool!

Trevis was able to check out the new Wacom Inkling, as well as other new programs like 3DVia and Photofly. When not at the conference, he enjoyed touring New Orleans and learning all about the city. He especially loved all of the live music on the streets and in bars—not something you see every day in Chicago! Check out some photos from his trip below…enjoy!