Arrived in Austin last night at 2am. I left Dallas later than expected. Posting award submissions to the DFW AMA Marketer of the Year site took a lot longer than planned. Typical of other trade organizations, the DFW AMA’s submission website was inefficient and painful. A good example of a site built with the organization’s goals taking priority over the user’s goals. Just goes to show that usability is still a vital skill that hasn’t been completely absorbed by the world of web design.
Clear communication is also a valuable skill that gets lost in the digital sea of apps, email, and text messages. My adventure continued this morning in Austin with a two-hour walk up and down 6th Street in search of a restaurant with two locations. Ambiguity reared it’s two-faced head thanks to an oblique reference in a text and a Google app that couldn’t tell me the difference. Lucky for me I needed the exercise.
Sometimes when you’re on an adventure, you’re constantly confronted with unusual and unexpected circumstances. And sometimes you get reminded how much you already know. More on that subject in my next post when I share what I learned that I already know at my first SXSW session, “Trust in Design.”
Until then, ponder the wise words of Johnnie Walker. “Keep walking.”
