Each semester IIT Institute of Design invites innovators to discuss their area of expertise during week-long intersession courses. We have arranged public talks for the greater ID community to also learn from our visiting faculty. West coast entrepreneur Skip Walter will speak on creating ecosystems to cultivate talent on Wednesday, March 4, and acclaimed designer Aaron Marcus will share his knowledge and experience with cross-cultural UX design on Thursday, March 5 at ID, located at 350 N LaSalle St, 6th floor in Chicago.

Wednesday, March 4, 6-8 p.m.
Getting Better at Getting Better with Skip Walter
Over the last ten years, professional sports have transitioned from a cauldron of physical prowess to primarily mental contests of preparation and adaptation. Through the combination of talent, coaching, unlimited video, big data computing, and great processes, professional teams, athletes, and coaches spend far more time preparing their minds than they do their bodies. Skip Walter will share his observations of the transformations in professional sports and how these changes can inform how corporations will create “getting better at getting better” ecosystems for their leaders and key talent.

RSVP here.

Thursday, March 5, 6-8 p.m.
Cross-Cultural User Experience Design: Past, Present, and Future with Aaron Marcus
What are the principles of cross-cultural UX design? How can we use them to solve for different aspects of cross-cultural user experience analysis and design? Aaron Marcus, president of Aaron Marcus and Associates (AM+A), will share how he and his company are finding solutions to global design and communications problems, as well as the company’s ongoing research comparing Chinese and Western UX design principles. His talk will showcase projects in which understanding cultural differences plays a critical role in usability and will include the presentation of concept designs that address localization.

RSVP here.