IIT Institute of Design 10th Annual Design Research Conference

Design Research Conference 2011

IIT Institute of Design’s 10th Annual Design Research Conference, or DRCx, to be held October 24 – 26 at the Spertus Institute, focuses on the effects of emerging technology on industry practices and the changing role of design research in the corporate world. The conference will be packed with dense, multifaceted talks about user research and user data, including new ways to gather, process, analyze and present it. Attendees will see the contrast of traditional and cutting edge approaches used in fieldwork today, hear about distinct methods and dive right into a few case studies to explore and share some of the current developments in the field. You can expect to meet industry thought leaders, practitioners from the corporate and consultancy realm and executives interested in the world of design research.

The two days of the main program will cover:
• Big Picture: The cultural effects of technology on current practice
• Data gathering: New methods for conducting research and the utilization of open source data
• Data processing: Qualitative and quantitative research: the role of design research methods in the age of analytics
• Hand-off: Packaging data to extend its lifespan and the effects of research on corporate culture

On Monday afternoon the conference program starts with a set of exciting workshops for you to immerse yourself in one of the conference topics. Pick your favorite and get to know a great group of like-minded people while tapping into firsthand knowledge from your workshop facilitator before the speakers capture your attention and the conference buzz starts up.

Throughout the conference, you will be able to get an update/overview of industry practices, meet industry leaders, learn how other companies have benefited from design research and how to integrate or align it to your own needs.

The roster for DRCx includes speakers such as:
Luis Arnal, President and CEO of in/situm
Genevieve Bell, Intel
Nate Bolt, President of Bolt/Peters
Todd Cherkasky, Sapient USA
Ron Halverson, Founder and President of Halverson Group
Bryan Williams, IDEO
John Tolva, CTO for the City of Chicago
Arjun Chakravarti: IIT Stuart School of Business

For further information please visit www.designresearchconference.com or contact drc@id.iit.edu.

Early bird registration will remain open through September 12, so dont forget to sign up soon! A limited number of IIT student and faculty registrations are available at a discounted rate.