Abstract:

The process of writing software is often misunderstood. When you write business software you are not doing science, but rather art. Your job is not to build, but rather to design. Designing good software is about more than writing code. Knowing what code to write requires empathy and good communication skills. But actually writing code in an academic sense requires more than technical skills as well. When you sit down to actually write code, you engage in a fundamentally creative process. In this session, you will learn about the parallels between making art and writing code. You will learn how creating software is like creating art, in terms of the processes and mindset required. You will learn about art techniques and their similarities to programming techniques. You will leave this session a better programmer, having gained a better understanding of the deep, creative work that you do.

Bio:

Charlie coaches agile teams and manages developers at Baird. He was a software developer for 10 years before that, and has degrees in fine arts and business. He has been endorsed on LinkedIn for nunchucks and humility, neither of which are skills he possesses.

Networking: 5:30

Presentation: 6:00ish

See you there!