PhillyCHI is excited to partner with Bresslergroup and TEKsystems Digital again in 2019 to celebrate World Usability Day! World Usability Day aims to bring communities together around the world to learn how to ensure services and products are easier to access and simpler to use, and we are thrilled to host an event right here in Philly.

This year’s World Usability Day theme is: Design for the Future We Want. It was inspired by the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development goals. These goals provide a roadmap of a future that we could be seeking to attain. The goals vary widely from “Good Health and Well Being” to “Gender Equality” to “Sustainable Cities and Communities”.

As usability professionals, our work is moving us closer to a certain future. Whether the progress towards it is intentionally or unintentionally created, or whether that future is tomorrow, next month, or several years down the line – we are all heading towards endpoints of our own creation. This begs the question – What kind of future are we designing for? Read more about this year’s World Usability Day theme.

Food and drinks will be provided, courtesy of TEKsystems and Bresslergroup.

Event Timeline

6:00pm - 6:30pm Networking and Food
6:30pm - 6:45pm Welcome and Announcements
6:45pm - 7:45pm Talks
7:45pm - 8:30pm Networking

Featured Talks

Designing Equity through Clear Information: A Content Strategy for the City’s Office of Homeless Services

Arin Black & Clare Cotugno, Content Design Fellows, City of Philadelphia

Many of Philadelphia’s residents experiencing homelessness are living with trauma. This presents challenges to those providing services to these residents. With the support of a service design team, we developed a sustainable, trauma-informed content strategy that will help the Office of Homeless Services better deliver assistance to Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents. In this talk we’ll explain our process and the principles that supported our trauma-informed strategy.

Designing in the Space Between People and Products

Elijah Vargas, Director, Voice User Interfaces and Device Interactions, Comcast

Experiences in users lives are becoming more interactive, omnipresent, and accessible. We’ve officially entered the always-on, always listening era. As we position ourselves for the future, we need to consider the digital pollution in our lives. In addition to visual designs, we’re looking at voice, motion and sound. I believe sound can be a very powerful tool in how you can connect customers to our experiences. In an effort to deliver the best possible experiences, we’re looking at different ways to connect with our customers at levels that visuals alone can’t reach.

Our Digitally Accessible Future

Brian O'Connor, Software Engineering Manager, Bresslergroup

As engineers and designers, we have a great deal of power to create a future in which both the digital and physical realms are designed for people of all abilities. We can make this happen with the way we go about shaping everyday experiences. In this talk, Brian O'Connor will give a software engineer's perspective on how project teams can work together to bake accessibility into their products — from websites to mobile, voice, and “interfaceless” applications.

Event Sponsor

TEKsystems Digital is the digital-technology division of TEKsystems, the largest global IT staffing and services firm. TEKsystems Digital supports interactive, creative, and digital initiatives for clients ranging from digital marketing agencies to Fortune 500 companies by supplying skilled design, development, functional and marketing technology talent.

A Very Special Thanks To Our 2019 Sponsors