Latest News

2 public talks for June 2021

2 public talks for June 2021

Our summer talk series is launching with 2 public talks and one academic talk in June! Future talks are coming in August and September - if you're looking to book Cheryl for an appearance, reach out at cheryl@ideaplatz.com or use our contact form. To get notified of upcoming appearances including talks, podcasts, and new public workshop opportunities, join the Ideaplatz mailing list. June 10, 2021: Carnegie Mellon HCII Guest Lecture [Private Event] Guest lecture for the Carnegie Mellon Human Computer Interaction Institute Masters' Program (available for current students only) - talk begins at 4PM EST; contact Skip Shelley for information.…
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New Workshop Series: Multimodal Design Fundamentals

New Workshop Series: Multimodal Design Fundamentals

For the first time in four years, Ideaplatz has launched a new full-length workshop offering. Based on the content from Ideaplatz founder Cheryl Platz's new book Design Beyond Devices, our new workshop Multimodal Design Fundamentals walks participants through a wide range of concepts, frameworks, and techniques that will prepare them for delivering advanced multimodal and cross-channel experiences. Participants from our inaugural corporate class at a Big 4 consulting client were enthusiastic about the experience: Cheryl, thank you so much for a wonderful, memorable 3-day workshop! Looking forward to looking through all the content again. Thanks for an amazing workshop Cheryl!…
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Design Beyond Devices: Winter Tour 2021

Design Beyond Devices: Winter Tour 2021

As this chaotic year comes into focus, so does a new series of talks and workshops in support of Cheryl's new book published through Rosenfeld Media, Design Beyond Devices: Creating Multimodal, Cross-Device Experiences. Whether you're looking to add a new multimodal skill to your design toolbox or simply looking for some lightweight techniques with which you can expand your user research, there's something here for you. All Winter 2021 tour dates are virtual and can be viewed from anywhere in the world. Voice Design Workshop - Jan 20-29Customer Context Workshop - Feb 2Multimodal Voice Design Workshop - Feb 12Design Beyond…
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November 2020 Talks: Slides Available

November 2020 Talks: Slides Available

Thank you to everyone who attended my three talks this month as I (virtually) tour in support of the release of my new book, Design Beyond Devices, coming from Rosenfeld Media on December 1, 2020. (Order from the Rosenfeld Media website before November 30th to get 15% off plus free domestic shipping, or find it at your local Amazon distributor.) Presentation PDFs Of course, it's always a lovely sign when folks would like a copy of the talk slides to refer back to later. Here are this month's presentations for your reference: Opti-pessimism: Design, AI, and Our Uncertain FuturePuget Sound…
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Capturing Customer Context – Free Downloadable Worksheets

Capturing Customer Context – Free Downloadable Worksheets

In Chapter 2 of Design Beyond Devices, Ideaplatz founder Cheryl Platz lays out the importance of going beyond surface inquiry when doing customer outreach for multimodal and cross-device experiences. But how do you bring your stakeholders along when they think they understand everything about your customers? These 4 downloadable FREE worksheets are designed to jumpstart your own explorations. Either have team members print and complete individually during a workshop, or use them solo as questions to prompt your own preparations. Shared Understanding Baseline: What do you already know, what are the constraints, and what has already been done?Visualizing Context: Use…
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New workshop: UXLx Masters with UX Lisbon

New workshop: UXLx Masters with UX Lisbon

It's been a busy year adjusting to the new pandemic normal, emceeing Rosenfeld Media conferences, and writing Design Beyond Devices, but the time has finally come to return to workshops with both classic content and brand new content, available worldwide! Expect several announcements for the Winter 2021 season, but we're excited to share the first: Cheryl has joined the lineup of UXLx Masters, hosted by the folks behind UX Lisbon. At the time of this writing, early bird tickets for the 3-day program from Feb 10-12 are still available for 295€ + VAT. Each master class is designed to build upon…
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Virtual Book Tour: Fall 2020 Dates

Virtual Book Tour: Fall 2020 Dates

In the winter of 2020, I announced a tour that never came to be - a set of speaking engagements around the US in support of my upcoming book, Design Beyond Devices. COVID-19 had other plans, and each of those dates was cancelled. Instead, I'm bringing you a virtual tour - which means more price points and more opportunities for anyone to join me from anywhere in the world! In the fall of 2020, I'm hitting the virtual pavement to begin unveiling the content that I've poured into my upcoming book Design Beyond Devices. I've been hard at work on…
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Opti-Pessimism at Interaction Latin America 2019

Opti-Pessimism at Interaction Latin America 2019

Thank you to the volunteers, staff, and attendees in Medellin, Colombia for the warm welcome and for attending Cheryl's "Opti-Pessimism" keynote on November 2. The talk was updated to reflect the conference themes, so new slides are in order! Download Opti-Pessimism from ILA 2019 (PDF, 18MB) #OptiPessimism will be one of the many topics covered in Cheryl's upcoming book for Rosenfeld Media: "Design Beyond Devices", coming in 2020. Click here to learn more and to sign up for updates!
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Design Beyond Devices: Cheryl’s upcoming book for Rosenfeld Media

Design Beyond Devices: Cheryl’s upcoming book for Rosenfeld Media

Exciting news: Cheryl has signed with UX industry stalwarts Rosenfeld Media to publish her first book, Design Beyond Devices, in late 2020. In Cheryl's own words: In Design Beyond Devices, I’ll explore the wide and complex systems, UX design, and service design required for truly multimodal, cross-device experiences. Whether you're grappling with multiple input modalities like touch and voice for the first time, or grappling with the end-to-end considerations for a multi-device ecosystem, you'll walk away with new frameworks and tools for deconstructing these complex problems into more manageable patterns and features. Ready to explore the final frontier of product…
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Opti-Pessimism at UX Scotland 2019

Opti-Pessimism at UX Scotland 2019

It was an honor for Cheryl to kick off UX Scotland 2019 as their opening keynote speaker! Thanks for coming along as we explored elephants, dung, and worst case scenarios in a journey to discover how to adapt our design process for the consequences of big impact. Watch the talk video (60min) on VimeoDownload the slides (18MB PDF) Want even more on the topic? Check out Cheryl’s recent piece on AI and opti-pessimism on Medium. If you're interested in booking this keynote for your event, reach out to cheryl@ideaplatz.com.
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