Thanks IxDA PDX!

You know when you hear about an amazing conference you wish you could go to, but it's on the other side of the world and there aren't any tickets left? Or have you ever attended a crazy-long conference and at the end, wished someone had previewed it for you and cherry-picked the top presentations?

Well, last Tuesday a few of our FINE team members were granted both wishes!

The Portland Interaction Design Association community hosted a movie night complete with popcorn, Georgetown brewskies, and video footage of Interaction ’14 in Amsterdam! Four talks were selected from 35 hours of footage captured from the conference, covering a range of interaction design practices and applications.

Giles Colbornes (a FINE favorite from the top 4) gave a particularly fascinating presentation on “The lost art of efficiency in interaction design,” asking the question, “Why was it worth one company spending $350,000 to shave a second off an interaction?"

Giles made a compelling argument for design solutions driven by usability, and the product's ability to connect with the user in a way that made them want to engage with it again. Companies are realizing through research - or simply through sales - that the attention span of today's user is minimal and the variables for engagement are many. Failing to invest in simple, efficient experiences often costs opportunities, money, and customer loyalty.

Check out Giles’ presentation below for the complete sell.

http://vimeo.com/86522446

Want more? View all of the talks here.

Thanks for the movie night, IxDA PDX. We're looking forward to attending Interaction '15 in SF next year!