WOrld IA DAY in Akron is Friday March 7, 2025
Join us for WIAD25 for Friday, March 7th at the Blu-tique Hotel at 1 S. Main St. in downtown Akron, Ohio. Breakfast and lunch are included, as well as breaks and opportunities for networking with the local tech & design community.
We’re planning a full day of speakers and activities — check back here for the schedule of events. This year’s global theme is the Challenges of Change. Learn more about the global event at worliaday.org.
An accessible, covered parking deck is located next to the library at 40 S. High Street and has an access corridor along the west wall that leads directly out to Main St.
AGENDA
10:00 – 10:15 – Check in, Continental Breakfast
10:15 – 10:30 – Welcome, opening remarks
10:30 – 11:30 – UX at a Crossroads – Joshua Randall
11:30 – 12:00 – Co-Creation Workshops: What Role Do They Play in Effective Design? – Richard Douglass
12:00 – 12:15 – BREAK
12:15 – 12:45 – Protection by Design – Ben Woods
12:45 – 1:15 – AI or IA? – Marc Majers
1:15 – 1:45 – LUNCH
1:45 – 2:00 – GIVEAWAYS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
2:00 – 3:00 – Untangling Supply Chain Systems – Nick Dauchot
3:00 – 3:30 – Beyond Design: Positioning UX as a Business Solution in Times of Change – Alina Bengert-Lombardi
3:30 – 3:45 – BREAK
3:45 – 4:15 – Affecting Change in Your Organization: Five Methods I Use to Change the Minds of Business Leaders About Digital Accessibility – Stephen Morrisey
4:15 – 4:45 – The Only Constant Is Change: How to Thrive in an Ever-Evolving Product World – Kim Kastner
ABOUT THE PRESENTATIONS
Joshua Randall on “UX At A Crossroads”
User Experience stands at a crossroads: will we live up to our potential to design a better world? or will we be co-opted by “product management” or another business buzzword?
Looking backwards, this talk will show how UX has repeatedly failed to create a better world, drawing on industry data from Nielsen Norman Group, Baymard, MeasuringU, WebAIM, and others.
Looking forwards, this talk will argue that UX must resist hype, say no more often and collaborate less often (you read that right), and become a true profession — in order to be able to design a better world.
Richard Douglass on “Co-Creation Workshops: What Role Do They Play in Effective Design?”
Co-creation workshops are becoming more prevalent in the product lifecycle. Typically, they are employed early on in the discovery process. Attendees will learn more about Co-Creation workshops: what they are, who is involved, what outputs/deliverables to expect, and how they can best use them.
Ben Woods on “Protection by Design”
The world continues to change, and so do the demands of UX professionals. 20 years ago, we wanted to ‘make things easier’ for the user. Then in as a ‘product’ and ‘agile’ mindset took hold, we turned to the idea of ‘delighting the user’. Today, in the shadow of anxiety around Artificial Intelligence, abuses of personal data, and rising rivalries between corporations, criminal enterprises, and nation-states, we are called to new purpose – ‘protect the user’.
Marc Majers on “AI or IA?”
Discover how Artificial intelligence (AI) is having a big effect on information architecture (IA) by influencing how information is organized, accessed, and utilized. Learn how to use AI to improve the user experience and make content easier to find.
Nick Dauchot on “Untangling Supply Chain Systems”
Supply chains are complex systems that are constantly impacted by internal and external forces, and are, in effect, a complex information architecture beast to tame. This session will dive into the weeds about designing for supply chain, its people and metrics, with real world examples from designing for a company delivering medical around the world. Outcomes from this session will include an understanding of designing for supply chain control tower usability, lessons and risks associated with supply chain design in complex organizational structures, and the need for co-design in supply chain related projects.
Alina Bengert-Lombardi on “Beyond Design: Positioning UX as a Business Solution in Times of Change”
Change is inevitable—layoffs, mergers, and reorganizations are part of today’s business landscape. In this talk, I’ll share insights and practical guidelines on how to position UX as a business-critical function rather than a design luxury. By reframing UX in terms of business impact, you can strengthen its role during times of uncertainty and ensure it remains a key part of strategic decision-making.
Stephen Morrisey on “Affecting Change in Your Organization: Five methods I use to change the minds of business leaders About digital accessibility”
UX professionals strive to positively impact their organizations. Yet we must realize that our projects are just one of many priorities leadership must contend with. How can you best champion your cause?
Few undertakings are as difficult and frustrating as our desire to integrate accessibility into our digital products. In this talk I discuss five methods I have used to persuade organizations, along with my results and lessons learned.
Kim Kastner on “The Only Constant Is Change: How to Thrive in an Ever-Evolving Product World”
Product roles are never static. From shifting business priorities and changing stakeholder expectations to new methodologies, emerging technologies, and the unpredictability of the job market, nothing stays the same for long. This reality can feel exciting at times but overwhelming or even disheartening at others.
And change isn’t just happening in product roles—it’s happening in how we design experiences and solve problems. For designers, this means continually re-evaluating decisions, iterating on solutions, and balancing evolving user needs with shifting business priorities.
In this talk, we’ll explore how to embrace change as a competitive advantage and build the adaptability required to succeed in a product career.
Be a sponsor
World IA Day is an annual event under the World Information Architecture Association.
It’s a one-day global celebration with locations all over the world, and serves to:
- Build and connect a global community of IA advocates and practitioners
- Promote the role of IA in different fields
- Provide resources for learning and professional development
- Engage IA academics and professionals in research and development
Sponsorships are a great way to communicate your organization’s value and attract visibility to your brand, products, or services.
Interested in sponsoring WIAD 2024? Visit our Sponsors Page to explore opportunities, or use our Contact Us form to connect with UX Akron. We’re happy to reply promptly and answer any questions you might have.
BE A VOLUNTEER
Want to help out on the day of the event? Let us know you’d like to volunteer.
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