Importance of conferences and professional development
5 Jun 2007 - 5:35pm
I've been thinking of writing something about the importance of
conferences and workshops in professional development for people in
the IxD discipline. I'd like to write it with
stakeholders/non-practitioners in mind, especially if those
non-practitioners hold the organization's purse strings and set the
yearly operating budget.
I have my own thoughts about why conferences are so important to
- Allows practitioners to refresh their skills and keep abreast of new
tools and methodologies
- Provide an opportunity to network with others in the discipline
(especially important for one-person IxD 'teams')
- Helps to elevate your company's profile in the IxD community,
especially if you present a case study of your company's product at a
- Cheaper (in terms of time and money) than auditing for-credit HCI
courses at your local university
I'm interested in hearing from the rest of you on this issue. Why do
you attend conferences? What do you get out of them? How do you make
the case with managers/stakeholders each year?
I'll compile the responses and send them out to the list.