So I failed to mention that I would be heading down to Austin, Texas for SXSW Interactive. Overall, it was a great experience. My only complaint is how exhausting it was. Getting up at 9AM to go to sessions and panels, then party into the wee hours of the night can really take its toll on the old legs and liver. Regardless of how I feel now I would certainly recommend anyone in the internet industry to attend this event. Attending the sessions and panels is a great way to stay abreast to trends and whats new or popular in the business. And if you care, the parties are a great way to do some networking or just meet some new people and share ideas.

This was the first time I attended, so I'm not sure of the overall theme of previous years, but there was certainly a major focus on the social aspect of the industry. Just about everyone was talking about it. If they weren't specifically talking about it, then it was at least somehow mentioned.

One of my favorite sessions was When Worlds Collide: Human Centered Design Meets Agile Development. I know very little about either process, but it gave me some good insight into how the majority of designers and developers like to work. I felt it was interesting going into this panel without much knowledge of either process, and absolutely no experience implementing each process as well. Both are suited well for their given reasons, but they are fundamentally different in their approach. What I pulled away from this session was that its difficult to shoe-horn any given project into any specific process model, especially if you have a commandeering designer and/or engineer. It all comes down to providing respect to your counterparts. Designers and engineers must collaborate, communicate, and ultimately all be a part of the process from start to finish. This means that ego's have to be left behind and each side needs to think a little differently than normal. For instance, designers need to relax and not feel as if they have to understand everything about a user before trying to come up with a solution. Engineers on the other hand should focus on looking for opportunities rather than pointing out limitations. Personally, I believe this is the key to successful project.

There was also a lot of other good sessions during the time I was there. The most refreshing fact was that I didn't go to a single session that was focused on the Flash platform. The only Flash related thing that came up was when I was sitting in a session entitled Emerging Trends of Mobile Technology. I forget who it was exactly, but there was a panelist from Adobe (not listed on the description) who spoke a little bit about Adobe's effort to get the full Flash Player onto a bunch of devices by the end of 2009. Pretty exciting if you ask me.

Last but not least, the sponsored parties were a damn good time. Its a great time to meet random industry folks, drink a lot of tall boys, and run into the most influential people in your life. OK, maybe not the last one, but I did run into David Carson who I studied and took influence from for about three years during my college days as a graphic designer. That was pretty interesting. Wish I could have talked to him, but he was a bit distracted by something. Two of the parties I attended were at The Mohawk, a pretty rad venue/bar with all sorts of outdoor space and a free flowing bar. Highly recommend going there for some live music.

With any luck I'll be able to return next year. I really think its a great place to get in the know and see whats happening elsewhere in the digital community/industry. Oh, and thanks to Rokkan for sending me along with a few other coworkers.