It looks like the tech and creative community has once again responded to the Seattle Interactive Conference – or SIC.

With less than three days until the first keynote, the conference borders on selling out. If you are still looking to snag a ticket, you may have some luck here.

Timely Topics from A – Z

To the uninitiated, SIC brings together nearly 170 speakers who touch on topics ranging from augmented reality to workplace culture. In fact, more than 140 sessions fill the agenda that stretches over two days.

Additionally, SIC makes sure you have plenty of time for networking in between. Meetups, portfolio reviews, and, of course, parties are all part of this capacious conference.

Ultimately, SIC says they want to send you away inspired and empowered. By the look of the 2019 speaker line-up, you should be well on your way.

Seattle Interactive Conference

October 17-18
The Conference Center at the Washington State Convention Center
Tickets: $199 – $649
Limited tickets available here.

Sample speakers and sessions provided by SIC

Creativity Solves Everything. Chase and Cal get after it again.

Last year this session was about discovering passions and identifying barriers. This year, it’s all about Creative Calling. Cal and Chase will get into Chase’s new book of the same title, and talk about using a handbook to establish a creative practice and cultivating life’s most important skill- using creativity. All the time. Come with questions. It took 2.5 hours to answer them all last year, and almost everyone stayed until the conference was literally disassembled around them.

Chase Jarvis
Artist + Founder, CreativeLive
Cal McAllister
Founder, Paper Crane Factory

Dealing with Squidwards
(aka, “People Who Don’t Care about the UX Process”)

Surely you remember Squidward Tentacles, the grumpy octopus-like guy from Spongebob Squarepants? Well, like a lot of product managers, coders, and marketing folks, Squidward’s self-absorption made it impossible for him to appreciate the roles of the other people in his world. You know what we’re saying?

There are a lot Squidwards out there in tech these days, and if you’re trying to collaborate with one of them, it can be exasperating. But there are definitely ways to make sure UX gets a seat at the table. It’s even possible to convince the seemingly unconvinced that the user experience process can synthesize the needs of all those other roles to help deliver a better end product. We’ll talk about it, and give you some tips you can take back to work tomorrow. Is this hard? Well, sure, a little. But, as Spongebob would say, “You don’t need a license to drive a sandwich.”

Kristen Kite
Interaction Design, Google

Growing as a Designer: How to Master a Craft in 100 Days

Have you ever wondered how to learn a new craft? In this session, Tiantian will share her knowledge on mastering a new craft using the 100-day-project format. You will learn about how to set up a daily routine, apply deliberate practice, and eventually become a better designer in 100 days.

Tiantian Xu
Senior Product Designer, Uber

Your Content In the Wild

Join leading outdoor brands REI, FILSON and WAHOO as they share their approach to earning the trust of brand users by aligning their brand ethos with their consumer’s progressive expectations. The result is a loyal, empowered community sharing their experiences, and producing authentic, lasting content.
 
Katrina Mentor
Manager, Social Strategy and Community Engagement, Filson
Doug Thielen
Director of Marketing, Filson
James Van Leuven
Program Manager, Digital Publishing, REI Co-op
Matthew Porter
Digital Content Director, Wahoo Fitness

What Do We Lose When It’s Easy to Use?

Good UX is commonly associated with clarity and ease of use, but it also contributes to a homogenization of design and experience. An alternate approach to user experience treats design as a way to communicate ideas through form, rather than as merely a tool for conversion. What Do We Lose When It’s Easy to Use will consider the emergence of standardized UX patterns, critique the relative value of “frictionless design,” and develop a criteria that UX and interactive designers can use to consider when inefficient design patterns are most appropriate.

Andy Pressman
Principal, Rumors