It’s been a few years since my last webDU so this year’s conference was a reunion of sorts with familiar faces, friends and dear old colleagues. I should point out that as a daemonite alumni I was a guest, so yes I am biased and I do think this conference is awesome. The staging was great, the food better and the speakers stellar. Did I mention there was ice-cream?

There is no point in me sharing the 16 pages of notes I took over he 2 days—that would be a pretty tedious conference review. So, what I thought I would do is share the reasons you might want to follow up on the session slide deck and speaker profile. So here goes …

Terry Ryan, Adobe, Keynote Day 1 and Semantic HTML
Reason to click

• Get a taste for how Adobe is bridging the divide between web and print technologies for both makers and consumers and a preview for what they are pitching to the W3C.
• Slidedeck
• Adobe’s HTML labs
• Page Region examples
• A device simulator that recognises nearby connected devices: Adobe Shadow
• Adobe acquisition Phonegap — rebuilding apps in HTML
• http://builtwith.com/
• Presentations in the browser
• http://diveintohtml5.org
• http://html5doctor.com
• http://diveintohtml5.org/semantics.html
• http://wufoo.com/html5
• http://diveintohtml5.org/forms.html
• http://caniuse.com

Shane Morris on Microsoft’s Metro design language
Reason to click

• One of my conference highlights – a look of Microsoft’s Metro design language using the critical frameworks of art/design history, visual perception and HCI.
• Challenge your notions on UI affordance.
• Realise the importance of the panorama and the unseen on the right of the screen.
• See for yourself if Microsoft is on the comeback trail.
• http://www.slideshare.net/shanemo/metro-design-language-webdu
• Metro edge swipes – no affordance – video of someone giving it to their dad.

John Bristowe – Make awesome web
Reason to click

• A great session especially as it was a last minute fill in for a sick speaker. Been reading about the capabilities of HTML5? See it in cutting edge action.
• http://makeawesomeweb.com/
• http://html5please.com/
• http://css3.com/
• 39 Box Shadows, no good reason

Alex Danila (Google) – on the new shiny of HTML 5
Reason to click

• Updates on new attributes and native applications of HTML 5: camera, microphone and more.
• <canvas>

Mia Horrigan – The unsubscribed: designing for conversion
Reason to click

• A case study on turning a social media strategy into social organisation strategy.
• Valuable stats, references and reference frameworks.
• http://www.slideshare.net/miahorri/unsubscribed-designing-for-conversion

Dale Rankine – Mr Spock! Consumerise the enterprise
Reason to click

• A framework for how to consider the design of applications for mobile devices for enterprise use
• http://blog.cloudsherpas.com/mobility/dale-rankin-of-cloud-sherpas-mobility-presents-consumerizing-the-enterprise-at-webdu-2012/

Marcus Shappi– the internet of things
Reason to click

• Not only a presentation on cool stuff connected to the internet (watches, sensors, toys, thermometers …) but a case study of funding adventures and lean start up MVP. Brilliant presentation.
• http://ninjablocks.com/
• http://arduino.cc/
• http://littlebirdelectronics.com/
• www.pachube.com
• g.co/projectglass
• The nest
• Withings
• Pebble
• http://www.fitbit.com/

Matthew Hodgson – The trouble with time travel
Reason to click

• Case studies on two different agile project frameworks and the lessons learned in using them to create collaboration between UXers and developers.
• Follow up for user workshop/design research  ideas.
• Slidedeck

Of course, the above is just my view of the conference. I’m not a developer so if you want to follow up on the techier talks check out the the webDU site. I also have neglected to divulge the hilarity of Dmitry Baranovskiy’s you’re just not doing it right JavaScript comments on the speaker round table and the inspirational and thoughtful Colin James day 2 keynote. That deserves a blog post all to itself.

Until next year.