April 2024 Updates
A summary of updates and events from DIA Design Guild for April 2024.
Happy Stress Awareness Month! No, we’re not saying it’s good to be stressed. It’s good to do a check-up on ourselves once in a while and see when we need to take a breather or reconsider our daily habits.
That said, April’s been a busy month for us here at DIA. A bunch of us went to IAC24 and presented posters on the information architecture-related projects they’ve worked on for the past year. We also have more updates on our programs and initiatives.
Don’t forget to take a break, stretch, and drink water!
-Justin Kim, DIA Staff
DIA news
#1: IAC2024 wrap up
IAC24 is a wrap! Our apprentices Alex Forseth, Caroline Craner, Vanya Chun-ling Hsu, and Miguel Castillo presented the projects they’ve been working on at poster night. Accompanying them were our mentors Grace Lau, Julia DeBari, and Sara Bond for a total of 7 DIA members! Sara also presented a poster about her work at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
DIA programs and initiatives
#2: Read Together Book Club update
The Read Together Book Club has commenced for 2024! The first book everyone’s reading together is Storytelling with You: Plan, Create, and Deliver a Stellar Presentation By Cole N. Knaflic.
Learn about how you can improve your storytelling skills without even reading! All you need to do is join the group and tune in. You’re also welcome to take turns reading as well! In-between sections the group takes time to discuss what they’ve just read as well as any questions anyone has.
The Book Club meets on Thursdays every fortnight at 4 PM Pacific / 7 PM Eastern.
Excited? Join the fun and learn a thing or two with us.
#3: Game Club update
Jam #1 for 2024 is going great! Not only did we clean up and reorganize the server a bit but apprentices have also been keeping everyone up-to-date with the progress of their games a/o reviews. The jam theme for the month is Stress Awareness (an intentional coincidence 😉😉) so we’re looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with!
Not familiar with game jams? Here’s an explanation of how DIA’s game Jams work.
#4: Design Resources
Did you know? Julia manages the Design Education Resources database. We’ve been managing this since 2022 and Julia keeps this updated. See the full list.
- Figma Component Checklists - https://figmachecklists.com/
- UX Research Academy (paid) - https://www.userresearchacademy.com/userresearchcourses
- Accessibility and Forms (free) - https://web.dev/learn/accessibility
Events and announcements from communities DIA supports
DIA sends apprentices to help produce and coordinate events from various communities. Along the way, they learn about building roadmaps, communication, and community management.
#5: World IA Cafe
World IA Cafe has resumed! Here’s a quick overview of some of the upcoming events:
- On May 2nd, Susan Koch is presenting What is GrassrootsAI and Why does it matter?
- On May 16th, Malak Sadek is presenting IA x Conversation Design.
- On June 6th, Hailey Reynolds is presenting Unveiling Product Stories: How Esoteric Narratives Shape User Experiences.
- On June 20th, Matthew Conti is presenting Choice Architecture: Micro-Narratives and the Nuances within the Details.
Want to work with DIA?
Projects give our apprentices the opportunity to work on real-world projects, partner with clients and their stakeholders on their needs and goals, and provide a space for them to learn about the intricacies of understanding how to balance information, needs, and intention.
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