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The submission period for UXPA2020 has now closed

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Brand new for UXPA International 2020 we’re introducing the Deep Dive level. To find out more we sat down with the topic chair Danielle Cooley.

Why have UXPA decided to create a deep dive level?

Having more advanced content for experienced practitioners has been feedback we’ve received about UXPA conferences for several years. In the past, we’ve had an “Advanced Practitioner” track, but as the field broadened, it’s necessary for that to evolve. A practitioner could be highly advanced in one topic (e.g., user research) but have very little experience in another (e.g., graphic design). We realized it was the topic, not the practitioner, that needed the “advanced” label. “Deep Dives” seemed like a good name for it – instead of broad, surface-level discussions about a topic, expectations would be set for presenters to be able to cover topics in greater detail.

What’s the purpose of a deep dive session?

Deep Dive sessions are intended to cover more detailed or nuanced aspects of a topic. Given the time constraints of a typical session, this means the topic will have to be a very narrow or specific one. Going deep into “usability testing” would take months, for example, but carefully discussing the pros and cons of specific wording of a usability test introductory briefing could be covered in the time we have. (Pre-conference courses have even more time and can accommodate some more breadth accordingly.)

Do you have examples of the kind of proposals you’re looking for?

Submitters should be unapologetic about the intensity of their content and, if accepted, present accordingly. One example from past conferences would be Chauncey Wilson’s “Simple Widgets and Deep Knowledge: Deconstructing the Text Field Widget” Ignite talk from UXPA 2011, which went into great detail about things like the size of the field, visual treatment, label case and alignment, microcopy, and more. Rolf Molich’s “Expert Reviews – For Experts” and Caroline Jarrett’s “Surveys in User Experience” courses (both UXPA 2014) were also specifically advanced topics. As Caroline said in her description for that session – “Expect to be challenged.”

If you have a great idea for a deep dive session we can’t wait to hear from you