For Immediate Release
ARLINGTON, MA (U.S.)—February 6, 2009— Involution Studios, a software design consultancy headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, announced they will host a free industry event in their Boston-area studio later this month. Titled “Sex, Money & Storytelling,” the event features the talent of industry luminaries Kevin Brooks and Whitney Quesenbery, who are writing a book on storytelling for user experience publishing house Rosenfeld Media. It is scheduled for Saturday February 28 from 10 to noon at Involution’s downtown Arlington studio location.
“One of our motivations here in Boston is to give back and, in the process, expand the local user experience community” said Dirk Knemeyer, CEO of Involution Studios. “This event is the first step. We were fortunate that Kevin, Whitney and Rosenfeld Media - not to mention local industry non-profit groups, most notably the IxDA - also were eager to donate their considerable time and efforts to this. It is going to be an outstanding event.”
“Sex, Money & Storytelling” is based on core content from Brooks’ and Quesenbery’s upcoming book, “Storytelling for User Experience Design.” The content is based around a three part progression: showing the importance of storytelling to the user experience, illustrating where and how through the user experience process storytelling can play an important role, and finally discussing the craft of storytelling and how to apply those skills in application.
“Rosenfeld Media is thrilled to support Kevin and Whitney’s efforts to bring storytelling to the fore,” said Lou Rosenfeld, Founder and Publisher of Rosenfeld Media. “Storytelling is largely untapped by user experience professionals despite offering tremendous power as a tool for persuasion, illumination and explanation. This event at Involution, a preview of much of the key content from the book, will give the attendees valuable tools they can immediately apply in their jobs and to the benefit of their career.”
Brooks is a Principle Staff Researcher/Technology Storyteller at Motorola, Inc. where he has worked for 10 years. His previous employers include Apple Computer and a research arm of Mitsubishi. Brooks has enjoyed various appointments during his career, participating in leadership groups for a wide range of industries including virtual reality, gaming, multimedia and, of course, storytelling. He earned a Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and also holds an M.A. in Film Production from Stanford University and B.S. in Communications from Drexel University.
Quesenbery is a user researcher and usability specialist with a passion for clear communication. As principal consultant for Whitney Interactive Design, she works with companies around the world such as the Open University and National Cancer Institute to create websites and applications that are useful and usable. She is a past President of the Usability Professionals Association (UPA) and also played key leadership roles for the Society for Technical Communication (STC) and the User Experience Network (UXnet), the latter for which she was a co-founder. In a past life Quesenbery was a theatrical lighting designer, and graduated from Bryn Mawr College.
“Kevin and Whitney are the experts when it comes to storytelling in our industry” said Lisa deBettencourt, Co-Leader of IxDA Boston. “For user experience in general, and interaction design in particular, storytelling is not only a useful tool, but it provides user strategies and an empathetic approach to the creation process. We look forward to helping them spread these ideas and methods here in our local community.”
About Rosenfeld Media
Rosenfeld Media publishes short, practical, and useful books and webinars on user experience design. Our products explain the design and research methods that web professionals need to make informed decisions. For more information visit rosenfeldmedia.com or contact Lou Rosenfeld, lou@rosenfeldmedia.com.
About IxDA Boston
The Interaction Design Association (IxDA) is a member-supported organization committed to serving the needs of the international interaction design community. The Boston chapter cultivates an active local community and hosts or sponsors events on a roughly monthly basis. For more information please contact Lisa deBettencourt, boston.ixda@gmail.com.
About Involution Studios
Involution is a software services firm headquartered in Boston. We deploy small and experienced teams to create or redesign complex digital products. Our client list includes Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, McAfee, Shutterfly, PayPal, and Yahoo.
For more information please contact Dirk Knemeyer, dirk@goinvo.com or +1 408 387 3690.