Brief Gel 2006 recap

May 11, 2006

I'm just beginning to catch up post-Gel, but several attendees have already posted their reports of the event:

- Khoi Vinh, NYT.com design chief, on Friday in the theater...
http://www.subtraction.com/archives/2006/0508_on_the_secon.php

...and on Thursday's "Day 1" events:
http://www.subtraction.com/archives/2006/0504_a_gel_of_a_c.php

- Scott Berkun ("Gel is my favorite design conference"):
http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/?p=268

- Steve Hoffman:
http://hoffman.blogs.com/tales/2006/05/gel_again.html

- Christopher Herot:
http://herot.typepad.com/cherot

- Annette Kramer's notes on several sessions:
http://learninglaboratory.blogspot.com

- Kareem Mayan, who made our Day 1 slideshow:
http://tinyurl.com/rztzu

- Lisa Sulgit:
http://tinyurl.com/k4srb

- Sarah Endline, founder of sweetriot:
http://blog.sweetriot.com/blog/2006/05/gel_great_think.html

- Steve Sherlock:
http://p4tgce.blogspot.com/2006/05/gel-2006-summary.html and http://hgttb.blogspot.com

- Martin Hardee describes Erin McKean:
http://tinyurl.com/ohpae

I'm also compiling feedback I've gotten in e-mail from several hundred attendees and will post a compilation on the Gel site soon... and I hope to have the DVD done within a few weeks.

As I wrote the attendees already, I felt like I was speaking to friends from the stage. Thanks to everyone for being there.

Finally, one more quick recollection from the end of the event.

Just after the final speaker at Gel 2006, one attendee approached me to give his (positive) feedback on the event. "I feel a little guilty about being here at Gel," he said. "I should be at work, but instead I find that I'm have a very personally fulfilling experience here." I pointed out that that was an interesting distinction.

For the same reason, I was happy to hear Ji Lee get a cheer from the Gel audience when he said he started the Bubble Project because he was tired of being unfulfilled at work. There really is something to this "good experience" idea, and it's a lot bigger than marketing or "eyeballs" or usability... after all, it shouldn't have to be lifeless or dull to be a "real job". To the contrary - learning about good experience, by having a good experience, is the best professional development I can think of.

(P.S. Read more about Ji Lee in my recent interview with him here:)
http://www.goodexperience.com/blog/archives/000594.php

(P.P.S. Geoffrey Canada and Harlem Children's Zone are scheduled to
be featured on 60 Minutes this Sunday, May 14.)

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