Age of the Alchemist: A D&D Approach to UX Design

#sxsw #brandux

ATTENTION: You must signup in advance to attend this workshop. You will need to have a valid SXSW badge, and an activated SXsocial account. To reserve your seat, please go here: https://sup.sxsw.com/schedule/IAP24635

Today, brands need, and want to place the consumer at the center of all marketing activity. However, maintaining consistency and ensuring the greatest brand expression possible means getting specialists from multiple disciplines, and agencies on the same page. This integration is easy in theory, but incredibly challenging in practice.

The solution: Age of the Alchemist, a Dungeon Masters approach to designing brand experiences.

At the intersection of brand communication and UX design lies "Communications Alchemy" a methodology of transforming forgettable experiences into meaningful ones using agility, charisma and wisdom. While "Communications Alchemy" might be new to Advertising & Marketing, it is old news to fans of RPG such as Dungeons & Dragons. By taking cues from this immersive game and leveraging dynamic technologies of today, we can foster better consumer connections by delivering personalized, tangible, and rewarding experiences.

Prerequisites:
- None.

What to Bring:
- Materials will be provided.

Presenters

Tyler Wilson

Sr Planner

DDB California

Tyler Wilson is a Senior Planner at DDB California. He has a passion for combining the traditional craft of brand planning with the technologies of today to provide more meaningful brand experiences. The head of DDB California’s Innovation Initiative, Tyler drives agency connections between key technology, media and platform partners. Building upon this experience, he has lead panels and workshops at South by Southwest, Internet Week and Social Media Week. In addition, he has been a guest lecturer for brand management courses at Miami Ad School, Georgetown and University of Maryland.

Previously, he worked as a Sr. Digital Strategist for Tribal DDB and served as the 2011 San Francisco AdTech Agency Ambassador. His portfolio of work extends across consumer packaged goods, finance and technology categories. Before joining Tribal DDB, Tyler served leadership roles at several corporate communications strategy agencies.

An avid surfer and lifelong outdoorsman, Tyler once boasted that he was an Eagle Scout on his resume – only to find out that the nickname “Cub Scout” is not something that you want following you into the office everyday.

Vincent Higgins

Exec Dir, UX

DDB California

Over the past 15+ years Vincent has been involved in every aspect of digital design as it relates to product development, communication design and marketing. Starting his career on Madison Avenue with Y&R as an Art Director, his early knowledge of web technologies and development quickly lured him into the start up world. As the dotcom bubble burst, and agencies digitally matured, Vincent returned to help drive strategic platform development and marketing as it relates to customer experience and acquisition.

His experience ranges from building B2B platforms for Exxon Mobile to first generation social networking for MTV TV shows (Yo Momma, Dance.MTV, Short Circuitz). Regardless of the project, there is always one thing in common, his belief that simplicity is beauty in all design contexts.