Techcomm lessons from UXcampCPH barcamp | Kai's Tech Writing ...

Two big lessons I take away from attending last week?s UXcampCPH, Copenhagen?s ?un-conference? on user experience, are:

• Tech comm?ers and UX?ers can and should join forces because we have essentially the same goals.
• Barcamps can be a fantastic alternative to conventional conferences.

While the 270 attendees were a mixed bunch, to be sure, I met only about a handful of technical communicators like myself. So what was it like to be a tech comm?er among hundreds of UX professionals, graphic designers, information architects, web designers, etc.?

Barcampers hanging out between sessions at Copenhagen?s IT University; photo by @andersmn

So close, and yet so far apart

I frequently heard the question: What does a technical communicator actually do? The answer ?Write documentation? proved confusing because that meant to some the documentation of a UX project. ?Writing user manuals and online help? was satisfactory, but apparently not an obvious answer?

That?s a pity because at heart UX and tech comm share a gommon goals: We both make products mean something to customers. We just do it in different ways: UX?ers design the actual experience. Tech comm?ers help the user along with additional instructional, background, and technical information, when necessary.

If tech comm?s user assistance is embedded in UX?s user interface we actually blur the boundary: User assistance can start with UX field labels and progressively disclose more documentation via tool tips to a full-blown help system.

We even have an external reason to join forces as we both occasionally suffer from similar misperceptions when it comes to the value we add. The varieties of our achievements often goes unnoticed outside our respective fields, as the clich? goes: ?Everyone can draw / write??

What makes a barcamp special?

A barcamp tries to avoid many of the hierarchical pitfalls of conventional conferences. It emphasizes participation and networking over listening and consumption. The general motto is ?You are the barcamp? ? and the program is built at the beginning of event when potential speakers pitch their ideas for sessions. Depending on the number of votes from attendees, speakers get a spot on the program.

At UXcampCPH, everybody got to speak: Of approximately 270 participants, there were only 16 pitchers for the 24 session slots. The event was a bit special in that they invited 3 keynote speakers ? which often isn?t done at barcamps to stress the egalitarian, participatory vibe. But in Copenhagen, the keynotes worked well by bringing everyone onto the same page (see my previous post of session summaries).

UXcampCPH participants pitching their sessions; photo by @JohannaBlomgren

Here?s how I would compare features:

Conferences vs. Barcamps

• Primary tool: Laptop vs. iPhone
• Communication artefact: Business cards vs. twitter handle
• Networking over drinks opportunity: Drinks reception vs. pitchers of beer
• Food: Banquet buffet vs. organic soup kitchen
• Location: Conference hotel/convention center vs. university lecture halls
• Sponsors? presence: Trade exhibition vs. brand exposure via room names & swag

If you know more reasons why tech comm and UX should join forces ? or what distinguishes barcamps from conferences ? feel free to leave a comment!

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Filed under: conferences, technical communication, usability, user experience, users

Source: http://kaiweber.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/techcomm-lessons-from-a-ux-barcamp-uxcampcph/

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