Co-founder and veteran speaker of Big Design explain why UX matters to designers, Sabre and the entire world of creators.
Brian Sullivan, a usability manager at Sabre, saw the need to create a conference for the problem-solvers in the world. His vision led to the inception of Big Design, a conference for user experience champions, developers, content strategists, gamers and filmmakers alike.
Originally conceived in 2008, nearly 1,000 invigorating minds from 27 U.S. states and six countries converge on Big Design every year to network, learn and share ideas across the brightest minds in the local Dallas design scene.
Of the many topics covered at Big Design, user experience (UX) is what has garnered the most attention around the event. As a company dedicated to providing top-notch usability in every technology solution we produce, Sabre is proud to be a sponsor the event and the ideas that it spurs. User preferences are constantly evolving; it’s more important than ever to immerse our team members in the freshest UX ideas generated from these types of gatherings. It’s also a great way to personally connect with top design talent that would be a great fit for the Sabre team.
“Having the right content, at the right time, in the right way results in some of the best user experiences you can get”, Brian explained. “Of course, the creative side of a solution is important, but you have to consider the evaluative side too”. Brian cites this as the reason why he focused on research in his book, The Design Studio Method: Creative Problem Solving with UX Sketching. “In his new book, Responsive Web Design Toolkit: Hammering Websites into Shape, Ken Tabor does a great job of elaborating about how technically-minded designers can create digital objects that lead to unique user insights. This ultimately leads to better products”, Brian explains. “Before you even start on strategy, the problem should be addressed, which can only be done by examining analytics. UX is about making things easier to use and easier to learn while helping people.”
Ken Tabor is a faithful attendee and speaker at Big Design, and a principal software developer for Sabre. His new book illustrates how UX designers can use analytics and observations and turn them into products that users love. “We’re at a point where software tools are widely available. This makes it easier than ever before for an engineer to launch something amazing in just one day. User experience has become the ultimate product differentiator”, Ken explained. “People have a choice in what they use. They’re going to choose something that’s intuitive, functional and reliable.”
Ken will be speaking about the evolution of site design at Big Design this year. “I made a promise to Brian four years ago that I would always bring my best material to Big D. This year is no different—I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned with the group”, Ken said.
The Sabre team will share their knowledge in other event talks, including The seven deadly sins of a design leader, Secrets of minimum viable prototyping, Languages in IOS applications, and First-year experiences of being a UX professional.
If you or someone you know who’s looking for their big next career opportunity, Big Design should definitely be on your calendar. The Sabre recruiting team will be team will be in full force, looking for others who share a passion for vital technology, fresh thinking and global opportunities. As our focus on user experience across Sabre solutions continues to increase, so does the search for top UX talent.
Brian’s vision for Big Design is to create a community that embraces that same notion. “If we can turn strangers into teammates, if we can propel someone’s dream with a small piece of data, if we can create an “a-ha!” moment from one interaction, then we’ve succeeded in the Big Design mission.”
Big Design is on September 17-19. On-site registration will be available at the conference. Come share the experience.