I will be leaving tomorrow morning for Phoenix to attend the 4th Advance for Design Summit. It looks to be interesting and some of the things we will be discussing are: (from the aiga site)

* how do we use the term 'experience design'? to what does it refer?

* who are experience design practitioners and what do they do?

* the value experience design practitioners bring to process and solutions and ultimately, for whom is the experience design community of the AIGA intended?

"The summit's proposition:
1 The summit focuses on digital experience, but we are mindful that design for human experience is not confined to a computer screen. Digital experience supports human beings in the course of their lives and grows out of the full environment of human experience, action, and behavior.

2 We've selected an initial number of titles/roles grouping all the terms that might be used to describe that role (so it doesn't become a nomenclature discussion):

* Design planner, a.k.a. design strategist, etc.

* Brand strategist, a.k.a. brand integrator, etc.

* User researcher...

* Usability specialist...

* Information architect, a.k.a. information designer, etc.

* Interaction designer, a.k.a. software designer, etc.

* Visual systems designer, a.k.a. creative director, etc.

3 For each roles we document
* themes of what we actually do

* themes of what we know or need to know--themes of knowledge

This information will be documented in such a way as to inform
* the standardization of practice knowledge and skills

* the development of undergraduate and graduate curriculum

An experience designer is an integrator
The proposition above suggests that someone who chooses to call themselves an 'experience designer' means that they have expertise in more than one role, and have the ability to integrate a broad range of knowledge with other members of a team.

Summit goals
Capturing this knowledge should provide, near-term, the foundation for the four Experience Design workgroups to deliver on their objectives. Long-term, consistency in messaging and information dissemination to deliver on the objective we've always had for the Advance: 'to establish a new community of design practitioners who are challenged to design for a world that is increasingly digital and connected."

These themes are familiar to the SIGIA group, which has been grappling with some of these same questions. The differences here are that as these themes are discussed and agreed upon, they are put forth to the larger membership at large via the online and printed journals and they become integrated into the collective literature and philosphy of the AIGA. I think this is important to do as we define this branch of design and we see how we, as designers, overlap and learn from the other related and similar disciplines. These articulations help us with clients, with defining what we do to our moms and help us gain credibility as a branch of a real profession. The agenda is an extension - or next step - from what we discussed last year. George Olsen has some thoughts about this as well at his site - Interaction by Design.

Should prove to be interesting and my hope is that the conversations don't degrade into the same circular conversations that we have been having all year at the different conferences, gatherings and on the lists.

I am also excited about the trip, because if things go well, I will be helping with the redesign of the Advance/Experience.AIGA website. Will update as the weekend progresses.