Code PaLOUsa for Non-Geeks

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Three of our affectionally titled “Geeks” recently attended Code PaLOUsa, otherwise known as several days of software development madness. Judging by the looks of their faces the day after, it was indeed madness. (Meant in the most complementary of ways, of course.) I believe the phrase, “It was awesome but by the end of it I thought my brain was going to explode” was muttered in our office the next morning. Sounds awesome, right? I immediately wanted to know more so I asked all three to send over some takeaways. 16 pages later, I’m still processing all of the information they presented. Should’ve know better.

So, in true “how do we begin to process all this information?” form, I present to you the following word cloud. I know, another flippin’ word cloud, but bear with me here. Take a minute. Take it all in. Seek out to learn what you don’t know as it relates to software development. (JMeter was Greek to me before this exercise. Ok, it still is, but now I actually *know* about it.)

word cloud

Other quickly-digestible takeaways:

  • Gesture recognition and voice control: we’ve only scratched the surface of possibilities.
  • Poor usability = lost revenue.
  • Avoid using the word “agile” as it gives the connotation of chaos. Instead, talk about methodology.
  • Process sketching. Sketch in marker to stop yourself from thinking of too much detail.
  • Free books are always welcome (well, yeah!)



Interesting business cases for UX:

  • When Best Buy added a guest checkout option, as opposed to log-in or create account, they saw a 300 million increase in revenue.

  • In the last 10 years, design-driven companies have outperformed the S&P 500 by 228% (Apple, IBM, Nike, Newell Rubbermaid, Intuit, P&G, Starwood Hotels).

Sarah, Rex and Jerrod – many thanks for sharing this knowledge. Cue the brain explosion. 

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Ed Sharp

Ed brings 15 years of traditional and digital media sales experience to the agency, giving us a perspective most agencies don’t have. When he’s not working or seeking new knowledge, Ed hangs out with his wife, two kids, two dogs, one cat, and a hamster. And yes, the cat and hamster are best friends.

Chaney Given

Chaney is a talented and accomplished designer and illustrator, who has expanded his skill set to include motion graphics and video editing. With nearly a decade of experience, his client work includes Waterstep, Baptist Health, the Archdiocese of Louisville Catholic Schools, First Harrison Bank, and many more