Vote for Me @SxSW 2012 Panel Picker: Brains, Games & Design

SxSW (South By Southwest or ‘South By’ if you’re on a first name basis), is a music, film, and interactive media conferences held annually in Austin, Texas.  It is more accurately called a celebration than a conference.  It has grown exponentially because it brings together a fascinatingly diverse group in all senses of the word–artists, thinkers, and doers from across industries around the globe.  The energy from that diversity of talent, backgrounds, and worldviews is tremendous.  If that isn’t enough for you, there is also an avalanche of exciting digital gear between the tech-intense audience and the displays at the Sponsor booths not to mention the quality of BBQ and margaritas.

For 2012, SxSW runs from Friday, March 9 through Sunday, March 18; nine-days that encompass three events (or one really large one, depending upon your interests)  SXSW Interactive Festival, SXSW Film Conference and Festival and SXSW Music and Media Conference.  Although it dates back to 1987 and the initial focus was on music and film, the advent of social media and gaming popularity have caused the Interactive section to grow at warp speed.  In 2011, there were an estimated 20,000 attendees in Interactive alone.  The sessions run during the day and then the parties take over.

The speakers and performers are selected partly by the SxSW staff, partly by the advisory board, and partly by the public through a voting mechanism called the ‘panel picker.’

Last year, I participated on a panel called “Can the Internet Make You Happy?” thanks to Anastasia Goodstein.   It was a lot of fun.  This year my presentation proposal to the Interactive Festival is called “Brains, Games & the Consequences of Design.” And, shameless plug, I need votes. 

My presentation is a way to get media psychology into the greater global consciousness.  I will discuss the “how” of  good user experience from a psychological point of view.  This includes stuff like how design translates into what users actually experience and how people can make sure that what they design is what the audience really wants.  My goal is to take the audience on a journey, breaking down the psychology of user experience. We will follow information as it goes in through the senses, fires up the neurons in the brain, gets converted from electrical sparks to meaning, and is translated into emotion, experience and behavior. The science of neurocognition and positive psychology unlock the mysteries of attention, engagement, image, story, flow, meaning and pleasure. We will break this down further into the primary drivers of effective, more successful, and more rewarding and pleasurable interactive media on any device. The takeaway is an increased understanding of how to improve the effectiveness of your interface, apps, games, marketing and advocacy campaigns, educational initiatives, or entertainment projects.  Not to mention, the ability to transform lives and society through interactive media.

Here are the driving questions:

• What turns interactive media into an engaging or ‘flow’ experience?
• How does cognitive processing influence design and messages?
• Why are brains social?
• Why are stories and images powerful information delivery systems?
• How does technology create intrinsic motivation?

To vote, go to http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ and register (it’s free and a voting control mechanism.)  Then go to “Brains, Games & the Consequences of Design” at http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/12672 and give me a thumbs up!