My minuscule slice of SXSW Sydney
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I attended (a small portion of) SXSW Sydney. At first I was completely overwhelmed by the abundant program, the vast array of topics, the sprawl of venues and the app that was unpleasant to wrangle. Once I settled into the swing of ‘South by’, I was able to enjoy absorbing the content. What an eclectic mix of creative minds in one place!
Here is how SXSW made me feel.
I felt seen listening to Mia Freedman, Dr Ginny Mansberg, Naomi Watts and Alison Brahe-Daddo talk very openly about menopause and it’s 52 official symptoms! It’s reassuring that there are women like this researching and writing about it, and creating products for it (vag of honour hydrating gel), so that women don’t have to suffer through this phase alone and unsupported.
I felt in awe of Peter Garrett, who was interviewed by the entertaining Osher Gunsberg. What a wise man who has done so much in his time. They talked about the fine line between empathy and entitlement or envy. Is this what happened at the referendum…not enough people sitting in empathy?
I felt aligned to Nicole Kidman talking about only wanting to work with people who she would like to sit down and have dinner with. Life is too short!
I felt like an imposter in the front row for the interview with Chance the Rapper. Although now I know who he is and he was surprisingly insightful. “You gotta go outside, feel and touch the people.” Just like in user research!
I felt inspired by the amazing minds of CSIRO scientists at Hello 2050, what’s on the menu, hosted by Rove. Professor Michelle Colgrave is inventing new sustainable food types for the future, while Sinead Golley conducts user research to find out how palatable we find protein from new sources such as from insects and plants.
“I felt reassured listening to the design panels, that we are doing all the right things in our own work, our processes, our design … stay current; be flexible, be uncomfortable, start with the knowledgeable stakeholders as proxies to end users.”
I felt excited by the concepts of Justice-centred design, and community-led design, discussed by the Australia’s Next Giant Leap panel. These ideas are bigger than the ‘user’, calling for more thought and wider enquiry.
I felt grateful I had the means to get a ticket to attend. Appreciative of the people who took the time to organise the event and of those who presented. I am energized to continue doing what I love - designing with people in health, disability, and community sectors.
