SSMX which is the acronym for Stockholm Social Media eXchange is aiming toward UX on this fourth and upcoming event on the 31st of januari and 1st of february. To tease you all I asked Per Axbom, Web Strategist & Experience Designer @ Axbom Innovation AB, some question about himself and his keynote.
This is Per Axbom
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your digital passion?
I started out with computers in 1982, and pretty soon I was perplexing teachers with homework turned in on dot matrix printed paper. The magic of digital has been a compulsion and way of life.
As an avid writer and school paper editor my first acquaintance with the Internet in the mid-90s hypnotized me, literally gave entry to a new world, and allowed me to bring together my talents of programming, design and writing into a tantalizing world of sharing, networking and learning.
Having lived and gone to school in four countries on three different continents a driving force of both my writing and communication has always been to break down barriers and do my bit in creating more open communication and understanding for the benefit of human well-being.
The Internet and our ever-increasing array of digital tools for transparent communication helps me reach out and spark fruitful conversations in a way that simply enchants me.
And whilst explanation is a skill, explanation on the Internet is like fireworks: You can create stunning effects and visuals but it can also get a bit out of control. UX for me is partly about taming the digital beast.
2. You want to kill the myth around UX being a expertise role – can you give three examples of what everyone can think about combining communication and UX?
i) There is a tendency to draw parallells between UX and user-friendly interfaces. It isn’t that simple or elegant. It is, in fact, a lot messier.
ii) Many see the act of asking users what they want as a central part of UX. Really, most users are quite unaware of what they want and need. But of course, don’t tell the users I said that.
iii) Although many would love for UX to be something you can check of on a list or perform in a week or two of a project, UX can’t be timeframed. Actually, once you start you can’t really finish.
3. In your own words – how are you gonna mesmerize us tomorrow at SSMX?
I want to share war stories from the UX trenches and give each and every participant a new superpower.
See you at #SSMX14
Who doesn´t want superpowers! I for sure gonna sit in the crowd and listen to Per. First when I read about the event going UX I must say I was very skeptical. But then it grew on me and tomorrow I for sure will be on my toes for how to progress combinations of communication and UX. The marriage between those two aspects tickles my curiosity the most. There´s still time to buy a ticket for the unconference if you like! Follow the link down the rabbit hole to #SSMX14 and I meet you there!
