FileMaker Design Studios Scheduled for Oakland

Here comes the event for Filemaker Developers : Design Studio June 4 – 6 in Oakland California. This three day training will be lead by veteran FileMaker Developer’s Conference Speaker, Don Levan, President of Vanguard Custom Software and Founder of the Craft of FileMaker. Attendees will learn a formal process and set of practices for designing exceptional applications and interfaces.

FileMaker Design Studios Scheduled for Oakland The Craft of FileMaker announced they will be hosting their next Design Studio for FileMaker Developers June 4th – 6th in Oakland, California. This intensive, three day, learning experience will be lead by veteran FileMaker Developer’s Conference Speaker Don Levan, President of Vanguard Custom Software and Founder of the Craft of FileMaker.

The Design Studio:
      Whether they have been developing software for 20-years, or are just getting started, attendees will learn a formal process and set of practices for designing exceptional applications and interfaces during this three-day experiential studio.

Day 1: Discovery & Specification:

  • Creating project briefs
  • Conducting design research
  • Deriving requirements from personas and scenarios

Day 2: Framework Definition:

  • Storyboarding user flows
  • Creating lo-fidelity sketches and prototypes
  • Usability testing designs

Day 3: Detail Design & Review:

  • Using feedback to improve the solution
  • Creating a style guide
  • Polishing the interface

Ten FileMaker Inc. staff have attended the Design Studio. Jesse Barnum, President of 360Works, had this to say of the The Design Studio,

Quoting  begins This workshop really helped us in the design of the document check-in screen of DocuBin. After implementing what we learned, we simplified, re-worded, and rearranged the buttons so that the result of each choice is much more obvious. It’s little touches like this that make any software appealing, both to look at and to use. Quoting  ends

How can learning this design process help developers?

Developing Scenarios, utilizing constraints, lo-fidelity sketching, finding design patterns, prototyping, usability testing…each of these practices helps a developer turn initial ideas into fantastic solutions. When these practices are put together in a repeatable process, a developer can reliably produce great work while saving money and delivering on time. They also foster cooperation with their clients and users, and sell better projects.

Who is teaching this course?

Dr. Don Levan, President of Vanguard Custom Software and the founder of The Design Studio is a software designer, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, FileMaker Certified Developer, and former photojournalist. Dr. Levan has spoken at the past three FileMaker Developer Conferences and has provided design consulting to FileMaker, Inc.

What are past attendees saying?

  • “This course is a must-have for all serious developers.” – Paul Spafford, FM Layoutmode online.
  • “This workshop changed the way I work forever!” – Marty Thomasson, Gearbox Solutions
  • “Absolutely fantastic material, professionally delivered.” – James Hea, Project Manager, FileMaker Systems at HSBC Bank Bermuda Limited
  • “I would wholeheartedly recommend this workshop to any serious FileMaker developer trying to bring the best user experience possible to his or her clients.” – Richard Carlton, President of Carlton Consulting, Platinum member of the FileMaker Business Alliance
  • “This workshop provided clear and tangible examples and exercises that engaged us to rethink how we approach requirements gathering and dovetail that into intentional system design.” – Adam Aronson, President of FullCity Consulting, Platinum member of the FileMaker Business Alliance
  • “The workshop was fun and stimulating and will raise the game of those who care about designing databases at the highest level… I learned a lot in a short time.” – Doug Gardner, President of Exoteric, Six-time speaker at the FileMaker Developer’s Conference
  • “It’s a ‘must do’ for FileMaker developers who do not have a background in formal software development. It will save them and their clients much time and aggravation if they apply the process presented in the workshop. Otherwise, they will repeatedly re-invent the common mistakes inherent in a free-form design development process.” – Dale Stuart, Ph.D., Sc.D., President, CEO, StarQuick Solutions, Inc., Makers of TheraQuick
  • “The Design Studio introduced me to a workable process, enabling me to understand clients’ problems more thoroughly, and design solutions more effectively.” – Barb Levine, President of Microserve, LLC, Platinum member of the FileMaker Business Alliance
  • “The design studio helped me approach things in a different way that forced me to actually think outside the box. I think it is giving me a better product for the client at the end of the day. It’s a great class.” – Allan Mowat, President, Nevis Associates, Inc.

What does The Design Studio cost?

Registration for the Studio is $1,499.00 USD. Attendees can receive a $300 discount if they register early. For more information about the discount, please visit The Design Studio’s homepage.

What else do attendees need to know?

The Studio will run from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptop computers. Paper, sharpies, sticky notes, and six-up templates will be provided. Participants will receive a recommended reading list in advance of the Studio. Participants are responsible for their own meals.

Where is The Design Studio being held?

March 5 – 7, 2013, Oakland, CA – Hosted by Beezwax

The Design Studio is being hosted by Beezwax in their beautiful new offices in downtown Oakland:

200 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza — 7th Floor

Oakland, California
Category: business, event, database, FileMaker, productivity

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The Craft of FileMaker is a service of Vanguard Custom Software. Vanguard’s mission is to design simple solutions which solve complex problems. They incorporate software development best practices, interaction design, and cognitive psychology to create data-driven applications and websites that are efficient for business and easy for people. Copyright (C) 2013 Vanguard Custom Software, LLC. All Rights Reserved. FileMaker is a trademark of FileMaker, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.