Later this month I’ll be in Chicago to speak at WebVisions. I’ll be presenting Championing Contextual Research in Your Organization.
Register online here. Click the link “Enter promotional code” by the Order Now button and enter the code “PORTIGAL” to save 20% on a conference pass.
Let me know if you are going to be there!
More observations from the trip to Barcelona. See part 1 here (and the complete set on Flickr).
Graffiti scarification. At Park Guell, people mark the cactus so future tourists can see that they were there and they were douchebags.
I’m sure I’ve never seen a sign for a detective agency before. But within days of seeing this, I come across a New Yorker article excerpting Mavis Gallant’s diary from Spain, in 1952. She mentions the ubiquity of signs for detective agencies in Barcelona! Who knew?
Gaudi’s Casa Batll??.
Delicious pinxtos.
Recycling depot with a book-exchange rack and a used-clothing-for-charity collection box.
The presentation and form factor of the Jam??n ibérico is sufficiently iconic that you can buy an inflatable non-meat version.
Gestural guidance.
I’m just back from a week in Barcelona for WebVisions, where I led a workshop on fieldwork, synthesis, and ideation, and gave a short talk about championing contextual research within your organization. I’ll be covering similar material coming up in a couple of months at WebVisions Chicago. Meanwhile, I had a bit of time to explore, and found Barcelona to be a beautiful and well-designed city. Here are some sample images, with more to follow in the next day or so (and the complete set on Flickr).
Bounty at La Boqueria market.
Pedestrian safety warning placed in context, as you step from the sidewalk into the street.
Obama British Africa Gin and Rum. Odd description here.
Stickers on the corrugated metal doors pulled down when a business is closed advertise what I assumed was a taxi services but in fact is for locksmiths. Why are locksmith services advertised with such verve?
Gaudi’s La Sagrada Fam??lia, under construction since 1882. Astonishing, even from the outside.
Known in the US as Ice Age: Continental Drift.
Marketing for something via Facebook.
A very modern cinema structure, down by the water, where all the buildings are new and ultra modern. While the whole place is a delicious mix of old and new, classic and modern, this area went just a bit too far into Mall. While this building is gorgeous, its siting and overall vibe is dehumanizing.
Not a ton to report this week
Next week I’m off to Barecelona to speak at WebVisions. In collaboration with Kelly Goto, I’ll be running a workshop called Synthesis to Ideation:Making Research Real.
In this hands-on workshop, insight strategists Steve Portigal and Kelly Goto will lead you through a fast-paced, engaging workshop with one requirement: Rethink your research approach and implement new frameworks for collection and synthesis of findings — to create actionable artifacts and outcomes for the real world.
I’ve been leading workshops like this a lot over the past few years, but I’m really excited about the collaboration with Kelly; our approaches are generally aligned but different in interesting ways and we’re using that creative tension to give our participants a broader perspective.
If you’re interested in signing up, use registration code PORTIGAL for a 40% discount.
I’ll also be presenting Championing Contextual Research in Your Organization during the conference itself.
I hope to see you there!