The Who, What, Where and Why of Effective User Meetings

Attending next month’s ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX)? Mark your calendar for our discussion of The Who, What, Where and Why of Effective User Meetings on Thursday, 10/30.

Effective engagement with user groups is a key to a successful design process. In the initial stages of design, it is critical to identify the key decision makers, establish collective expectations, and develop a clear presentation method to achieve design buy-in. Dominant personality types and personal interests can shape a user group dynamic and lead to missed opportunities. A lack of understanding of architectural plans and elevations can create obstacles to users feeling fully invested in the design process. Using real examples primarily from healthcare and science research projects, the panelists will discuss strategies that can be applied at different stages of the project and across program types. Design Process – discuss how designers can engage users actively and empower them to contribute collaboratively to the project, and demonstrate latest interactive tools that are highly dynamic in communicating ideas and soliciting feedback Expectations Management — how to achieve the optimal group dynamics and confidence within the limitations of time and budget Decision Making — outline the steps to attain consensus, document the process and establish responsibilities for implementation.

Details
Thursday, October 30, 2014
8:00 AM — 9:30 AM

Speakers
Susan Blomquist, AIA, LEED AP
Mollica Manandhar, AIA, LEED AP
Diana Tsang AIA, LEED AP, LEED BD+C