Staffs Web Meetup

Thanks to all those who joined us at the February meetup. A massive thanks is also in order for Codeweavers for graciously hosting our event once again. Their continued support is genuinely appreciated!

Natasha’s talk underscored the importance of the KISS principle in UX design, advocating for simplicity and user-centric approaches. The talk sparked a flurry of conversation, as participants shared their own UX design encounters.

We wrapped up with our open discussion session led by Phil. Loosely inspired by the Lean Coffee format, allowing attendees to collaboratively set the agenda. This session offers a unique opportunity for all participants to actively contribute, sparking engaging and thought-provoking discussion. It never fails to entertain!

Talk

KISS – A UX Designers Approach

Natasha Wylie — Lecturer, Staffordshire University

Natasha took the stage to share her insights into the philosophy that less is indeed more, particularly when it comes to user experience design (UX). Her talk covered the “keep it simple stupid” (KISS) principle and its role in creating intuitive, user-friendly designs.

Through a series of real-world examples, Natasha highlighting the stark contrasts between effective UX designs and those that fail to meet user needs.

Natasha pointed out the notorious example of Ling’s Cars—a site that is intentionally chaotic in its design, reminiscent of the early days of web design. In contrast, she presented the Nespresso website as an example of good UX design. Highlighting its seamless navigation, which effectively guides the user journey, making the shopping experience both intuitive and enjoyable.

The session was a reminder of the power of simplicity. It encouraged professionals to cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters: their customers’ needs.

We hope you’ve had a fantastic start to the year! With January’s meetup behind us, it feels like we’re back in the swing of things. First and foremost, we’d like to express our gratitude to all who attended. Once again, we’re grateful to Codeweavers for hosting us in their office.

A member of our group recently suggested we trial run a series of social events in addition to our regular meetings. We started off in December with a trip to the bowling alley—it was great to see old friends and make new ones while having fun!

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be organising more socials throughout the year, providing plenty of opportunities to get involved.

In January, we were fortunate to have James Brooks, a Core Laravel Developer, speak at our meetup. Originally, he was slated to present at our March 2020 gathering. Unfortunately, this was canceled due to the escalation of the COVID pandemic. It was a delight to finally host James at our event.

Talk

Documenting Laravel APIs

James Brooks — Core Laravel Developer

Writing a third-party integration would be impossible without API documentation and yet we continue to push it down our list of priorities or we create half-baked solutions that become immediately out of date.

Thanks, Ian Knight, for photographing the event for us.

We’d like to thank everyone who attended our November meetup—the last one of 2023. We would also like to thank Codeweavers for graciously hosting our event once again. Your continued support is genuinely appreciated!

Elliot Evans gave a talk this month entitled “What can we learn from eSports when developing software?”. Just as in the world of eSports, success in software development comes from a well-coordinated team pursuing a common goal. Elliot’s talk drew parallels between the fast-paced, challenging world of professional gaming and software development.

This year marked our comeback from a break brought about by the widely known disturbance to face-to-face events. As we put a wrap on this year’s meetups, we would like to extend our gratitude for the support received from all the attendees and speakers.

Stay tuned for exciting announcements about our upcoming 2024 meetups.

Talk

What can we learn from eSports when developing software?

Elliot Evans — Senior Consultant – Front End, Ensono

A 45-minute talk about how software teams can look beyond our industry to create better processes and embrace different ways of development.

Thanks to all those who joined us at the October meetup. A massive thanks is also in order for Codeweavers for graciously hosting our event once again. Your continued support is genuinely appreciated!

Our guest speaker, Mark Warner, delivered his talk drawing an interesting parallel between Agile methodologies and ice skating, highlighting the importance of proper guidance and training in both areas. Giving valuable insights into avoiding common pitfalls and creating a smoother path to success.

We wrapped up with our open discussion session led by Natasha. The topics spanned from JavaScript runtimes named after baked goods to more serious matters, such as the trust concerns arising from Moq’s collection of email addresses. Notably, nothing AI related this time!

Mark your calendars for the last meetup of 2023, scheduled for November 9th. Whether it’s your first meetup or you’re a regular, RSVP now to reserve your spot. We can’t wait to see you there!

Talk

A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

Mark Warner — Agile Coach, Kantar

Slides

Would you try a new sport that involves risk of injury or harm without some form of guidance, training, or coaching? For most people, the answer is likely to be a very firm no. In contrast, organisations and teams new to Agile, or scaling, often adopt a we’ll try it anyway approach. The results vary from wasted time to delivery disasters. As a keen amateur figure skater, I have found that my journey from first stepping onto the ice to successfully competing, closely mirrors how teams attempt to apply Agile. You’ll learn how, with Agile as with ice skating, many slips and falls can be avoided. You’ll discover some warning signs to look out for and actions you can take towards a smoother, safer winning team.

Thank you all for joining us in September. Let’s revisit the highlights…

We had a change of scenery, as we met at our new venue, the Codeweavers office. A huge thanks to them for their invaluable support. Their office, nestled between the Hollywood Bowl and Odeon in the heart of Stafford, is a spacious, open-plan setting with a dedicated presentation area, making it an ideal venue for our meetup.

Our speaker, Gordon Rugg, delivered his talk centred on an innovative feedback approach developed in collaboration with one of his PhD students, avoiding the pitfalls of a simplistic 1-10 scale and yielding more valuable feedback.

The evening wrapped up with our open discussion session, drawing inspiration from the concept of Lean Coffee—a somewhat structured discussion format where the agenda is collectively determined. Blatantly stolen, or should I say “inspired,” from past WP Bham meetups, this session offers a unique opportunity for all participants to actively contribute, sparking engaging and thought-provoking discussion. It never fails to entertain!

Mark your calendars for the next meetup, set for October 12th. Whether it’s your first meetup or you’re a regular, RSVP now to reserve your spot. We can’t wait to see you there!

Talk

Some familiar problems have familiar solutions. Some don’t.

Gordon Rugg — Multidisciplinary Researcher & Consultant

This talk is about why some familiar problems don’t have familiar solutions, and about why finding good solutions can take you into unfamiliar places. It starts with the problem of clients who don’t know what they want. It then examines the reasons for this problem, and looks at how some other fields have tackled it. The outcome is a simple, practical way for web designers to handle the problem in a way that is most likely to give a good outcome for everyone involved. The talk ends with a demonstration of how you can apply it to your work.