I’m seeing a lot more of this lately. Companies looking for a “Rockstar” user experience designer. The thought that keeps crossing my mind is, “Who wants to work with a Rockstar?” When I’m looking to build a team that aspires to achieve at a high level my thoughts are far from seeking out a Rockstar. The term Rockstar insinuates someone who works more for themselves than for the team. How does someone who fits this description improve your team or benefit your organization? I’ve worked in several industries in my career and I’ve spent my share of time working with Rockstars. Regardless of the industry, my experience has been that Rockstars tend to be more of a distraction than effective contributors.

Instead of Rockstars, I prefer to seek out and work with Collaborators. Collaborators have the ability to work with a team, not against it. Collaborators create harmony and unity not division and separatism. When you work with a Collaborator you get someone who can work towards excellence by challenging ideas while maintaining civility and team cohesiveness. Collaborators help facilitate growth and going beyond what any one person can do alone.

Effective collaborative teams are good at creating and keeping deadlines. They’re great at holding each other accountable for decision making and know that successful collaboration thrives under strong leadership.

When your company suggests you need to hire a Rockstar – ask them to be specific about what they mean. What do they want to gain? Most importantly, what do they expect this person to contribute to the team and to the organization?

I’m looking forward to this week. It’s been a long time coming and only a 30 minute drive from my front door. Get in touch and let’s chat. I’m only a tweet away @petekinser.

Thursday

• Opening Keynote Bill Verplank
• Session 2B – UMC Rm 235
• Afternoon Keynote – Lisa Strausfeld
• The visual interface is now your brand – Nick Myers
• The Rhythm of Interaction – Peter Stahl
• Leaning Back With NPR: How We Created A Relaxing Experience For The iPad – Scott Stroud

Friday

• Opening Keynote – Richard Buchanan
• Friday Activity Banjo Billy’s Brew Bus!
• CP+B Party – Location unknown?
• Coroflot Connects – Boulderado

Saturday

• The Neuroscience of Usability – Charles Hannon
• Up with Complexity! Challenging Users for Fun and Profit – Josh Clark
• Applying Film Making Tools to Interaction Design – Adam Connor
• Marketing is not a 4 letter word – Megan Grocki
• Fun with non-digital solutions – Scott Geoffrey Newson

• Session 5A – UMC, Glenn Miller Ballroom
• Afternoon Keynote – Brenda Laurel
• Making mistakes fun: Game mechanics are not a panacea.. – Paris Buttfield-Addison
• Pass it Back! Kid Apps on Grown Up Devices – Nina Walia
• Long After the Thrill: Sustaining Passionate Users – Stephen Anderson

A few days ago I wrote about the iPhone app for this year’s conference. We’re 6 days away from the conference kickoff and I’m guessing by now most attendees are determining how to spend their time when they’re not getting schooled by legends like Bill Verplank; taking a lesson from Indi Young; or listening to Josh Clark rock your preconceptions about usability. At the conference, there will undoubtedly be some great recommendations on places to grab a bite and get a drink. There are a ton of places in town that are worth mentioning. I’ll keep it brief because I’m no travel guide and you don’t have 2 hours to read this post.

Grab a Cup of Coffee

When I’m traveling I’m always looking for a quality cup of coffee from a local shop. During the conference you’re undoubtedly going to need a place to get together friends. The good news is Boulder knows coffee. So skip Starbucks (yes, I said it) and check out the local flavor …

The Cup

(303) 449-5173 :: web : map
The Cup website says everything you need to know. They serve “Free Trade, Organic coffee roasted locally by Conscious Coffees…” Conscious Coffees is a micro-roastery that works with independent farmers. You won’t get much more “Boulder” than this.

The Laughing Goat

(303) 440-4628 :: web : map
Organic, Fair Trade and Locally Roasted. I couldn’t tell you why one type of espresso tastes better than the next. The good news is the team at The Goat are happy to share what they know. Always a great experience.

Beers in Boulder

You’re in Colorado where even my Grandma is a homebrewer. Well, that’s not true but it could be. Locals take pride in their craft beers and everybody wins because of it.

Asher Brewing

(303) 530-1381 :: web : map
Asher is relatively new to the scene and they have several brews that you shouldn’t miss. Pro Tip: Order the Greenade Organic Double IPA. At 9%, one may be all you need.

Avery Brewing

(303) 440-4324 :: web : map
This is a bit off the beaten path, but hey, that makes it an especially good candidate for this list. Avery offers 4oz tasters for $1. Sounds harmless enough until you consider that half (or more) of the beers are at least 8%. Pro Tip: Order the IPA.

Mountain Sun

(303) 546-0886 :: web : map
Mountain Sun has two locations. The map and the number above are for the downtown location. I’ll be honest, when you walk into Mountain Sun the decor isn’t stunning. The good news is you’re not here for the decor, you’re here for the beer. Above all there’s one reason why I love Mountain Sun: They brew and sell their own beers and also have a fantastic rotating selection of other craft brews. Gotta respect a brewery with no ego. Order away, every beer is a winner.

Local, Organic and Vegan

If you’re searching for something local, organic and possibly vegan, Boulder has you covered.

VG Burgers

(303) 440-2400 :: web : map

Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant

(303) 442-1485 :: web : map

Bop Pizzeria

(303) 999-3833 :: web : map

Radda Trattoria

(303) 442-6100 :: web : map
Radda is a favorite. Tucked away in an old strip mall, yes strip mall, Radda delivers high style and quality cuisine at a reasonable price. With an in-house sommelier you’re guaranteed to find a pairing to your liking.

As I mentioned, this is a relatively short hit list of places to visit when you’re in town. The Interaction 11 conference site lists some local staples that are sure to blow your mind. Specifically, Frasca, Jax and The Kitchen.

This list, if nothing else, gives you a few quality ideas to get you started.

6 more days …

I’ve decided to write several posts counting down to Interaction 11. 9 more days until the show. There is certainly plenty to be excited about this year. First, the conference is sold out. Not only is it sold out but it felt, to me at least, that it sold out lightning fast. So those attending should feel great from the beginning for even having a conference pass. Mental note – be on the lookout for Interaction 12 Early Registration.

Below I’ve posted a few screenshots of the Interaction 11 app for the iPhone.

Welcome Screen

First off, the app was built by the crew over at smudgeproof. This is the first I’ve heard of smudgeproof but I can say at first blush I like their work. They’ve done a great job of taking the key aspects of what a conference attendee needs most and dropped it into this nifty app. I did some searching around the internets and wasn’t able to find out who is responsible for the overall visual design for the conference. Once I do, I will post an update. As someone who lives in Colorado, I can say the visual design does a great job of reflecting the local landscape both visually and in terms of the color palette. Yes it’s an iPhone app and no there isn’t an Android version. I’m an iPhone user so this doesn’t phase me but I can see some attendees wishing there was an Android app. But hey, if you have to choose one mobile platform to build on for 2011 it has to be the iPhone.

Conference Schedule + MY Schedule

How many times have you gone to a conference where you can’t recall which session is coming up next? This happens to me more often than I should admit. Worse yet, how many times have you found yourself fumbling around with the two dozen flyers, booklets, etc given to you at registration as you’re trying to find the paper schedule you’ve highlighted reminding you which session to jump into after lunch? I’ll be glad to leave all that behind this year. The app has the full published schedule. This includes the pre-conference workshops, all meals, the Friday activities and the Sponsored Parties.

While the schedule itself is nice, the option to keep track of the sessions I’ll be attending using the “My Schedule” feature is going to be extremely helpful for me. Find your session and select “Add” and you’re done. Say goodbye to that paper schedule. Hey, you’re in Boulder so you can tell the locals you just saved a tree.

The App Has a Map

I can’t decide if this is brilliant or obvious. Either way, I’m loving the map. A lot of conferences are in one location, Interation 11 is a little spread out. The organizers have done a great job of incorporating downtown Boulder into the conference plan. The conference hotels and venues and a few local restaurants are each highlighted. At first glance, I’m unsure why some local businesses are highlighted while others aren’t. I’m guessing the local businesses (restaurants) will be hosting events during the conference. One other item I’m unsure of in regards to the map: When I choose a venue there is a button that says “Open”. This button doesn’t appear to be working properly. There are a couple of things that could be happening: 1) Maybe the app is going to updated before the start of the conference and/or 2) the app is customized for iPhone 4? I’m using a 3GS with the 4.2 iOS.

Catch a Bus + Wireless Info

Transportation
“IxDA is pleased to offer complimentary transportation connecting all official conference locations in and around Boulder.” Each of the conference venues (and their addresses) are listed. The app also reminds attendees of specific venues on the evening bus loop including: Thursday Night’s Opening Party, Friday evening’s Recruiting Fair, and Saturday night’s Closing Party.

Wireless
It’s well known that most conferences suffer from the lack of wireless connectivity because hotels generally charge exorbitant fees for this service. IxDA rolls a little different. Under the info tab there is a list of (four at the time of this post) wireless networks that attendees can tap into. That’s right, the wireless networks at various conference locations are listed and passwords are included. Boulder Digital Works, University Memorial Center, Absinthe House and the St. Julien all have networks available. Refreshing to know wireless will be easily accessible at the conference.

Come and Get It

Overall the application has some really nice features and is pretty nice for a conference app. The crew over at smudgeproof did a great job at delivery a good experience – even before the conference has begun.

Click here to get the app

Next Up – Countdown to IxD11: The Locals View

On February 3rd, we’ll be 6 days away from the official start to Interaction 11. I’ll serve up some unique places to visit and things to do that will help you experience Boulder like a local.

This morning I was sitting at the breakfast table with my wife’s family. We were chatting about Black Friday and each surfing the internet to find the best deals. I picked up my father-in-law’s iPad. This would be my first authentic stab at the iPad. By “authentic” I mean that I’ve played around with an iPad in the past but haven’t ever really used it to accomplish a real task for myself.

As I was browsing the web I began noticing a few sites that didn’t seem to be compatible with the IPad. As often is the case, I began thinking that investigating and reporting on these would make an interesting blog post. The obvious and most glaring issue is, of course, websites built in Flash. By now we all know how Mr. Jobs feels about Flash. I snapped a few screenshots and went to email them to myself. As I logged into my MobileMe account I was met with a somewhat stunning reality. MobileMe would not allow me to send an email from the iPad. Instead it wanted me to “Set up Mail, Contacts, Calendar” on the iPad itself. All I could think was …. but it’s not my iPad!

There are several issues at play

• MobileMe is prohibiting me from sending email from the iPad. I can’t login through the web to send an email and I’m certainly not setting up my MobileMe account on an iPad I don’t own.
• An iPad, at least when using MobileMe, is apparently seen by Apple as a personal devise and not a device that would be shared.

I investigated the site to see if there is a way to get past this issue and simply login. Surprisingly, it doesn’t appear possible. This just seems odd. I wanted to see if I would have the same experience on my iPhone, I did. Although, I can more fully understand this restriction on the iPhone as a cell phone is generally a more personal device.

So what does this mean? I’d suggest Apple is unnecessarily causing a segment of their users undue pain. Maybe not a large segment but a segment nonetheless. The good news is, the solution is simple. Allow users to access MobileMe from their iPads, and from their iPhones for that matter, should they want to do so.

The larger question – is the IPad a personal devise or can it be shared?