GIANT UX, a resource for web designers and user experience (UX) professionals, recently announced its lineup of speakers for its annual GIANT Conference, taking place in Charleston, S.C. June 14 – 17. Seventy-two of the industry’s best leaders are hosting sessions for more than 400 attendees throughout the four-day period that are intended to inspire, teach and spur creative discussion. 

 

Conference sessions are split between The American Theater, The Charleston Museum and the Charleston Music Hall.

 

GIANT Conference is one of the premiere conferences for web design and UX and is a must-attend for creative professionals, designers, and marketing specialists alike.  Conference attendees can choose sessions that range from detailed discussions around tools and processes that drive day-to-day work, to higher level concepts that are aimed to spark innovation and creativity.

 

“Only two years ago, the GIANT UX founders collectively started this conference to create one that we all would be excited to attend,” said Joel Kilby, Denver based GIANT Co-Founder. “We’ve always centered the conference themes on community, using others’ experiences to shape our own skills and careers, and diversity, with a 50/50 ratio of male and female speakers and attendees this year. Our mantra is ‘Do Rad Work,’ and we encourage that of both speakers and attendees.

 

 

Scott Berkun: Scott Berkun is the opening keynote Monday, June 15, and his discussion will center around five dangerous ideas for designers. Berkun is the bestselling author of “The Myths of Innovation,” “The Year Without Pants” and many other popular books. His work has appeared in many national news outlets, he blogs for Harvard Business Review and BusinessWeek and was also a co-host of CNBC’s “The Business of Innovation.” Scott has also served as a TEDx speaker. You can follow him on Twitter @berkun.

 

Aaron Draplin: Aaron Draplin is the closing keynote Tuesday, June 16, and his discussion will focus on graphic treasures. Aaron is the owner of Draplin Design Co., a freelance design firm, and he designs items for national companies such as Coal Headwear, the Union binding Company, SNOWBOARDER magazine and many snowboarding manufacturers. You can follow him on Twitter @draplin. 

 

Denise Jacobs: Denise Jacobs is delivering the opening and closing keynotes for the workshops Sunday, June 14, and will discuss overcoming creative blocks and career path choices, respectively. Denise is also hosting a session on her Rawk The Web initiative, a creative diversity platform that empowers minorities, June 16. Denise has been working in web design and development since 1997 and is the author of “The CSS Detective Guide,” and co-author of “Smashing Book #3 1/3” and “InterACT With Web Standards.” 

 

Denise is also the founder of The Creativity (R)Evolution. You can follow her on Twitter @denisejacobs. 

 

Leslie Jensen-Inman: Dr. Leslie Jensen-Inman is the opening keynote Wednesday, June 17, and her discussion will focus on lifelong learning. Leslie is Co-Founder and institutional director of the Center Centre, where she works to improve the state of design education. Creative Director and Co-Author of “InterACT With Web Standards,” Leslie has written articles for many web design publications. You can follow her on Twitter @jenseninman. 

 

Sonya Looney: Sonya Looney is the opening keynote Tuesday, June 16, and will be discussing extending creativity beyond the comfort zone. Sonya has won national titles at several 100 mile mountain bike races across the world. She is also an accomplished writer and speaker, discussing how her self-confidence, determination and other life lessons have applied to all aspects of life. Sonya also runs her own marketing consulting company, Magnetic Branding. You can follow her on Twitter @looneysonya. 

 

Dan Willis: Dan Willis is the closing keynote Wednesday, June 17, and will discuss the future of user experience work and how to prepare. Dan is a renowned UX professional and consultant with 20 years of product design and digital experience at organizations that include The Washington Post, PBS and Marriott. You can follow him on Twitter @uxcrank.

 

 

Angela Craven from Slice of Lime in Boulder will lead a workshop on User Research. RJ Owen from Denver's Universal Mind will conduct a workshop on collaboration and prototyping.

 

“We have a diverse set of speakers that are both new and seasoned industry experts because we believe that inspiration can come from anywhere,” Kilby added. “We’re thrilled to offer speakers from many professional backgrounds that can offer relevant insights into any career field. We like to think that a fresh perspective can be the spark needed to push professional limits, and our speaker lineup is intended to inspire.”

 

More information on the GIANT Conference can be found at conf.giantux.com. You can register now for $400 for the workshops June 14 and $800 for the conference lineup June 15 – 17. 

 

Currently based in Denver CO, Seattle WA, and Charlotte NC, Giant UX was founded in January 2013 by a collective of designers and user experience professionals who like to talk about (and create) solid UX (user experiences). What started as a blog has now made the leap into real-life conversations about all the various disciplines that go into creating rad experiences.