Microsoft? Interactive design?

Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office system lead a new wave of user experience improvements. Now Microsoft wants to enable designers and developers everywhere to join in creating more enjoyable, satisfying and productive user and customer experiences across all classes of software, on all types of device.

Cross browser, cross platform, technologies like AJAX, WPF/E and Windows Media enhance the user experience with massive reach while .NET framework 3.0 and Windows Presentation Foundation exploit the latest hardware to give the richest experience imaginable. All supported by XAML, an XML based expression of your designs understood by all the tools you use today.

The new Microsoft Expression family gives designers the tools to envision and realize these experiences as collaboration with developers becomes effortless and agile. Create and manage vector and bitmap graphics, compose 3D animations and integrate audio and video files to build dynamic multimedia applications or web projects.
Microsoft? Committed to deliver tools and technologies to serve your creativity. The only boundary is your imagination.

To explore the new design possibilities visit the designertopia conference in London on Februray 1 & 2, 2007. Register now.

The agenda consists of two tracks: a creative track and a technical track.

Get to know the latest tools and technologies. Find out what well-known creatives think about the future of interactive design. Meet people that think outside the box. Have a chat with Microsoft designers.

These are topics which will be discussed at designertopia:

Thursday, February 1st
Creative Track (13.00 – 17.50)

• Look into the future of networked and mobile entertainment - Michael Zyda
  A colourful and dynamic Speaker opens up the world of virtual reality and 3 dimensional networks. The future is entertainment, and to gain competitive advantage companies will need to apply VR and 3D technology to the Internet, digital television and wireless communications.
• Participatory Design - David-Michel Davies
  Driven by the intrinsic strenghts and values of the Internet, participation is one of the most important ingredient in all disciplines of design today. But beyond message boards and blogs, how can a brand, and a designer build the vital component of participation into their work? David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards, will weave a thematic overview of participatory design with practical case studies that illustrate how interactive designers can integrate play and participation into everything they make – whether it be banners and ads to full scale experiences.
• Creative Electronics - Marcus Fairs
  Young designers integrate technology into everyday objects with humorous, subversive or playful effect. Examples include the "OCD Lightswitch" which displays the number of times the switch has been turned on in its lifetime; a digitally controlled paint-roller that paints pre-designed murals on walls; a SMS projector that allows you to beam SMS messages from your mobile onto the sides of buildings. Marcus Fairs, a leading figure in architecture and design journalism and author of the best-selling book, Twenty-First Century Design, gives you a colorful introduction into this new design movement.
• How do trends and technologies affect design? - Cordell Ratzlaff
  Design is intricately linked to culture and technology, both of which are changing rapidly. What does this mean for designers? What are the currently emerging social trends and technologies that affect how we design and use products in the future?

Technical Track (13.00 – 17.50)

• Introduction to Expression Web
  Create dynamic, interactive pages and sites that leverage the power of the Web to deliver compelling user experiences. Easily design to standards and optimize your sites for accessibility and cross-browser compatibility with built-in support and validation for Web standards.
• Introduction to XAML and the Windows Presentation Foundation
  Learn how Windows Vista's new visuals and display technologies, such as Windows Presentation Foundation and XAML, make it simpler to create breakthrough user interfaces with less effort than ever before.
• Introduction to WPF/E
  Get to know the features of Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere (WPF/E) which allows you to develop interactive applications for Web browsers on multiple platforms including mobile devices.
• CSS and standards based web design
  Learn how to generate elegant, modern CSS page layouts using powerful design surface tools with direct manipulation of positioning, sizing, margins, and padding. We will show you how to use the Style Application and Positioning toolbars in Expression Web for precise control over how and where CSS styles are generated, and the Style Builder for comprehensive style design and efficient style editing.

Friday, February 2nd
Creative Track (9.30 – 16.00)

• The eternal conflict between art and science - David Sable
• The Windows Vista user experience - Tjeerd Hoek
  Windows Vista introduces an impressive graphical user interface. Discover how Vista’s new design features like transparency, 3D visualisation and Live gadgets support a better user experience. And learn how to leverage Vista’s power to create stunning new designs for applications. And learn how Windows Vista was designed!
• What is design? - Lars Engman
  Lars Engman, the Director of the HDK School of Design and former Design Manager of IKEA, asks “What is design?”. How can we create a better standard of life for as many people as possible by examining the multi-dimensional thinking and innovation frameworks in design process.
• Future Trends in IT, Media and Entertainment - Ray Hammond
  A breathtaking projection of the future will be outlined to help you navigate prospective options. This projection will be interpreted from a business, social, political, and economic perspective giving you a rounded view of how best to progress your organisation. Ray Hammond, Europe’s leading futurologist and business trend spotter, stimulates business audiences to think outside of convention and challenge their own assumptions about business trends.

Technical Track (9.30 – 16.00)

• Introduction to ASP.NET for designers
  Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 has many features to help you design and build Web sites that are compliant with XHTML and accessibility standards. See best practices for designing ASP.NET Web sites.
• The AJAX phenomenon
  AJAX represents a fundamental shift in what’s possible on the Web. Ajax isn’t a technology. It’s really several technologies, each flourishing in its own right, coming together in powerful new ways. Have a look at this phenomenon.
• Universal principles of interactive application design

As you can see from the agenda this is an excellent opportunity for creative decision makers and design programmers/developers to learn about the latest innovation in terms of the Microsoft platform and tools.