People instead of online profiles

Every project can start with one person, but with the right people, we can speed up that process and most importantly, it can be very productive! We are of the opinion that although we operate within the same field, the experiences are different, and we are the ones who live them daily. That fusion can ultimately only contribute to building better products and user experiences.

Most importantly, we are sure that the support of the entire IT industry, both locally and in the future regionally, will be indispensable in terms of access to the locations of the sessions.

We believe that it is necessary to establish a work team that will actively contribute to the organization of events, create content based on current topics, find guests, and deal with other organizational elements. By establishing the core team, it is necessary to ensure that they have a balanced set of skills at all times within the organizational chart: technician, moderator, professional staff, organizer, guest, volunteer. These clear roles and responsibilities are very important to avoid a scenario where everyone does everything.

Current topics we cover

The first step is to define a topic area in which we are passionate and which has not received the coverage it deserves like other sections of the IT industry. Ideally, we will be under a certain hypo for some time in this new community that brings together everyone interested in meeting like-minded people. However, the final idea would be to keep the current space wide enough to attract a broader range of people who are also part of the IT community.

By pointing to a clear focus and direction that we work on, which is digital product design, we thereby attract the entire community: user interface designers, project managers, product owners, user experience designers, and developers, and thus we try to add an action aspect to plan each event.

We will set specific topics such as mobility, UX writing, production, physical and mental health, human relations, reception, and delivery. Material design, technology, and many other topics open up all subsequent events for different industries while maintaining a clear focus on the plan.

Let's go to Designdicate

People tend to underestimate group names. In the long run, the event's name should be easy to remember, hinting at the topic. But also not get bored after a certain period of use, and finally look good on certain promotional items like social media posts, gifts, etc.

In addition to the name, it helps to keep the event on a regular schedule, making it easier for people to remember: e.g., the last Thursday of the month, every three weeks, and so on. So many things happen around us daily that a defined continuity helps maintain regularity and allows people to pre-book a place in their mental calendar.

Of course, we need to research before organizing the event and understand what people are looking for but use every occasion to learn more about your audience. Why are they there? What do they want to know? Are they attending our events for knowledge, networking, or looking for the next ample investment opportunity?

At Desindicate, we should have a single guiding principle and call ourselves a "learning community" because we know that's the main reason people would come to our event, besides the free drinks and snacks. We should ensure that the speakers-participants introduce themselves and offer a view from their perspective of the industry they work in, the size of the product, etc., in line with current topics for that event.

Speakers

We choose the speakers carefully because the speakers are what the event will be about. We need to research the audience and the industry - find out what hasn't been said and if there is some interest in it. Which topic deserves more time? What do you need to hear? Always be on the lookout for current topics and exciting views and organize the event accordingly.

To achieve a balanced composition among the speakers, one leader from a "big" company must have one leader. Bringing in a big name tends to attract the audience and create more interest in the event.

It would also be interesting to find a diamond, i.e., someone from a smaller company whom we may know personally from another event or workshop. Maybe they have an example of working on smaller projects and in work settings where the business process is not regulated as in large productions.

Speaking Pro Bono?

Do speakers present their knowledge for free when it comes to sessions? — that's something they should decide in advance and communicate transparently. The mission should always be to offer a free event and give back to the community.

The way we could repay the effort and work of the speaker could be a small gift or card, a specific book, and a bottle of wine as a gesture of gratitude.

Final word

We think we have the house's foundation, but the structure is messy. In BiH, there is an informal community of populists who work on the same thing and have the same interests but do not have a central place where they can share all their positive and negative experiences with industry peers and thus spread their knowledge.

The wish is that this doesn't remain just an initiative but is also moderated with quality and perseverance and passed on to all future professional colleagues.

The first steps are done.
Let's move on!

Designdicate