Three before (MIX) 09

Here are 3 things I’ve done recently in anticipation of MIX09:

Bill Buxton's Sketching User Experiences

1. Read keynote speaker Bill Buxton‘s “Sketching User Experiences.” This book oozes passion, smarts, and a loving perspective on design. It had an immediate and lasting influence on me: by the time I’d finished it, I’d bought a sketchbook (still in use daily), pinned a corkboard up in my office (now covered with shoddy sketches), and done most of Bill’s proposed exercises (even practiced my “video sketching” skills).

2. Watched Helvetica, in anticipation of the Objectified screening. It took me so long to get around to this documentary!  I can’t believe how compelling the story of a font can be. I’m suddenly font-obsessed, wanting to rip and replace everything. On a related note, check out some of Robby Ingebretsen’s excellent typography adventures.

Helvetica the Movie

It's going to be epic...

3. Finally signed up for Twitter. But what’s the big deal? (Update: And how are you all finding me so quickly?) Definitely useful for MIX and MIX-esque events. And maybe it takes the place of the brief “Robert is…” notes chez Facebook.  But if I let it infiltrate the rest of my life, I fear it will encourage a higher volume of low-impact interactions. Am I mistaking byte count for impact?

Bring on the MIX! And since we still have a weekend to go, I’d love to hear your thoughts on other worthwhile things to do before the 17th to get the most out of MIX09.