DUXcamp

The ongoing collision of technology and media provides near-limitless possibilities for exploring unique, visual experiences with our audiences. With increased information velocity and new platforms emerging constantly, effective, distinctive communication is a must. Discover what the evolution of storytelling looks like with NPR at #DUXcamp.

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Scenes from DUXcamp; photos by Mike Beacom, Mallory Benedict, and Cristina Fletes.

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Stories need frameworks

I'd like to talk about our most expansive one. A super framework consisting of the Internet and the Cloud. It's a beautiful thing. This super framework provides a stage for something magnanimous. Something colossal. Something universal. Something elemental to the human condition: storytelling. It's a framework for our individual stories, our collaborative stories, our fabricated, truthful, and embellished stories. A framework for the story of the human race, for it allows us to tell our stories democratically and globally.

As an alum of an organization whose very mission is telling stories, what I loved most about working at NPR was the people. We created some great stories together. I'm no longer there everyday to create new stories based on physical experiences, but via our super framework, I am able to maintain a sense of connection with my NPR friends via their virtual stories. Through his Instagram phototstream, I know that NPR's multimedia director Keith Jenkins loves to grill steak. I know that he was in rainy Syracuse last week for a workshop. I know that Aly Hurt, one of NPR's talented editorial designers, loves music and goes to DC's 9:30 Club a lot. I know what she made for breakfast yesterday morning. And I can follow another NPR alum, Paulo, as he scouts out beautiful vintage cars on the hills of San Francisco, watching his little boy grow from a baby into a boy.

Digital storytelling in this way allows us to read each other's minds in a sense, and closes the distance between us. It allows us to continue to share our stories with each other, to partake in each other's experiences, to remain a part of our friends lives despite vast distances. Virtual experiences are no substitute for physical ones, but they're better than nothing. To the contrary, they're the threads on this amazing framework that help prevent our friendships from completely unraveling. Gossamer threads. Shimmering, sparkling, expressive gossamer threads. Floating in the ether, gently carrying our individual stories, democratically weaving them together into a collective whole. I can't think of designing for anything more meaningful.

Written by Callie Neylan

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What Do You Want To Talk About?

So we asked you to tell us what you want to talk about on October 22, and a few of you did. Here are a few ideas that really excite us, and the folks who shared:

How does design create a narrative and now does narrative create design? And how do design and narrative affect how we design for the future?  Andrew Devigal - NYTimes.com

What are the legal/ethical issues in using social media storytelling?  Ellyn Angelotti - Poynter Institute

Social media makes stories not a single discrete object to be shared, but a living, ongoing process of story, response and revision.  Mark Coatney - Tumblr

OSF models for how we work with journalists and putting teams together for multimedia projects with targeted audiences for advocacy.  Pam Chen - Open Society Foundation

Challenges and wins around a responsive web design approach.  Miranda Mulligan - Bostonglobe.com

Have something you are thinking of pitching?  Let us know by clicking on "Ask me anything" above or at [email protected].

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Coming to DUXcamp!

The 'collector of awesome from around the web', journalist and user engagement strategist Chrys Wu!

Chrys has worked with LATimes.com, NYTimes.com, KCRW.com, Hacks/Hackers, ONA, and WNYC.org; helping them all maximize their use of the interwebs. 

Come share some awesome with @macdiva and #duxcamp!

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DUXcamp is 2 weeks away!  The conference is shaping up to be a great one with lots of folks coming from all over.  If you are registered and can't make it, please let us know (email us at [email protected]) so we can let a wait-listed person in.  

Also, if you are planning on attending any of the Happy Hours, please let us know by taking this short survey. http://tinyurl.com/3n2ctqo

[keithwj]

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keithwj:

Steve Jobs, At Rest.

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From the shameless plug department - 

Join NPR staff photographer and recent Emmy winner John Poole at DUXcamp and find out about the challenges of making audio storytelling visually compelling!

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"Right now, publishers are trying to transition to the mobile web in a number of ways...building traditional web sites, mobile sites and native APPs tied to a specific device for a specific operating system.....How do we keep up with the ever-growing number of mobile devices and capabilities of operating systems? How can we shift with the market and/or respond to the needs of our users faster? How can we get a handle on the sheer volume of work on our web devs and digital designers?"

- Miranda Mulligan, Digital Design Director - BostonGlobe.com

Miranda just unveiled the new, responsively designed BostonGlobe.com. Join her at DUXcamp and together we'll explore other new ways to report, design, and tell our stories!

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Charles Darwin did this, slowly and painfully, and so can you. Every day we walk through the world. We look around. We think we see what's going on, but it is hard to remember how routinized we are as we look, how we automatically see things from our accustomed angle, never thinking of alternate possibilities. I mean, who goes to Mount Rushmore and thinks about this? - Robert Krulwich, Radiolab

Ever wonder what it takes to create the unique, multi-platform storytelling that is Radiolab? So did we which is why we invited Robert Krulwich to DUXcamp!

Come hear what Robert has to say about the creative process; how it works when things go right, and how it can get even better when things go wrong. See you at DUXcamp!

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DUXcamp sponsorship opportunities

As DUXcamp nears, many of our partners and attendees have inquired about sponsorship opportunities. Yes! Of course, we would love to hear from you. DUXcamp has been a tremendous undertaking and, though the event is free to all attendees, we’re hoping to cover some of our costs related to the hotel, receptions, and materials.

With DUXcamp in its first year, this is a great opportunity for our partners and longtime friends to show their support while providing unparalleled visibility for their organization,  as well as their products and services.

For more information on DUXcamp sponsorship opportunities, please contact Chris Howie at 202.513.3992 or [email protected].

Best,

Chris 

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Tumblr; the new publishing paradigm? Discuss @DUXcamp!

Another design goal for Tumblr is the idea of taking away the intimidation of blogging -- you know, the dreaded confrontation of an empty page. This is achieved with with smaller text fields and even a range of non-text options. "We don't want to make you feel like you need to write three paragraphs and post a photo," he says. "You can just post a photo." The reason the "Create Post" button to publish a post is so big and shiny? They want you to feel good about pushing posts out in the world, as often as possible.

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UX and Data: BFF or Frenemies?

What is the role of data in design and UX activities? How can design thinking inform how data is collected and used? How can data help us tell engaging, memorable stories? Where is data critical to UX success, and where can it impede good work? Let's talk about how the left brain and right brain can get together and make some beautiful music.

Steve Mulder is the Director of UX and Metrics at NPR's Digital Services in Boston 

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If you look on the DUXcamp about page, you'll see that of our 3 areas of focus, storytelling is number 1. That's because we believe everything is about getting a conversation started with our audience around the events that mean something to their lives. They tell us stuff, we tell them stuff - everyone shares, everyone learns.

Visuals, however, are the primary partner in today's screen-centric culture. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, televisions - all share the need for design, navigation, photos, and videos to lead the way in making everyone's content accessible, consumable, and, of course, enjoyable!

NPR's DUXcamp is about storytelling, design, and the technology that makes the magic happen. How about RadioLab, The New York Times, Tumblr, YouTube and all of you in a conversation about moving beyond the bleeding edge and connecting with the world in all new ways? 

A sample of the conversations we'd love to have; Aaron Swartz via Andrew DeVigal, lead multimedia editor at The New York Times and DUXcamp attendee, courtesy Tumblr;

drewvigal:

Here’s how Apple products are created: a team of designers decide exactly what a product should do and how it should look and feel, their work is ruthlessly edited by Steve until he approves, and then the entire rest of the company is given the task of moving mountains to make that dream real.

Can you imagine? Design first? This reminds me of that story by John Sculley in regards to a friend who went to meetings at Apple & Microsoft the same day.

John Sculley On Steve Jobs:

… he went into the meeting at Apple. As soon as the designers walked in the room, everyone stopped talking because the designers are the most respected people in the organization… When he went into the Microsoft meeting, everybody was talking and then the meeting starts and no designers ever walk into the room. All the technical people are sitting there trying to add their ideas of what ought to be in the design. That’s a recipe for disaster.

 Send us your thoughts or post them to Twitter using #duxcamp. Let's chat!

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Welcome to NPR DUXcamp! Oct. 22, 2011 in Washington, D.C.

NPR is rapidly transforming itself from a broadcast organization into a true multimedia, multiplatform information source. At the heart of this transformation is NPR’s embrace and development of visual forms of storytelling; stories that are designed to complement the quality audio storytelling NPR has pioneered for more than 40 years. 

We are not alone in the quest to understand this new, visual and interactive community storytelling space. However, that’s where DUXcamp 2011 comes in. DUXcamp is NPR’s contribution to building a community of storytellers who can experiment, share and gain knowledge from each other as we transform our prehistoric cave drawings into tales that have meaning around our new, digital campfires. 

This tumblr will be where we share our notes and thoughts as we prepare for DUXcamp. Please check back often and send us your ideas about what we can do to make DUXcamp a success for you! [email protected]