Abe Crystal from More Better Labs and Matt Muñoz from New Kind have been announced as workshop leaders for the 2011 Proposium.
+ Workshop Leaders +
Matt Muñoz :: New Kind
Matthew Muñoz is the partner and chief design officer of New Kind and president of AIGA Raleigh chapter. Matt’s background in communication design informs strategies that include co-create messages, activities, systems, and experiences that help organizations form their future with intent, align people’s self-interest with shared purpose, clarify hard to understand concepts, and inspire action through openness. Matt specializes in forming visual identities, storytelling, strategy-building, and making information understandable. He co-founded New Kind to to help governments, businesses and non-profit institutions solve their complex problems and create competitive advantage through design, brand, culture and community. Matthew is a nationally award-winning designer, having held design roles at IBM, Capstrat and Work Worth Doing, in addition to his consultancy, DesignHeals. He has mapped complex concepts for several organizations, including the U.S. National Design Policy Initiative and Red Hat. He has also created growth maps that demonstrate how leaders and stakeholders can manage multiple problems challenging their organization’s future vitality.
Abe Crystal :: More Better Labs
Dr. Abe Crystal is a principal at MoreBetterLabs, applying human-computer interaction research and design methods to make systems and software easier to understand, more pleasant to use, and more useful. As a user experience researcher and conceptual designer, he is dedicated to creating better online communities, digital libraries, and e-commerce experiences through design. He has worked with clients such as Phonebooth.com, Princeton University, Duke University, NC State University, and NC LIVE to improve their user experience and develop new products that help “passionate experts” create online learning communities. Abe was a part of the user experience team in IBM’s Rational Software division where he conducted user research and conceptual design. Previously, Abe was adjunct professor of information science at the University of California Los Angeles and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He co-founded the Triangle Usability Professionals Association, serving as vice president in 2006, president in 2007, and chair of its advisory council in 2008 and 2009. Abe received his Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill.