Time: April 4, 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Speaker: Allie Arp
Now more than ever, it is essential for accurate scientific information to be shared with the public. The truth struggles to stand out against the misinformation running rampant on social media. In this workshop, we examine organizations excelling at science communication, discuss the lessons to be learned, and how we apply those lessons to our work. We’ll talk through examples and even come up with our own! We will also take a moment at the end to give ourselves grace in an ever-changing world of content creation. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for creatively improving their own science communication on social media, a few new accounts to follow and enjoy, and a reminder that your best is good enough.
Time: April 4, 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Speaker: Matthew Luken
Join Matthew Luken of Deque Systems for an interactive session on the intersectionality of design practices and accessibility conformance. In digital accessibility, his research has found that 67% of defects can be reduced within the design discipline. Luken will help us explore where designers can make meaningful investments in ensuring their designs are accessible and how designers can help to reduce accessibility defects through the rest of the development and testing cycles. This session will provide examples and information usable for designers at any level of their careers. There will be a question and answer period as well; please bring your questions.
Time: April 4, 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Speaker: Cory Rylan
How can we achieve lightning-fast websites without sacrificing rich interactivity? In this session, discover cutting-edge techniques that combine the best of server-side rendering (SSR) and client-side interaction for modern web experiences. We’ll explore how to leverage Custom Elements (Web Components) to build server-rendered UI components that work without JavaScript for the initial load, seamlessly transitioning to a fully interactive UI. Learn about powerful Web APIs like Declarative Shadow DOM to integrate your UI with popular frameworks and tools to distribute your UI across all platforms, from CMS-driven sites to single-page applications.
Time: April 4, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Speaker: David Needham
You don’t need expensive equipment to create impactful digital stories—sometimes, the tools you already have are enough. In this session, we’ll explore strategies for leveraging smartphones and everyday technology to produce engaging content for social media, websites, and other platforms. You’ll learn practical tips for creating high-quality videos using your phone’s camera, enhancing audio and visuals with budget-friendly accessories, and using free or low-cost apps. Throughout the presentation, you’ll learn tips and tricks for better composition, lighting, and strategies to improve the clarity of spoken dialogue. Finally, we’ll discuss key questions to ask throughout the project to define and sharpen the focus of your video. By the end, you’ll have actionable insights to create dynamic video content that delivers the impact you want—without breaking the bank.
Time: April 4, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Speakers: Rashmi Tenneti, Maggie Evenson, Stacy Billman
Is your university website truly serving your students, prospective applicants, and other key stakeholders? This management-focused session provides a strategic roadmap for overseeing and directing a successful website redesign project using proven UX methodologies and data-driven decision making.
Duration: 60 minutes | Format: Strategy Workshop with Interactive Components
We’ll walk through the complete redesign process from strategy development to implementation planning, using our Work in Progress project, Illinois.edu as a case study. You’ll discover how to:
- Interpret analytics data to make informed strategic decisions
- Leverage search pattern analysis for content prioritization
- Establish effective benchmarking processes against peer institutions
- Organize and oversee user research initiatives like card sorting
- Develop and implement SEO strategies specific to higher education
- Build and manage cross-functional project teams for optimal results
Participants will receive a comprehensive project management worksheet template to guide their own redesign initiatives. Whether you’re planning a complete website overhaul or targeted improvements, you’ll leave with practical tools to lead a more engaging, accessible, and effective digital experience for your university community.
Ideal for: marketing managers, content strategists, marketing directors, and digital communications teams in higher education looking to lead website redesign projects. No technical web development knowledge required.
Time: April 4, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Speakers: Renee Lyell, Keith Miller
Learn how Illinois Human Resources uses job fair materials, billboards, geofencing, QR codes, and other innovative tools to bring the Illinois Value Proposition to life. This session will highlight how these strategies enhance brand communication and offer practical tips for creating impactful content that resonates with your audience and creates a consistent image for your department/university.
Time: April 4, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Speaker: Marcus Finley
In today’s competitive landscape, businesses need every advantage. This hands-on workshop introduces proven strategies for implementing AI and smart automations to boost efficiency and drive revenue growth, tailored for businesses’ unique needs and constraints. We’ll demystify AI and automation, demonstrating their accessibility and benefits for businesses of all sizes. Through interactive exercises and real-world case studies, you’ll learn to identify and prioritize AI and automation opportunities in your business. You’ll learn to assess your business processes and potential AI/automation applications, with a step-by-step guide for prioritizing initiatives based on ROI and implementation ease. Real-world examples will illustrate successful SMB implementations, offering practical tools and actionable strategies for your business.
Key areas include:
- Opportunity Mapping
- Cost-Effective Solutions
- Customer Experience Enhancement
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Revenue Generation
The live session is canceled, but the speaker is providing a recording of the talk after the conference.
Time: April 4, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Speaker: Cheryl Cline
To reach the widest audience, user-experience writers must strive to write inclusive, accessible copy. I will critique real-world examples of UX copy, list resources that UX writers and teams can refer to when ideating and iterating, and address some of the pushback that UX writers and other stakeholders often face when advocating for an inclusive user experience. Attendees will come away with an introductory framework for evaluating website and UX copy.
Time: April 4, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Speaker: Bill Reynen
The University of Illinois Foundation wanted to build a donor portal that could scale to handle the large number of donors to the University of Illinois System. It had to be scalable, secure and allow for new features to be added over time. Hear about our journey to select Azure with Microsoft Entra as our platform, React for our front end, and C# for our REST API.
Time: April 4, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Speaker: Sebastian Kelle
As content creators, you might, at some point, wonder how best to use music. It can help set the mood and bring life to your content. But instead of dealing with licenses, how about creating your own? Electronic music production doesn’t have to be a mystery. With relatively inexpensive tools you can create professional results – if you know what you’re doing. In this session, we’ll take a look at a selection of some of the most popular Digital Audio Workstations (DAW’s), some basic hardware, and showcase how to create a catchy and short song from scratch! For comparison, we’ll also take a look at the status quo of generative AI in music production and how to (not) prompt-engineer a music piece.