Hasta La Ideas

Interaction Design continues to be a mysteriously fascinating field to many of us: crucially sought after by companies all over the world, but difficult to pin down; and, dare we say, recession-proof? While hit by the slipping economy along with the rest of the creative job market, IxD seems to be weathering things a bit better, though perhaps not as scorchingly as last year, when the first ever IxDA-sponsored conference Interaction ’08 hit Savannah, Georgia, to a sold-out crowd from across the globe. Core’s coverage of the event, which included talks from luminaries like Bill Buxton of IDEO, Apple and Microsoft fame, and Sigi Moeslinger from Antenna Design, is here.

Interaction ’09, which starts February 5 in Vancouver, BC, still has some slots open, and looks to be a similarly vibrant affair, with an equally impressive all-star cast of speakers. Dan Saffer of Kicker Studios, who wowed us at User Research Friday a few months back, will be delivering a keynote, as will John Thackara of Doors of Perception fame, who has earned near legendary status here at Core for constantly saying interesting things at just the right time (and curating the Eco City Lab at Saint Etienne last year, among other things). We’re also looking forward to hearing from frequent Core-contributor Steve Portigal, and IxDA co-founder David Malouf, whose IxD-defining article in the lead-up to last year’s conference is here.

For those who can’t make it in real life, Core77 will be there with live blog and video coverage, and for those who can, the Coroflot Job Board will once again be in full effect.

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