Jorge Arango

Last night BootStudio hosted what is probably the first user experience gathering in Central America: UXcamp. We had a pretty good turnout, and folks (web desigers and developers, for the most part) seemed genuinely excited about the issues being discussed:

• I started things off with an explanation of user experience design for the web and information architecture.
• Jorge Yau spoke on how to improve the usability of blogs.
• Harold Maduro presented a case study of his work in redesigning the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s website, stri.org.

• Leon Kadoch explained how he’s designing a site for kids.

  The event was made possible thanks to the folks at the City of Knowledge, who kindly provided the space and technical infrastructure for us to be able to meet.

  There’s already talk of holding another UXcamp soon… we’re looking forward to hearing presentations from other colleagues of the panamanian web design community. Hopefully the next event will also be a bit longer - it’d be great to just hang out, perhaps share a meal.

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  Technorati Tags: ia, informationarchitecture, panama, ux

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It’s been a hectic month, hence my silence on this site. I’m preparing to go on vacation (my first in a long time), but before I’d like to share with you some exciting events that have happened in my world recently:

• I got married on December 9! Jime and I had a very intimate ceremony with our immediate family. (Jime’s parents and siblings converged in Panama from all over the US just to be with us!) We are very happy and very much in love. I’ll post photos, as soon as we get them sent to us.
• BootStudio closed the year on an up note. We’ve been extraordinarily busy over the past six months, and things keep getting better! About 25% of our current projects are being developed for overseas clients; we look forward to take on even more international projects in the coming year. We also completed a move to our new office in Obarrio; I’ll be posting more about this in the future.
• Speaking of BootStudio, we are very happy to welcome Harold Maduro back to the team. In his previous role, Harold led web design and development for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). He’ll be managing web production in BootStudio (I will be focusing more on consulting, IA, and business development). Harold is one of the most experienced web team leaders in Panama; we’re very excited to have the opportunity to work with him!

  So there, three big things—all good news!

  I’ll be at the beach next week, and will probably be without internet access for that long. This will give me time to reflect on our accomplishments (and challenges) during 2006, and think about how we can make things better this coming year.

  In the mean time, happy holidays to you and yours! See you next year!

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Yesterday we participated in the yearly Microsoft-Dell Charity Walk, which raises funds for Nutre Hogar. This is the third year that BootStudio participates in this event, and it won’t be the last—yesterday’s walk was the most successful and pleasant yet. (It was held at the Amador causeway, a beautiful spot at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal.)

In previous versions of this event, I’ve run the 5k. However, this year I was forced to walk due to extraordinary circumstances, and frankly I enjoyed it more. From now on I’m gonna take it easier at these events, especially if they’re gonna be held in days as hot as yesterday!

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