In a world looking for rules of thumb, checklists, best practices, and guarantees, how do we know what we know? Even worse, how do we choose when every rule has an equal and opposite position? As knowledge increases and every dissenting opinion is available for citation, it becomes more important to set aside the mundane challenges … at least that’s what we’re told by a succession of books, speakers, and multimedia campaigns. How can one be expected to produce a manifesto, let alone get work done, when every other day someone else is muscling up to the church door with a new sheaf of papers to share with the world? Sanity (in the slimmest possible definition of the word) is only possible when one takes charge of their own body of knowledge, shakes it hard, and is mindful of what falls out. In this talk, I'll plead a great deal, cajole a bit, and threaten my own notions of structure and knowledge in the hope you will do the same to yours. Boon's talk was given at WebVisions Portland (http://www.webvisionsevent.com/portland/) on Fri., May 20, 2016. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Over the last twenty years Boon has had job titles like site producer, content specialist, information architect, interaction designer, user researcher, stage manager, and voice-over actor.

1. rules, hunches & coin-flips
boon sheridan
RTBZ+ + =

2. @boonERANG

3. A story

5. another story

7. the challenge

8. life after
“it depends”

10. Time makes fools of
best practices & rules

11. people love listicles

12. “Citation, please?”

13. just the interesting
and beautiful, please

17. my answer

18. What do I know?

20. How do I know
what I know?

22. How much AM I
comfortable with?

24. What do I
need to rethink?

27. so I started
digging

31. how do i
design?

34. Turned into

35. Rules, hunches
& coin-flips

36. Rules

38. hunches

40. coin-flips

43. why?

44. in the time it takes to
give this talk four new
manifestos will be
published to medium

45. ignorance of the opinions
of others is no vice

47. User Experience is everyone’s job
EXCEPT WHEN
it’s the job of specialists

48. Mobile first
EXCEPT WHEN
there's no such thing as mobile

49. It’s wrong to guess
EXCEPT WHEN
you value constraints

50. plan like each release is your last
EXCEPT WHEN
iteration & flexibility are key

51. Prototypes rule
EXCEPT WHEN
anything but production
code is a waste

52. information needs organizing
EXCEPT WHEN
imposing structure is a crime

53. Patterns support design
EXCEPT WHEN
if it’s a template it’s sh*t

54. people want your expertise
EXCEPT WHEN
they need your beginner’s mind

55. who decides?

57. I’m scared to death
big data doesn’t mean
Big Wisdom.

58. ask yourself

59. What are your
Rules, hunches
& coin-flips?

60. THANKS!