The role of UX in advertising
15
Oct
2015
18:30 - 21:00
City University London, Northampton Square, Room ELG03, Drysdale Building, London EC1V 0HB
Peter Merholz once referred to ad agencies as âsoulless holesâ, where good UX people went to die. He later backed down from that rather dogmatic stance, but his condemnation of the ad industry did raise some interesting questions: Is UX always the force for good it likes to think it is? Is a UX designer at an ad agency an oxymoron? Should we all just give up and go and work for a charity?
Our October event will put these and other provocative questions to a debate, with panellists including head of UX from the The Telegraph, Jane Austin, and digital product designer Cennydd Bowles.
Panellists
Nina Belk, Research Director, DigitasLBi
When I graduated with my product design degree in 2004, I believed in the positive power of design and looked at the world of advertising with disdain. But, times have changed and I donât see it as so black and white anymore. I find myself wondering: How many designers undermine their âworthyâ aspirations by jealously guarding their self-anointed ownership of the user? And who says that marketers never use their powers for good?
Cennydd Bowles, Digital Product Designer
Sure, you can do UX work in the advertising sector. But, while design talent is so scarce and technological innovation so exciting, itâs a waste.