This past weekend I attended CanUX 2007 at The Banff Center in Banff, Alberta. Much thanks to Karyn Zuidinga at Analytic Design Group! CanUX is the annual Canadian User Experience Workshop that brings together UX professionals/seekers from all over the country.

The atmostphere of the Banff Center was not what I expected at all. I thought that it would feel quite corporate, and even cold, but to my surprise, it actually felt more like college life, or when I attended summer camp as a child. Most of the buildings have a rough wood finish (I guess I should have known, it is Banff after all), and there is couches everywhere to just sit around and talk. The fact that there is a dining hall, conference area, and a hotel - all within walking distance also contributed to the campus feel. The major difference between CanUX and my summer camp experience was the pub… we didn’t have one at summer camp.

For me, personally, the weekend started off a little slow and sluggish: My Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost the Grey Cup to the Saskatchewan Rough Riders. However, the next day I tried to put it behind me and move on with life.

By the end of the weekend I was fully engaged and enjoying myself. I learned a lot of things, and met a lot of great people.

This post is going to be the first part of three separate posts about CanUX 2007.

Stay tuned for all the lessons that I learned!!!