Interaction12 is a four-day event in Dublin from February 1st to 4th, 2012, where keynotes and speakers from around the world will represent all connections to Interaction Design. This is the fifth annual conference hosted by the Interaction Design Association (IxDA). Each year, IxDA aims to gather the interaction design community to connect, educate, and inspire each other.

IxDA
IxDA is a global network dedicated to the professional practice of Interaction Design. IxDA membership has grown to more than 20,000 members since 2004. The IxDA network provides an online forum for the discussion of interaction design issues and other opportunities and platforms for people who are passionate about interaction design to gather and advance the discipline. Of fundamental importance to the organisation is its International Conference which has, until now, always taken place in the US. This year Dublin is the venue.

What is Interaction Design?
Interaction Design (IxD) defines the structure and behaviour of interactive systems. Interaction Designers strive to create meaningful relationships between people and the products and services that they use, from computers to mobile devices to appliances and beyond.

Wednesday 1st February at Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT)
Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT) is this year’s conference host and early arrivals to Interaction12 will participate in hands-on workshops on the IADT Campus. Workshops will include “What You Missed When You Skipped Design School” with Dave Malouf & Matt Nish-Lapidus, “Design with Intent – Understanding users and influencing behaviour” with Dan Lockton and “The Quest for Emotional Engagement” with Stephen Anderson and many more.

Keynotes and Presentations, Thursday 2nd to Saturday 4th Feb
The conference continues with three days in The Convention Centre Dublin where the Keynotes and presentation talks take place including: “From Solid to Liquid to Air – Interaction Design and the Future of the Interface” by Amber Case and “Hack to the Future” by Fabian Hemmert.

Interaction Awards & Activities
This year’s conference also plays host to the inaugural presentation of IxDA’s Interaction Awards, the first awards program recognizing excellence across the diverse practice of interaction design. Taking place in the historic Round Room at the Lord Mayor of Dublin’s residence, check out the award winners, toast the finalists, and celebrate the accomplishments of IxDA (Friday 3rd February 2012, 7.30pm).

Big Event – Big Effort
Interaction12 is a very big event and it takes place in Dublin thanks to the efforts of Séamus Byrne, Ben Arent and IxDA Dublin. The international IxDA Board of Directors selected Dublin as the location for the Interaction 12 Conference – honouring Dublin with the designation of first European IxDA host city. The Dublin presentation team beat off rival bids from Berlin, Delft, Helsinki and Paris. Seamus Byrne comments: “Our local IxDA group is a vibrant and thriving community that has helped Interaction Design take centre-stage as an important and relevant discipline here in Dublin. It is clear our industry will play a vital role in Dublin’s current evolution from capital city of a knowledge economy to a global hub for research, design and development.”

Book your ticket
Time is running out, several events are fully booked out – register here … http://interaction12.ixda.org/register