2006: A Year of Words and Travel

You'd think in a year when I wrote and published a book, that would be the thing I think about the most when reflecting about the year. But, oddly enough, it isn't. Instead, I think back on the travel I've done this year, easily logging more air miles than probably the last five years combined. Every month, to my family's chagrin, I was somewhere:

• January: Los Angeles
• February: Atlanta
• March: Austin
• May: Atlanta (again)
• July: Portland, OR
• August: Washington, D.C. and Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
• September: Sydney, Australia
• October: New York
• November: Toronto, Canada
• December: Knoxville, TN

And that doesn't even count the short trips to Mammoth, Seattle, and San Dimas! Next year will probably be just as travel-full, with trips already scheduled for Helsinki, Chicago, London, Austin, Las Vegas, Sweden, and Washington D.C.

But yes, this was a year I wrote a lot. Not only did the book come out (to mostly good reviews), I also wrote a few other things: So You Want to Be an Interaction Designer 2006 and Everything You Wanted to Know About Designers (But Were Afraid To Ask). I've been interviewed a few times: by Liz Danzico for AIGA and BusinessWeek, Brian Oberkirch for an Edgework Podcast, Dan Brown for some Hot Dan-on-Dan Action, and Jim Leftwich for The WELL's Inkwell Series.

I spoke at five conferences in three countries. I taught four workshops in four different cities. I started a new blog/project and have contributed quite a bit to Adaptive Path's blog (most of my best blogging this year has been done there, I'd say). And, oh yeah, I worked on seven projects, one of which launched (here's a case study I helped write about it).

I read at least three books that changed the way I think about design and designing products (and no, not this one): What Things Do, Everyware, and The Evolution of Useful Things.

It's been a busy year, and I wouldn't have missed any of it. If next year is half as interesting and fun, I'll be doing well. I hope you and yours have a happy holiday season and a great new year. See you in 2007.

Originally posted at Wednesday, December 20, 2006 | Comments (0) | Trackback (0)