Tag Archive for 'Don Levan'

The Craft of FileMaker Design Studio: An Intensive, three day, learning experience.

Vanguard Custom SoftwareOur good friend, Don Levan, Vanguard Custom Software, is hosting the next Craft of FileMaker Design Studio on October 24th – 26th in New York City

Register before the end of the FileMaker Developer’s conference and save $300.

Attendees of The Design Studio will learn a formal process for designing exceptional FileMaker solutions:

  • Conduct design research
  • Derive requirements from personas and scenarios
  • Identify and use design patterns
  • Develop and refine ideas
  • Prototype and  test designs
  • Utilize feedback to improve solutions

Continue reading ‘The Craft of FileMaker Design Studio: An Intensive, three day, learning experience.’

 

Fundamentals of Exceptional Interface Design

Our good friends, Don Levan from Vanguard Custom Software and Ernest Koe from Proof, are facilitating a three-day Craft of FileMaker Seminar called Fundamentals of Exceptional Interface Design. The seminar will be held  in New York City on October 13-15. Don and Ernest have both presented sessions right here in Philly at the Philly FileMaker User Group!

Learn how to design applications and interactions that your users will rave about, skills that cannot be outsourced, and practices transferable to any software development platform – from two veteran DevCon speakers.

For more information about this seminar, including cost and registration, click HERE!

 

5 Minutes with Philly FileMaker featuring Don Levan

Get a preview of two sessions by Don Levan, Vanguard Custom Software, that will be presented on Tuesday at the FileMaker Development Conference in San Diego, CA. Don joined us at IT Solutions in Philly to give us a sneak peek at his interface sessions in spring 2010.

Also check out www.fmcraftworkshops.com for info on a special FileMaker design seminar in NYC in October.

 

Meeting Recap: Don Levan on Exceptional Interface Design

Many thanks to Don Levan (Vanguard Custom Software) for coming out and presenting to the group!

Don presented to a packed house (28 people) on the impact of successful user interfaces, working within the constraints of human psychology and physiology – and optimizing workflows and tools for humans (as opposed to developers :) ).  Drawing liberally from Edward Tufte, Alan Cooper and Donald Norman for background material, Don laid out some excellent groundwork for building the right software tools for the job that are easy to learn and efficient to use.

This is a topic he’ll be presenting at the 2010 FileMaker DevCon (in San Diego in August),  so it was great to get a preview of the material.

Here are some photos from the meeting.  Tried out my new cell phone’s camera…it is what it is.

 

Join us April 27th – Don Levan – The Fundamentals of Exceptional Interface Design

Our next Philadelphia FileMaker User Group meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday evening, April 27th 2010 at 6:00 PM.
Please RSVP here if you are planning to attend this meeting:
We’re very pleased to have Don Levan presenting this month – he’s been an active participant and presenter at both Pause On Error events, and will be presenting at FileMaker DevCon 2010 this August.  This is a great opportunity to get a preview of the kind of content he’ll be presenting at DevCon.
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF EXCEPTIONAL INTERFACE DESIGN
Presenter:    Don Levan, Vanguard Custom Software, LLC
Successful user interfaces are those that are easy to learn and efficient to use. Meeting these goals requires that you understand the people who will use your software.  This presentation will provide current information about interface and interaction design best practices, our shared human psychology and abilities, and the ways to leverage FileMaker tools to create exceptional user experiences.
The meeting will be held at the IT Solutions Fort Washington Office:
+  414 Commerce Dr., Suite 150, Fort Washington, PA 19034
+  Google Map: http://tinyurl.com/37mhhh
As always, pizza and soft drinks will be provided.
About the Speaker:
Don Levan, Psy.D., is president of Vanguard Custom Software, LLC., a New York FileMaker consulting firm. Dr. Levan is a FileMaker Certified Developer and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. He has been using FileMaker since the early 1990s and developing FileMaker applications professionally since 2002. He will be speaking at the 2010 FileMaker Developer’s Conference.
Vanguard’s mission is to “create simple applications which solve complex problems.” They incorporate software development best practices, interaction design, and cognitive psychology to create data-driven applications and websites that are efficient for business and easy for people.
About the Philadelphia FileMaker User Group:
The Philadelphia FileMaker User Group was founded in 2004 as an initiative by FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum member IT Solutions Consulting.  The group’s goal is to provide an open forum for FileMaker developers and those interested in FileMaker to meet, brainstorm and network.
We hold meetings the 4th Tuesday of every month at 6PM, in the office of IT Solutions Consulting, Inc., at 414 Commerce Drive, Suite 150, Fort Washington PA.
Meetings are open to all, regardless of background and there’s no charge to attend.
Please subscribe to our Mailing List to get announcements on upcoming meetings. The list is set to Announce only, so the volume is typically between one and 2 emails a month.
You can read our blog to get updates and meeting recaps:
We’re also an FMPug Chapter:  http://www.fmpug.com/ Consider membership today, especially if you purchase training, plugins, 3rd party products, or web/filemaker hosting – FMPug membership affords considerable discounts across a range of offerings.
Finally, The Philadelphia FileMaker User Group is hosted by:

IT Solutions Consulting, Inc.
Employee ownership – fueling our innovation, strengthening your business.
- Learn about our new FileMaker support offerings: FMAssist and FMAssure!