Designing for a Sustainable World.

The global theme for World Usability Day 2009 is how our products and services impact our world. Let World Usability Day 2009 be your impetus to create greater awareness for designs, products and services that improve the sustainability of our world.

The Ottawa World Usability event will feature local experts in the area of designing for a sustainable world. The keynote presentation will be given by David Berman, author of Do Good Design: How Designers Can Change the World: "In this lively presentation, design expert David Berman discusses the power and effectiveness of good design, and therefore the need to incorporate notions of social responsibility into design principles. Berman is a Canadian communications strategist, designer and author, and a vice-president of Icograda, the world body for graphic design.

Presentations will also be made by:

Natasha Wilson, Director, Community Relations, Ottawa Riverkeeper. The Ottawa Riverkeeper takes action to defend the Ottawa River and to influence decisions that affect the health and future of the river. Natasha will discuss the design challenges involved in bringing municipal water to the 2009 Ottawa Folk Festival in lieu of environmentally unsustainable plastic water bottles.

Kevin Bailey, President, Neal Cowan, Director of Design, Design 1st.Kevin and Neal will examine the balance between Product Design and Mechanical Engineering in sustainability-related product decisions using real life product development examples. The presentation will be an interactive discussion on sustainable thinking within the framework of a several real product developments. Design 1st was founded in 1996 and the team is hired by companies developing new products in medical, retail, commercial and communications markets.

Snacks and drinks provided, and a trip to a local pub will follow the event.