InRhythm

Your partners in accelerated digital transformation

Events

Sprint 2.0: 4 Day Design Sprints

It was a humbling experience to kick off the InRhythmU Speaker Series at InRhythm HQ. InRhythmU was created to foster a culture of continuous education through onsite events and comprehensive workshops for anyone who is looking to learn and grow in their field. As the Director of UX/UI Design at InRhythm, it seemed fitting to give a talk about Design Sprints and how it impacts the speed to market as well as the creativity a group can bring to a room when working together.

We started the session with a brief overview of where UX/UI sits in the cadence of a products journey, showing where intelligence (UX) meets creativity (UI). We discussed the difference between design thinking and design sprints and then the sprints themselves, which was started by a group from Google Ventures in 2016. The five day sprint is a team workshop for learning, iterating, creating and deploying. Sprint 2.0 is a four day sprint with even more collaboration and problem solving.

While we discussed the iteration process, we did a hands on task of Crazy 8s, where attendees were giving a module to design and had eight minutes to create eight drawings per minute. The attendees were a mix of designers, product owners, scrum masters, engineers and marketers, which is the perfect cross section for this exercise. While the start was slow, the group found their footing and cruised through drawings. Coming up with idea after idea in the 8 minutes allotted. The mix of job types showed how a group can have a similar idea for a singular task.

We concluded by discussing how this methodology not only builds experiences quickly and creates a strong team dynamic but gives us the option to test our ideas. Testing creates a level of flexibility that only breeds better experiences and if everyone brings this type of creativity, iteration along with strong dynamic back to their jobs and creates some next level experiences for us all.

You can watch the full session here. Apologies in advance for the sporadic use of profanity.

InRhythm’s Totally Radical 80s Day

There’s always music playing at InRhythm HQ—we even offer free streaming to InRhythmers to keep everyone in the zone with their favorite tracks. Music boosts productivity and psychological well-being, in addition to sparking impromptu singalongs throughout the day.

One of our go-to playlists is an epic greatest hits of the 80s, and we decided to lean into that spirit with radical 80s-themed outfits all day, leading up to a happy hour at our favorite local spot in the Financial District.

Check out photos of our outfits—including a Breakfast Club tribute and some epic wigs—below. While you’re at it, you can see what we’re listening to at InRhythm HQ by following us on Spotify or checking out some of our workday playlists.

Jess in pink jacket and blonde rockstar wig Mike in denim and a mullet wig Amanda in ramen shirt and leggings

Matt in leather jacket and breakfast club t-shirt Jill in trench coat, t-shirt, and white Converse sneakers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve always got a lot going on at InRhythm HQ, from fun days in costume to open workshops on the latest in software engineering. If that sounds like an environment you’d like to be a part of, we’re always looking to bring on talented consultants to work on exciting projects with industry leaders. Head over to our Careers page to see the latest openings at InRhythm.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Women in Tech: 5 Crucial Lessons from Successful Women in Technology

This article by InRhythm COO Shivani York originally appears on Medium. For the full text and additional links, check out the article here.

This past Thursday, we hosted an amazing group of women leaders here at InRhythm HQ for a panel discussion on how they have built their careers in an industry that is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, and how to overcome that imbalance and succeed regardless. I was delighted to see a full house across the room; this topic impacts both men and women, and there is much to be learned from our collective experiences.

Statistics show that a lack of diversity in the workplace stymies innovation and company valuation across the board, making it an issue that affects everyone. The discussion throughout the panel was honest and inspiring. All five women had taken different courses and focused on different roles and sectors of our industry, but there were some great takeaways that can guide and inspire us all toward a more open, diverse, and strong workplace. Read More

Overly Defensive Programming – The Video

Recently we shared an article written by InRhythm’s own Carl Vitullo on Overly Defensive Programming. That article was the basis for a talk he gave at JavaScript.NYC last month and the video is finally available! If you’re not one of the people lucky enough to have witnessed the talk in person, now you can finally bask in it’s glory!