2024 UX Speaker Series
Revolutionizing Tech Culture: The Revere XR Story and Its Oculus Launchpad Triumph
Yolanda will share the inspiring journey of Revere XR, a trailblazing project that won the prestigious Oculus Launchpad award. This presentation is set to not only recount a success story but also to provoke thought and introduce future-oriented thinking in the field of technology and user experience (UX).
Yolanda will begin by unveiling the story behind Revere XR's inception, highlighting the innovative vision and persistent efforts that led to its remarkable achievements. She will delve into the genesis of Revere XR, sharing the motivational and challenging moments that shaped the project, reflecting a journey filled with learning, growth, and success.
A significant focus of the talk will be a detailed walkthrough of how Revere XR was built, from conceptualization to receiving the Oculus Launchpad award. Yolanda will discuss the creative and technical processes, the user-centered design strategies employed, and the collaborative efforts that were pivotal in developing this groundbreaking project. This segment aims to provide practical insights and inspire students about the potential of technology to create meaningful and impactful experiences.
Furthermore, Yolanda will explore what makes Revere XR special and how it is actively changing the culture of tech. She will discuss the project's unique approach to blending technology with storytelling, its commitment to inclusivity, and its role in shaping a more diverse and empathetic tech landscape.
The presentation will also touch upon how Revere XR is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and visionary thinking in technology. Yolanda will encourage students to think expansively about their potential career paths, illustrating how UX can be a powerful tool in various sectors and a catalyst for cultural change.
Concluding with an interactive Q&A session, Yolanda will offer HCDE students the opportunity to engage directly with her experiences, learn from the challenges and successes of Revere XR, and gain valuable insights into building a fulfilling and impactful career in the ever-evolving field of UX and technology. This talk aims to inspire, inform, and ignite a passion for innovation and change-making in the world of tech.
Yolanda A. Barton is a trailblazer in immersive storytelling; she's a venerated expert and the pioneering founder of Revere XR. Using cutting-edge Extended Reality (XR), virtual, augmented, mixed reality and Artificial Intelligence to recreate history and bring it to life through XR Preservation . She's transforming the way we engage, interact, & experience history, melding rich history and heritage of the past with future technologies. She holds double Masters degree from the University of Washington. She is the most recent winner of Oculus Launchpad, named among the Top 100 Women of The Future as an XR evangelist, a -finalist for Pharrell’s Black Ambition Award, & honored by various foundations. Yolanda's captivating speaking style has made her not only a sought-after speaker for Fortune 500 giants but also a highly coveted consultant. Yolanda A. Barton's TEDx talk was a paradigm-shifting experience, unveiling the transformative power of Extended Reality (XR) in reliving and preserving history. Her eloquent articulation and passionate advocacy for utilizing technology as a force for good captivated the audience, making it a truly incredible and unforgettable presentation. Her ability to ignite a room and encourage listeners, leaders, and global audiences to harness the good in technology is extraordinary. In an era where the technology sector is desperately seeking leaders with million-dollar ideas, Yolanda emerges as an indispensable force. She is a shining exemplar of how technology, when wielded wisely and inclusively, can revolutionize our world for the better. As she continues to shatter the glass ceiling and recalibrate the limits of what technology can achieve, Yolanda sets the course for a future where the digital and physical worlds converge in the most transformative, inclusive ways imaginable. Yolanda A. Barton's leadership stands as a testament to her ability to inspire, innovate, and uplift, creating transformative experiences for generations to come.
The UX Speaker Series is hosted Thursdays in Winter Quarter by the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington. Presentations are open to the public.
Depending on the speaker's preference, a recording will be posted to this webpage after the event. View the full schedule at hcde.uw.edu/ux.