Hazel Jennings

Principal design architect, Zendesk

Applying Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Rules for Writing to User Experience As user experience designers, we’re redefining how people interact with content. What could a 1960’s counter culture novelist teach us about onboarding new users or making product decisions? Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse Five and over 25 other famous works, was a master of language and storytelling. In one of his last books, Vonnegut outlined 8 rules for creative writing––including where to start your story and the job of every sentence. Hazel will talk about how the rules that Vonnegut used while sitting at a typewriter apply directly to our work as designers, researchers and writers building online experiences. She will show examples of uncommon ways Instagram has solved UX problems and how the power of storytelling can build a stronger connection between your product and the people who use it. Hazel Jennings is the founding member of the Instagram content strategy team and spends her days articulating and evangelizing Instagram’s voice.