Last month I outlined five SXSWi sessions that looked rather promising. And with the conference now just one month away, I’ve highlighted another five for you to add to your schedule. We’re in countdown mode!

1. Is Wordpress Killing Web Design? / Dan Oliver, .net Magazine

Oliver and the panel will debate whether or not CMS tools are hindering creativity in web design. I’m a bit confused by this session’s description because the tool, Wordpress in this case, has little effect on my personal creation process. The work my studio and I produce looks far from template-like. This confusion can be partly attributed to the fact that we focus solely on design rather than design and development saving us from execution fears (up to a certain point). Perhaps in this case ignorance IS bliss. All in all, it should prove to be a great show thanks to an interesting subject matter and a solid line up of panel members.

2. Where the Sidewalk Ends / Iain Coyle

I’m afraid this session might be the equivalent of hanging out in your bookstore’s Self Help section, but it sounds great so who cares. Coyle’s panel has a solid line up as well including designer/illustrator Frank Chimero and Thinking For a Living’s creator, Duane King. The panel will discuss the importance of personal projects – how they help one become a stronger creative and positively influence one’s client work. So if you’re needing a little kick in the pants to remind you of your original passion, the one you had before your clients stomped on it, this panel might motivate you to find it again.

3. Re-Inventing the Wheel: Sketching your own IA Process /
Chris Fahey, Behavior Design

We’ve all been there. You sit down with the research and tools ready to design and feel as though you don’t know where to start. It reminds me of Sidney Harris’s cartoon (below) which reads, “And then a miracle occurs.” So what exactly happens in that “miracle”? And what can we do to insure a “miracle” happens every time? Fahey’s session will shed some light on that process and hopefully help us all avoid those initial moments of panic.

4. Beyond the Desktop / Peter Murholz, Adaptive Path

The public at large quickly familiarized itself with the iPhone and Wii interfaces. So what’s next? Murholz will show us where things are heading with new, unfamiliar interfaces. I’m sure the iPad will make an appearance here and I look forward to hearing Murholz’s perspective on what this means for future products and user interaction.

5. Web Accessibility Gone Wild / Jared Smith, WebAIM

Good intentions, bad results. Smith will shed some light on the accessibility mistakes we’re making, how they’re hurting users, and how to correctly go about web accessibility. He’ll explain what appropriate alternative text looks like, how to make complex images such as graphs accessible, and how to apply accessibility practices to web apps.