Tracks

• Coder
• Site Building and Implementation
• Theming
• Design/UX
• Drupal Community
• Business and Strategy

Coder

Track Chairs: Robin Barre, Larry Garfield

The Coder track is targeted at people who develop code for Drupal. We are looking for sessions to bring both new Drupal contributors and old timers up to speed on the new world of Drupal 7 development. Drupal core brings a host of new possibilities, and contributed modules are already starting to offer even more.

A good Coder track session should introduce people to new tools and techniques or expand on existing tools and techniques to make developing for Drupal better and easier. Leaving a session, people should want to run to the nearest computer and start writing code based on what they just learned. Most sessions should include at least some sample code.

Main themes include:

• Leveraging Drupal 7: What new options and capabilities are available now that haven't been before, and how do we do amazing things with them?
• Contributed Advantage: Leverage the vast array of Drupal contributed modules to make better sites better. For example, show developers how to interact with contributed module APis like Views and Panels.
• Less work, more site: Tools and techniques to make life easier for developers, system administrators, and module authors.

Attendees may be of all levels of Drupal skill and experience, but it is assumed that they are already familiar with PHP and Web development in general.

Site Building and Implementation

Track Chair: Allie Micka

The Site Building and Implementation track is for people of all skill levels who want to get things done with Drupal. Sessions in this track will highlight everything that's possible without writing code, with a focus on providing solutions to real-world problems. Attendees will learn key Drupal concepts and develop skills and solutions that they can use to start or improve their Drupal sites right away.

Main themes include:

• Introductory concepts. Skill building sessions for users who want to get started with Drupal and its distributions, or information on upgrading and using Drupal 7.
• Modules and frameworks. Solutions that leverage multiple modules working in harmony to accomplish common tasks, and why that's often better than a "one size that does it all" module.
• Best Practices. A focus on strategies involving reusable tools and web-based configurations that support sustainable support and long-term maintenance.

This track is appropriate for attendees of various technical levels - from Drupal beginners to those with advanced configuration skills.

Theming

Track Chair: John Albin Wilkins

The theming track is for learning and discussing the implementation of design, interaction, usability, accessibility and navigation. While the Design/UX track discusses these same issues, this track talks about the nuts and bolts of actually building these concepts into your website.

• Drupal theming. Drupal's theme layer is in charge of creating (and also optionally altering and adding to) the HTML, CSS and JavaScript that is output to the web browser. Learn basic theme manipulations requiring no PHP as well as more advanced modifications.
• UX, A11y, IA. Building these concepts into actual code is not always obvious; learn tips and techniques to give users better experiences.
• Interactions. Whether you are using the included JavaScript libraries, jQuery and jQuery UI, or Canvas or even Flash, Drupal is a solid foundation to build upon.
• Styling. Learn about new tools evolving to help site builders style more efficiently, from grid layout frameworks to CSS3 properties and Sass or LESS CSS compilers.

Sessions in this track are technical, but targeted at various levels of expertise — from introductory to advanced.

Design/UX

Track Chair: Todd Ross Nienkerk

The Design/UX track is for artists, usability experts, and site architects — all the people who decide what a site should look like and why. While the Theming track focuses on execution, the Design/UX track is about what happens before anyone touches markup and CSS.

Main themes include:

• Design. Establishing the look and feel of a site. Creating compelling sites with a clear purpose. Communicating a brand and personality.
• User experience. Making a site useful and easy to use. Communicating an interface's purpose and expected results. Creating better workflows for visitors and site administrators.
• Site architecture. Organizing a site around its goals. Creating effective navigation structures and browsing systems.

This track is about more than Drupal — it's about building a more attractive, usable, and purpose-driven Web.

Drupal Community

Track Chair: Greg Dunlap

'Come for the code, stay for the community'

The Community track is targeted at anyone interested in participating in the Drupal community in any facet. While other tracks are more focused on technical skills like coding or theming, the Community track is focused on the ways in which we work together and how we can do so more productively to make Drupal as a whole a better product. The goal is to leave people with the urge to join forces to improve whatever aspect of Drupal they are currently involved in, be it local organizing, working issue queues, project management, coding, marketing, or any other part of the community.

Main themes include:

• How to get more people involved in Drupal and make it easier for newcomers to get in the door and interact.
• How to address the challenges of working together as a diverse community that is growing almost exponentially.
• How to handle conflicts and concerns in a respectful and civil manner towards everyone involved.

The Community track is appropriate for Drupalers of all experience levels, all that is required is a desire to build Drupal to new levels of awesome!

Business and Strategy

Track Chair: George DeMet

This track is for business owners, evaluators, project managers, and other decision-makers who want to learn more about how others have leveraged Drupal and associated technologies to succeed in solving business problems and maximizing impact. Sessions in this track will seek to inspire those looking for new and creative ways to utilize Drupal as a cutting-edge Web solution.

Main themes include:

• Business strategy. Hear from business leaders who have leveraged Drupal to create innovative products and services.
• Project management techniques. Learn how high-performing Drupal teams work their magic to deliver successful projects on time and on budget.
• Best Practices. Find out how to effectively and sustainably build a business around Drupal as well as how to integrate Drupal into your enterprise.

Sessions in this track are non-technical in nature and targeted at professionals at all levels of experience.