Anthony Viviano

What Makes an Effective User Experience Professional and Team (Ann Arbor, MI)

The UX Management Perspectives

West Hall, Room 411 (aka “Ehrlicher Room”), University of Michigan

1085 South University Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107

The Michigan chapters of UPA and CHI (currently in formation), in conjunction with the University of Michigan School of Information Career Development Office and Student CHI Chapter, invite you to a very special evening networking and panel session. Four industry UX managers and executives will give short position presentations on the individuals and skills that make a successful team. This will be followed by panel and audience Q&A discussion. Come to network, learn, and position/reposition yourself for success in this exciting field.

If you cannot find street parking, continue East on South University and turn right at Forest Street, and park in the Forest Street Parking Structure (650 S. Forest, on the right hand side of the street). Bring your ticket with you to the event to be validated.

Lost en route? Call 734-223-0499

Cost

FREE for Full-time Students (ID must be presented)

$10 for MIUPA and MOCHI members

$15 All others

RSVP

Please RSVP at Upcoming.org to ensure entrance to this event. You can also send an RSVP to events@miupa.org

Schedule

 6:00 PM Registration, networking, and pizza

6:45 PM Announcements

7:00 PM Program

Panelists

• James M. Anderson, Vice President - Electronic Services, Michigan First Credit Union
• Barbara Hernandez, User Experience Manager, Techsmith Corporation (makers of Snag-It, Camtasia, Morae, and more)
• Keith Instone, Information Architecture Lead, ibm.com User Experience Design Team, CIO’s Office, IBM Corporation
• Laurie Kantner, Vice President of Client Services, Tec-Ed, Inc.

Moderator

Dave Mitropoulos-Rundus (aka ‘the Jerry Springer of panel moderators’ and a staunch supporter of the ‘Brawls for Better Brains Society’)

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | Toledo, OH, USA
Tags: Management | Manager | Michigan | MOCHI | U of M | upa | user experience
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World Usability Day - Designing for a Sustainable World (East Lansing, MI, USA)

The 5th World Usability Day and the 7th Annual Usability and Accessibility Conference at Michigan State University, will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2009, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the MSU campus.

Please “Save the Date” and join us for a program that will be relevant to researchers, professionals, and students alike. Explore advanced and timely topics of usability, accessibility and human-technology interface design in the sustainable global knowledge economy.

Tours of the MSU Usability & Accessibility Center are included in the day’s agenda.

For information on how to get involved, please visit http://www.usability.msu.edu/conf/2009/Default.aspx.

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | Kalamazoo, MI, USA | Toledo, OH, USA
Tags: conference | Sustainability | world usability day
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Evening World Usability Day Event (Ann Arbor, MI)

The Michigan UPA is excited to bring you an evening World Usability Day event to supplement that outstanding day-long conference that Michigan State University is planning for that day!

We are very excited about this event, because it is an opportunity for us to reach out to people that are outside the usability field with a message of how user-centered design can provide real value. The theme of this year’s World Usability Day is transportation, and that also has us pretty excited, given that there are at least a few people in Michigan that work for transportation-related companies.

The event will be held in the evening on Thursday, November 13, 2008. It will be hosted in Ann Arbor. The focus of this event is spreading the word about user centered design and usability. The event will consist of a series of short talks (about 10-20 minutes), with each talk presenting a specific story about how user centered design, a focus on the user, or a piece of the usability “toolkit” delivered value to a company.

This event is an opportunity to see how usability can help you and is geared toward people unfamiliar with it or usability professionals who could use some good stories to tell.

Watch the Michigan UPA website for more details as they become available.

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | Local meeting | Social | World Usability Day 2008
Tags: ann arbor | upa | world usability day | WUD
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Michigan World Usability Day (East Lansing, MI)

The MSU Usability & Accessibility Center is joining over 180 locations in 41 countries to promote the 4th annual World Usability Day. This is also MSU’s 6th annual Usability and Accessibility event.

Theme: Getting to the Point: Improving Transportation through Better Design

The focus for World Usability Day 2008 is Transportation. Transportation in its broadest sense means moving products and people. Usability in transportation speaks to the interaction of people and vehicles, the challenges and issues of infrastructure and modes for moving around in our environment.

• Cost: $25.00 – lunch included
• Location: MSU Union Building

For registration and program information, visit the Michigan WUD site.

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | Local meeting | Toledo, OH, USA | World Usability Day 2008
Tags: East Lansing | MSU | upa | world usability day | WUD
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Usability Testing: Observation to Analysis (Okemos)

The Southeast Michigan Chapter of the STC and Techsmith Corporation will host a presentation by Barb Hernandez, Josie Scott, and Casey Usabilty Testing: Observation to Analysis.

Experience a live usability test and participate in observation and analysis and learn what it takes to put together a test and make actionable recommendations.

Program meetings are an excellent networking opportunity for both professionals and students. Non-members are welcome, so feel free to bring guests! Also, we have a new fee structure this year, with lower prices for all. (We will serve light snacks for this meeting.) We hope you can attend!
Location:

TechSmith Corporation
2405 Woodlake Drive
Okemos, MI 48864-5910
Parking is free in the TechSmith lot.
Map

Schedule:
6:30-7: networking and food
7-8:30 program

Program Fees:
Chapter members: $5.00
Students (members and non-members): $5.00
Non-members: $10.00

Registration:
Register and pay by using any of the following methods:
-E-mail–register@stc-sm.org and pay at the door (cash or check)
STC contact: Erin Moulton, 734-645-1301

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | Event type | Local meeting
Tags: Lansing | Michigan | Okemos | STC | Usability
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Network and Learn - An evening of UX design and IA discussion (West Bloomfield, MI, USA)

Organic and UXnet would like to invite you to an evening of networking and learning on Tuesday, September 30th.

The schedule for the evening …

6:30 - 7:30 PM: Catered reception featuring “Speed Networking.” Similar to speed dating, “Speed Networking” pairs two User Experience practitioners and gives them 2 minutes to talk to each other. Come prepared with something to say.

7:30 - 7:45 PM: Learn about Organic, a web design leader according to Forrester Research.

7:45 - 8:30 PM: Enjoy a presentation from Keith Instone titled “There is a story behind every link.” See the presentation description below.

8:30 - 9:00 PM: More socializing and tours of the Organic offices.

Please RSVP to Anthony Viviano by September 25th at aviviano@organic.com.

Plan to arrive at 6:30 sharp, so that you can fully participate in the Speed Networking portion of the evening.

Organic
2600 S. Telegraph Road | Suite 100
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
Map

Keith’s presentation …

There is a story behind every link: Tales of information architecture from ibm.com by Keith Instone

Ever wonder how a large corporate web site navigation system is designed, and how it evolves over time? How certain links find their way to the corporate home page, while other ones do not? How major changes in the corporation’s business affect the web site navigation? And how the IA of the corporate web site can give clues about how well the business is doing?

If so, then join Keith Instone as he tells stories about the information architecture of ibm.com. Example stories may include:

• The evolution of sitewide navigation categories like “solutions” and “services”
• Worldwide information architecture challenges
• The cultural shifts required to do something as (theoretically) simple as adding a “sign in” link to the masthead
• Tracking the evolution of a single web page as it signals fundamental shifts in how the business is operating “behind the scenes”
• The effect of selling off a key division of the company on the navigation system
• Balancing the strategic goals while handling day-to-day requests for changes to the navigation
• Techniques for dealing with executive home page link requests

The stories Keith tells will be in part determined by what you want to hear. Come prepared to select some high level links on ibm.com and see if Keith has any interesting stories to tell about them.

Keith Instone has been the information architecture lead for ibm.com for the last several years. He had been on the User experience design team since he joined IBM 6 and a half years ago. Keith is also active in the information architecture and user experience communities. Most of his professional volunteer time goes towards the User Experience Network.

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | Local meeting | Social | Toledo, OH, USA
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Actively Positioning Oneself for a Successful Interview (Livonia, MI, USA)

Please join the Society for Technical Communication’s Southeast Michigan chapter for their September program on Thursday the 18^th! Al Pizzurro will share his knowledge about preparing for interviews and will discuss the different interview styles, common interview questions, and negotiation techniques.

Al Pizzurro has worked for IT and Automotive Companies such as Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Automotive Components Holdings, llc (ACH) and is currently working with Ford Motor Company as a Contract Specialist for Engineering Software. Al uses his own experience in job-searching and as a manager to assist people in creating or improving their resumes, guiding them on how to search and apply for positions over the Internet, and providing insight on how to view every opportunity as a chance to network. He also assists people in interview preparation techniques and how to stay actively positioned in the face of negative thoughts especially from places you least expect

Date:
Thursday, September 18th

Time:
6:30 pm-7:00: networking
7:00-8:00: presentation

Location:

Parking is free and is available in front of the building.

Program Fees:

Chapter members: $5.00

Students (members and non-members): $5.00

Non-members: $10.00

Registration:

Register and pay by using any of the following methods:

-E-mail–register@stc-sm.org and pay at the door (cash or check)

-Mail–fill out and submit the registration form (http://www.stc-sm.org/register.htm) and send your registration with payment (cash or check) to:

Registration for November STC Program
22951 Thorncliffe
Southfield, MI 48033

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | STC
Tags: stc-sem
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Navigating the Job Market (Ann Arbor, MI, USA)

Join the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the STC for dinner and a presentation on Monday, May 19^th! Al Pizzurro will share his knowledge about writing resumes, job-searching, and staying positive in the process. This is a perfect program for those in the process of changing jobs, students, and those who just want to update their skills and resumes.

Program Description:

With today’s uncertain economy, it’s best to be proactive about your employment opportunities and marketing your talents. Whether you are just starting your career or making a change, Allan (Al) Pizzurro can offer advice to help you to deal with the ups and downs of job-searching and how to get back into the market. He uses his own experience in job-searching and as a manager to assist people in creating or improving their resumes, guiding them on how to search and apply for positions over the Internet, and providing insight on how to view every opportunity as a chance to network. He also assists people in interview preparation techniques and how to stay actively positioned in the face of negative thoughts especially from places you least expect.

Al Pizzurro has worked for IT and Automotive Companies such as Electronic Data Systems (EDS), Automotive Components Holdings, llc (ACH) and is currently working with Ford Motor Company as a Contract Specialist for Engineering Software.

Showcase your work!

In addition to the presentation, you’ll also have a chance to show off your talents to your peers, Bring your best work to show what you’re writing, creating, editing, or building.

Schedule:
6:30 pm-7:30: dinner and awards ceremony
7:30-8:30: presentation

Location:
Washtenaw Community College

Morris J. Lawrence Building

Room 105/121

4800 E Huron River Dr

Ann Arbor MI 48106-1610

Registration:

When you register, please indicate whether you will be eating dinner. The choices will include a vegetarian and meat option.

Note: Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate walk-ins for dinner. If you mail your registration late, please send an e-mail to registration to ensure we get you on the list for dinner. Thanks for your assistance!

Preregister by Sunday, May 11th and indicate whether you will be having dinner or not. Please register by email at register@stc-sm.org or by mail at:

Registration for May STC Program
22951 Thorncliffe
Southfield, MI 48033

Price with dinner and presentation:
$15 for STC members

$10 for students
$20 for nonmembers

Prices without dinner (Presentation only):

$5 for members and students

$10 for nonmembers

Directions:

http://www.wccnet.edu/aboutwcc/collegeinfo/directionsandmaps/directionstowcc.php

Campus Map:

http://www.wccnet.edu/aboutwcc/collegeinfo/directionsandmaps/campusmap.php

The Morris J. Lawrence building is “ML” on the campus map. There is plenty of free parking in front of the building (lot #1).

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | Local meeting
Tags: Resume | Southeast Michigan STC | Washtenaw Community College
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Spider Controls: A New GUI Paradigm (Farmington Hills, MI, USA)

The May meeting of the Michigan UPA features Stan Driskell and Spider Controls, a new paradigm for the design of graphic user interfaces (GUIs) based on a universal graphic that displays menu, list/combo box, toolbar, palette, and dialog box options in a common format. This universal graphic makes it easy to embed any type of control, including list boxes, spin buttons, radio buttons, and check boxes. Of the many innovations introduced by Spider Controls, the most consequential are:

• The ability to make menu and toolbar selections with less than 0.5 inch of total cursor travel.
• The ability to display any item from a list of up to 98 items with less than 0.3 inch of total cursor travel.
• The display of all options in easy to scan, vertical columns.
• The ability to frequently make two selections with a single cursor traverse.
• The ability to toggle a Spider display between single and multiple selection modes.
• A display that pops-up at a predictable location abutting but not obscuring the screen area of user interest.
• The availability of the unique “Navigation Center” to manage control manipulation.

A prototype version of Spider Controls imposed onto Microsoft Word has definitively shown that these features significantly increase user productivity. Spider Controls also promises to make extended periods of computer usage less painful and potentially less physically damaging. Although the simulation was unable to appraise user comfort, secretaries who participated in the focus groups overwhelmingly commented on reduced tension and strain.

SPEAKER:

Stan started professional life with six years as an economist in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Sierra Leone lecturing and researching. After a year at the University of Durham in England he then spent six more years as Research Economist with USAID-funded projects in Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand. Between teaching assignments he designed, managed, and analyzed five separate questionnaire surveys of rural households and developed software that generated questionnaires and subsequently detected error in resulting survey data. His experiences convinced him that the design of materials used by modestly skilled people must maximize comprehension while achieving low error rates.

To better understand challenges faced by computer users caused by complex computer technology, Stan returned to graduate school (University of Michigan – GO BLUE!). His UMich studies encompassed human factors with focus on applying minimizing calculus to Fitts’ Law. This led to what Stan calls the Physical Effort Metric (PEM), which he validated via two formal experiments. After completing his PhD, Stan wanted to utilize the PEM to improve computer usability. He hit upon a graphic configuration of intriguing possibilities that eventually morphed into Spider Controls (SC). To make SC easily and inexpensively available Stan spent the past year designing the Spider Controls Toolkit (SC/Tk), which, aside from other employments, will be used to “Spiderize” major applications of Microsoft Office.

WHEN:
Thursday May 8, 2008 6:00-8:30PM
(Food and networking at 6, program begins at 7)

WHERE:
Cengage
27500 Drake Rd.
Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535

COST (includes food and beverage):
$5 Students, $10 UPA members, $20 all others

REGISTER: Please RSVP to events@miupa.org

See Michigan UPA for more information.

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | Local meeting
Tags: | GUI | hci | interface design | Michigan UPA
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Wizard of PowerPoint (Southfield, MI, USA)

Featuring: Corinne Stavish, humanities professor at Lawrence Technological University

Description: Corrine Stavish, a professional storyteller and speaker, will discuss how and when to use PowerPoint effectively and when not to use it.

Date: Monday, April 21
Time: Networking and light snacks: 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Program: 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Where
Lawrence Technological University
Technology Building
Lear Auditorium (T429)
21000 West Ten Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48075

Price: Program Fees
$5 – STC-SM Chapter Members
$10 – Nonmembers
$5 – Students (members and non-members)

Register and pay by using any of the following methods:

• E-mail—register@stc-sm.org and pay at the door (cash or check)
• Mail—fill out and submit the registration form (http://www.stc-sm.org/register.htm) and send your registration with payment (cash or check) to:Registration for April STC Program
  22951 Thorncliffe
  Southfield, MI 48033

Driving Directions:

• Directions
• Campus Map

Posted in Ann Arbor, MI, USA | Calendar | Detroit, MI, USA | Local meeting | STC
Tags: Lawrence Tech | LTU | Michigan | Program | Southfield | STC-SM
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