Local meeting

4th Annual Digital Union Showcase (Columbus, OH, USA)

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 by Bob Hale
May 21, 2008
10:00 amto12:00 pm

Sponsoring Organization: The Ohio State University Digital Union 

What:  4th Annual Digital Union Showcase & Launch of Learning Collaboration Studio  

Where:  LC Studio (060 SEL) & Digital Union (370 SEL), 370 Science & Engineering Library, 175 W. 18th Ave. 

When: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 

Events:
10-10:30 - Launch of the Learning Collaboration Studio by President Gee
10:30-12 - Digital Union Fourth Anniversary Showcase 

Please join us as we celebrate the Digital Union’s 4th Anniversary with a showcase of projects from this dynamic facility’s fourth year. We are also delighted to announce the grand opening of the Digital Union’s Learning Collaboration Studio, a new joint venture between University Libraries and the Digital Union.  

The Learning Collaboration Studio is a unique space designed with radical flexibility in mind. The goal of the room is to provide a highly interactive learning space and to familiarize librarians with the opportunities and challenges faculty face. President Gordon Gee will preside over the ribbon cutting. 

The Digital Union Fourth Anniversary Showcase includes samplings of faculty and student work carried out in consultation with Digital Union staff as well as demonstrations of the latest emerging technologies including: 

* tours of TELRport Island in Second Life
* blueprints and drawings of the Digital Union 2009 expansion
* multimedia journalism on charitable giving
* collaboratively authored student wikis
* Biology rock opera by Dr. Susan Fisher
* HD documentary about Columbus’ topiary garden
* Microsoft Roundtable conferencing device
* Microsoft Zunes Mp3 players
* SMART Board interactive displays
* Apple Air laptop, iPhone and iPod Touch
* Kindle, Bookeen and Sony eReaders 

For more information, contact: digitalunion@osu.edu

It’s Not Magic: Programming for Non-Programmers (Cleveland, OH, USA)

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 by Ben Woods
May 6, 2008
7:00 pmto9:00 pm

Clevland’s Web Standards Meetup group is hosting an event on programming. http://webdesign.meetup.com/396/calendar/7340442/

Where

Tri-C West Campus
11000 W Pleasant Valley Rd Room WSS G4B (lower level of West Student Services/Galleria).
Cleveland , OH 44130

Organized by

Brad Dielman, Joe Fiorini, and Joseph James Frantz (Point and Clicker)

Details

Have you ever used a website where you enter some information and it magically remembers what you enter? Or what about listening to programmers talk about “databases” and “code”? Come and hear Joe Fiorini, an experienced web developer, explain what “programming” is and how it can help your web site. You will learn how to use object-oriented programming to get information from a form to a database, and from a database back out to a screen. Don’t know what a database is? No problem! He will explain that too!

If you already know all about programming, never fear! Joe will also be showing how to get started using Ruby on Rails, a growing and extremely popular framework for quickly writing web applications.

Speaker bio: Joe Fiorini is a web developer with 8 years of experience in programming for web sites. He has been using HTML and CSS since 1997. Currently he works for Telligent System (the creators of Community Server) as a Software Development Engineer; he develops and maintains sites for Microsoft’s developer community. Previously he worked for Tenth Floor, an interactive marketing company, as a Senior Web Developer. He has delivered technology presentations at various user groups, and to employees at Harley-Davidson and Progressive Insurance.

Navigating the Job Market (Ann Arbor, MI, USA)

Friday, May 2nd, 2008 by Anthony Viviano
May 19, 2008
6:30 pmto8:30 pm

Join the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the STC for dinner and a presentation on Monday, May 19th! 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).

Expecting surprises: A User Research Case Study (Hong Kong)

Monday, April 28th, 2008 by Daniel Szuc
May 22, 2008
7:00 pmto9:00 pm

Expecting surprises: A User Research Case Study (Hong Kong) - 22 May 2008

Conducting user research programs is much more of an art than a science. Even a very small sample size could easily demand serious planning and vigilance in execution, however, the knowledge and insights it brings also goes way beyond what one can get from data based studies such as a survey.

This presentation will take us through a project case study for predesign work targeted at collectors.

See UPA Hong Kong for more information.

Vivian Rosenthal of Tronic Studio (Columbus, OH, USA)

Monday, April 28th, 2008 by Bob Hale
May 15, 2008
6:30 pmto9:30 pm

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Social Hour: 6:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Presentation: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Canzani Center, Columbus College of Art & Design

Members: $5.00 (Professional + Faculty)
Non-Members: $15.00
Student Members: FREE
Student Non-Members: $5.00
 

Due to a last-minute client need, Vivian Rosenthal is speaking in place of her Tronic partner Jesse Seppi. (We all know how that goes). We’re thrilled she’s able to join us. As a cofounder of NYC multimedia design house Tronic Studio, Rosenthal has reshaped the contours of the possible by fusing video, digital animation, sculpture and physical space in new ways. From installations for Wired’s Nextfest, to surreal TV spots for Target, to 230 feet of high-definition video at JFK International for Windows Vista, Tronic thinks big and builds brand while delivering their visions on an engagingly human scale.

Join CSCA as we welcome Vivian Rosenthal to CCAD’s Canzani Center for a very special visit. In a visual presentation and discussion, she’ll show how it’s just not enough for creative professionals to push the boundaries— we have to blur them. For more info on the event, please visit www.cscarts.org.

NH UPA May Meeting: Sneak Peak at Morae 3 and UserVue Demo

Monday, April 28th, 2008 by Kyle Soucy
May 21, 2008 6:00 pmtoMay 22, 2008 8:00 pm

Topic: Morae 3 and UserVue Demo!

Speaker: Shane Lovellette, Morae and UserVue Product Manager - Techsmith

When you think of TechSmith Morae, you probably think of testing things on a computer screen—like a software application or Web site. But what about testing the iPhone user’s experience? Could Morae speed up and simplify a whole range of testing methods, from paper prototyping to in-depth interviews to focus groups? Could it enable unmoderated testing? The Morae development team is hard at work to support all these methods and approaches! In this session, we’ll pull back the curtain to give you a peek at what’s coming…and demonstrate specific use scenarios. We hope you can join us!

Shane Lovellette, the creator of Morae and UserVue, will be here from TechSmith to give us a demo and explain the benefits of using the new version of Morae and UserVue for conducting, recording, observing, analyzing, and presenting the results of in-person and remote user research tests.

When:
Wednesday, May 21st
Refreshments & Networking: 6-7:00 PM – Food & beverages will be provided.
Meeting: 7:00 PM – 8ish

Where:
Chordiant Software, Inc.
8 Commerce Drive
Bedford, NH 03110

Google map: http://tinyurl.com/43le9t

Summary:
The demo will cover how to: collect local and remote test session data, observe test sessions in local and remote environments, and analyze test sessions with the advanced analytical capabilities of the new v. 3.0 of Morae Manager (not out yet!) and UserVue. We will learn about automated and aggregated usability metric analysis, graphing and reporting, as well as creating video highlight presentations.

For those of you who already use Morae and UserVue, Shane will answer any questions you have about the products and give us all a demo of the new version of Morae 3.

About Shane Lovellette:
Shane Lovellette is the product manager for Morae and UserVue. Shane came to TechSmith with over eight years of management and production experience in video and television.

In 2004, Shane helped TechSmith introduce Morae, the first all-digital solution that records and synchronizes user and system data for the analysis of human-computer interaction. In that time, Morae has become the gold standard for usability testing and user experience research.

Shane holds a bachelor’s degree in television, radio, and film production from Syracuse University and an MBA from Michigan State University. Shane resides in DeWitt, Michigan, with his wife and two children.

RSVP:
Please send RSVPs to info@nhupa.org so we have an idea of the head count for the venue and refreshments.

***NH UPA meetings are always open to anyone who is interested in attending. Membership to the UPA is NOT required.***

April RUX Meeting at Ironworks (Richmond, VA, USA)

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 by Joe Sokohl
April 30, 2008
6:00 pm

Colleagues,

Please don’t forget to RSVP for our April meeting at Ironworks!!

What: RUX (Richmond User Experience) Meeting
Where: Ironworks
When: April 30th, 2008, 6pm
Topic: We’re very excited that Stacy Surla from the DC IA group will be our guest speaker.
She’ll be talking about Starting IA Locals and Bringing IA to Work
RSVP: seteague@vcu.edu by Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Need to know more? Join our Yahoo! group:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondux/

Thanks to Ironworks, Stacy Surla and Candace Nicholls for making this
event possible.

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Best,
Susan
Susan Teague Rector
Web Applications Manager
Library Information Systems, VCU Libraries
804.827.3554 | seteague@vcu.edu

Sketching and storytelling (IxDA) - (NYC, NY, US

Monday, April 21st, 2008 by Whitney Quesenbery
April 29, 2008
6:30 pmto8:30 pm

The IxDA NYC April event is an Interaction08 redux. We’ll provide quick summaries to kick off a discussion on sketching and storytelling as pivotal tools for design.In his keynote, Bill Buxton convinced us that he views sketching as more than a design technique. At times, it can be a lifestyle choice. Sketches are used to explore a design problem: to generate alternatives, to elaborate upon them, and to winnow them. With this introduction, we’ll give some examples of projects in which sketching has come in handy and invite you to do so too.

We’ll also visit storytelling. The conversational nature of a well-constructed story makes for engaging designs. We’ll review and build on ideas reflected in talks by Sarah Allen, Chris Conley, and Gretchen Anderson. You can join in by telling a story that drove a successful project, or by recounting what happened when you tackled a project with a storytelling approach.

Whether you were at the Interaction08 (http://interaction08.ixda.org) or not, we want to hear your stories about how sketching and storytelling have made a difference in your design work. In advance of the redux, we have created a wiki where we encourage you to offer sketches, stories and more that we can share during this lively discussion. For a wiki invitation, just request wiki access when you reply.

Location to be announced on RSVP. Respond to nyc-rsvp at ixda dot org.

Revolving Door Technique: a low-planning, multi-topic rapid data

Monday, April 21st, 2008 by Olga Howard
April 22, 2008
6:00 pmto9:00 pm

Near the end of 2006, the new, quite large website we were working on was nearing launch. Most site product areas needed rapid user feedback due to an aggressive development schedule. And, as we neared launch, more functionality was available so it was actually feasible to test user response to the working elements. However, with a 2-person research team and MANY disparate small research needs, we had to develop a way to effectively get customer input within days of the frequent requests.

We developed the Revolving Door technique in response to this need. It’s called Revolving Door because we scheduled participants to come in a steady stream over a period of 5 weeks and altered the usual research request process allow last-second requests to come in, thus shuffling and changing what topics were put in front of the revolving series of participants.

Working with lots of different topics with a high volume of participants and providing analysis within 2 to 3 days of starting testing helped us learn a lot about juggling disparate needs. We are eager to share what we learned in order to help other research teams provide agile, rapid research with confidence and without going bonkers.

Date and time:
April 22, 2008
6:00-7:00 p.m. Dinner at La Madeleine for anyone who would like to join us
7:00-9:00 p.m. Presentation

Location:
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
Presenters:

Leah Rader: With 10 years experience in understanding and crafting
user experiences through qualitative research methods, Leah most
enjoys the improvisational moments in participant interviews. She has
delved into the behavior and thinking of customers as a head
researcher for consulting firms, e-Lab, Sapient, and Matter. She
started up the user experience research practice for Marriott
International and most recently has worked with Revolution Health as a
freelance researcher.

Beth Toland: Beth has a broad range of experience having worked in
most major functions of the web–from design and information
architecture to content development and research. Her specialty is
messaging and branding which is particularly useful in solutions
development and opportunity mapping. Beth has led projects for
consulting firms Andersen and Sapient, and helped build the research
practice at Marriott International. Most recently, she developed the
research offering at Revolution Health, where she pioneered several
new data collection methods.

Registration:
Please register online at
http://www.upa-dc-metro.org/registration/event/beginEventReg.php

Cost
$5 members
$15 nonmembers

Directions to the Program:
The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center is located at 4805
Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814. The Center is in the two-story
County office building on the plaza level of the Metropolitan complex,
above a County parking garage.

By Car:
The entrance to the parking garage is marked with a large blue
Bethesda Center parking sign. Parking is available in the garage -
$.75 per hour short-term (3 hours or less), $.50 per hour for over 3
hours. If you are coming south on Old Georgetown Road (from the
Beltway use exit 36), turn right on Woodmont Avenue and the parking
entrance is almost immediately on your left (second driveway). If you
are coming south on Wisconsin Avenue/Rockville Pike, turn right onto
Woodmont Avenue, go south for approximately one mile, cross Old
Georgetown Road, and the parking garage entrance is the second
driveway on your left. If you are coming north on Wisconsin or west on
Rt. 410, take Old Georgetown Road north, turn left at the second
traffic light (Woodmont Ave.) and the garage entrance will be on your
left (it’s the second driveway). Take the elevators from the parking
garage to the plaza level (P). The building is located at the center
of the plaza. County and American flags and a sign bearing the County
seal mark the entrance to the building.

By Metro, Bus or on Foot:

The building is located across the street from the Bethesda Metro
station. From the Bethesda Metro Station, take the escalator from the
bus bay to the plaza level, turn left, walk past the clock tower and
across to the Metropolitan plaza using the pedestrian bridge. If you
are walking from any other location, the Center’s street entrance is
at 4605 Edgemoor Lane (corner of Old Georgetown and Edgemoor) and is
marked with County and American flags. Take the elevator to level 2
for meeting rooms.

La Madeleine is located at:
7607 Old Georgetown Rd
Bethesda, MD 20814.
The restaurant is a short walk from the Bethesda Metro stop.

IXDA Pittsburgh : Current Interaction Design and IA topics (Pittsburgh, PA)

Friday, April 18th, 2008 by Michele Marut
April 24, 2008
6:30 pmto8:00 pm

Date: April 24 2008

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

About This Event

Date: Thursday, April 24 2008

Time: 6:30 PM Refreshments & Networking

7:00 PM Presentations

8:00 PM Optional trip to the Walnut Grill in Shadyside for drinks

Place: Daedalus Excel’s Offices, 4914 Baum Blvd, 15213

Map: http://www.daed.com/contact_maps.tt2

RSVP: An RSVP is not required, but it helps us to have an idea of the head count for the venue. Please send RSVPs to mmarut15 at gmail.com

Local IXDA members will be giving brief presentations on a timely IXD topic for the purpose of engaging the group in a discussion.

Sofia Mirza, MDes ‘07, Communication & Information Design, will present her Visualization Toolkit: Tools for Visualizing Qualitative Information for Understanding

Peter Bird, MDes ‘08, Communication & Information Design, will present his ongoing thesis work on Designing for Travel: An Analysis of Public Transportation System Information Aids

Don Charlton from Wall-to-Wall Studios will present his Lessons for Interface Designers
:A series of quick, easily-digestable ideas

William Bernstein from Daedalus Excel will present a case study on the Development of an Interface for Home Dialysis