Boston, MA, USA

NH UPA - May 19th - Networking and Social Event

For our May NH UPA event, we are doing something a little different. Instead of a talk or presentation, we are going to be a little more casual and have a networking and social event. We have networking time before most of our monthly meetings, but sometimes those 10 or 15 minutes are not enough to talk to a variety of people, see what they are interested in, or generally get to know new people. This will be a great opportunity to find out what people are doing in the area in the fields of user experience design, UI development, social media, user research and testing, etc. It will be appropriate for experienced practitioners and those just getting started - we can all learn from each other’s collective experience.

Details for our May Networking and Social Event are as follows:

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 19th, 6:30pm - 8:30pm

WHERE:
The Holy Grail Pub
64 Main St.
Epping, NH
www.theholygrailpub.com
(note: this is between Portsmouth and Manchester so hopefully accessible to all)

There will be a cash bar and some light appetizers are available. They also have a full bar menu if you are ravenously hungry when you get there.

Please forward this to your friends and colleagues, and we hope to see you there.

More info: http://www.nhupa.org

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Event type | Local meeting | Maine, USA | Manchester, NH, USA | Organizations | UPA
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NH UPA March Meeting: Are Focus Groups Worth It?

Focus Groups have always been part of the design research toolkit. Sometimes focus groups get a bad rap as too soft, or too biased, or not helpful enough. But, done effectively they can really help inspire innovation and guide the design process. Please join us for the March 24th NH UPA meeting where RIVA-certified Master Moderator, Kay Corry Aubrey, will share her expertise on moderating focus groups. RSVP to info@nhupa.org if you plan to attend so we can plan appropriately.

Kay will cover:

When it’s appropriate to run focus groups  (dispelling some myths and showing when and how it can work)
Where insights from focus groups fit into design research (capturing user trends, perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes on a product or service)
How to plan a group (putting together the moderator guide, crafting questions, designing activities, strategic use of group process)
What it takes to be a good moderator (and how being a good moderator also makes you a better interviewer)
How to deal with issues (keeping people on topic, ensuring no one dominates)
What you can expect to learn:

Gain an accurate understanding of the type of user insights focus groups produce
Where focus groups fit into Usability and UI Design
How to create hybrid studies that combine focus groups with usability testing, card sorts and other traditional research methods
Skills you need to run them
Where you can go to learn these (Kay will provide a bibliography of resources)
When:
Wednesday March 24th
Refreshments & Networking: 6-7pm
Meeting: 7pm – 8ish

Where:
PixelMEDIA
75 New Hampshire Avenue, Suite 100
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Please note: this is a new location for PixelMEDIA in the Newmarket International building on Pease Tradeport

About the speaker
Ms. Kay Corry Aubrey is the owner of Usability Resources, which specializes in qualitative research for user-centered design. Kay has 20 years experience in applying qualitative research methods and usability testing to technology products. She has led user research, usability, and design efforts for dozens of clients including AT&T, Avaya, Monster World Wide, the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Mayo Clinic, and Staples. She is on the faculty of Northeastern University where she teaches graduate courses in usability, user research, and interaction design. She is the business editor of the QRCA VIEWS magazine, a market research journal that is read by over 5000 qualitative research consultants and buyers.

About our host
PixelMEDIA provides the strategic, creative, and technical expertise needed to increase revenue opportunities and reduce costs. Services include web and mobile design, user interface design, application development, search marketing, brand identity, and interactive media. PixelMEDIA’s customers include industry leaders such as ECCO Shoes, Logica, Bauer, Computer Associates, Liberty Mutual, Elavon, and Boston Beer. Learn more at www.pixelmedia.com.

RSVP:
Please RSVP to attend, as we need a head count for food and refreshments. Send RSVPs to info@nhupa.org.

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

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Local meeting | Locales | Maine, USA | Manchester, NH, USA | UPA
Tags: focus groups | nh upa | upa | Usability | user research | UX
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HFES 56th Annual Meeting (Boston, MA, USA)

The HFES 56th Annual Meeting will be in Boston, Massachusetts, from October 22-26, 2012.

More information will be posted at hfes.org.

Posted in Annual association conference | Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | HFES
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NH UPA February Meeting: UX Cliff Notes!

Time: 6-7pm Networking/7-8pm Meeting
Topic: UX Cliff Notes: Reviews of Current Usability and User Experience Books
Location: TBD

With the growth of the usability and user experience professions, the number of books available on the topic has exploded. Books range from specific instructions on methods or techniques, to conceptual ideas that challenge traditional thinking. It’s hard to keep up with all of the reading, so we decided to help out. During this meeting, several of our members will give a brief report on user experience and usability books they’ve read recently. The reviewers will summarize the key highlights of the book, lead a discussion on how the material could be applied, and discuss the implications for practitioners. Books to be reviewed are:

• Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click? by Susan M. Weinschenk (http://tinyurl.com/yjr8k9t)
• Prototyping: A Practitioner’s Guide by Todd Zaki Warfel (http://tinyurl.com/yg4dgeh)
• Moderating Usability Tests: Principles and Practices for Interacting by Joe Dumas and Beth Loring (http://tinyurl.com/yfd8zqx)
• Visual Thinking: for Design  by Colin Ware (http://tinyurl.com/ygwoznv)

There is room for one more book review. If you read something recently you would like to discuss, please let us know.

Visit http://www.nhupa.com for more information and to RSVP.

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Local meeting | Maine, USA | Manchester, NH, USA | Organizations | UPA
Tags: books | moderating | nh | nh upa | prototyping | upa | Usability | user expereince | UX
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NH UPA October Meeting

As we all know, exploring alternative solutions early in the design process through the use of wireframes and prototypes significantly improves chances of developing a successful design. In the past, the effort required to create multiple electronic prototype alternatives was a barrier to exploring a number of options. Fortunately, over the past several years, there has been an explosion in the number of software applications available for electronic wireframing and prototyping. These applications allow for user validation early in the design cycle, allow business stakeholders to visualize the potential solution before development, and sometimes give developers a head start with actual code.

In our October meeting, several of our members will report on their research and experience with different electronic wireframe and prototyping tools. If you are a researcher, designer, or developer, this meeting will help you stay current on the tools of the trade. Learn about Axure, Balsamic Mockups, iPlotz, Microsoft Expressions/SketchFlow, prototyping in Adobe, and much more!

Please RSVP to info@nhupa.org if you plan to attend so we can plan appropriately.

Topic:
Electronic Wireframing and Prototyping Tools: A Market Review

When:
Tuesday, October 27th
Networking and refreshments: 6:00 – 7:00pm
Workshop: 7:00 – 8:00ish

Speaker:
Our Members

Where:
Mad*Pow
40 Pleasant St.
Suite 201
Portsmouth, NH 03801

Abstract:
This meeting will start with an introduction and an overview of the types of wireframing and prototyping tools available on the market today. We will discuss where they fit into the development cycles, their overall strengths, and issues to consider. The bulk of the meeting will include reviews of different products from members of our group. For each product, they will review the output, intended audience, strengths and weaknesses. In addition, they will give a brief demonstration. This will be an interactive session where questions and discussion are encouraged!

RSVP:
We ask that you RSVP to attend, as we need a head count for food and refreshments. Send RSVPs to info@nhupa.org.

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

Hope to see you there!

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Local meeting | Locales | Maine, USA | Manchester, NH, USA | UPA
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Boston GAG Sept. Event - Protect Yourself: Copyright and Infringement Workshop

The Boston Chapter, Graphic Artists Guild presents:
Protect Yourself: Copyright and Infringement Workshop
A workshop with National Guild’s Advocacy Committee Chairperson, Lisa Shaftel

When:
September 29, 2009
7:00-7:30 p.m. Networking
7:30 p.m. Presentation begins

Where:
MassArt Tower Building, 11th floor

What:
With examples of high-profile cases like Shepard Fairey and Jeff Koons, how does the modern artist know where the line is drawn when it comes to copyright? What constitutes copyright infringement? How can you make sure your work (and livelihood!) is safe?

Get a better understanding of copyright and how to protect yourself (and why you need to protect yourself) with Lisa Shaftel. She will walk us through the basics of copyright and infringement with interesting anecdotes and images (specifically AP v. Fairey and others) to ponder. Explained from the perspective of the creative working process, this is a great opportunity for artists and photographers to get practical information and to ask questions.

For more info and to RSVP:
http://boston.gag.org/copyright.html

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Local meeting | Locales | Manchester, NH, USA
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NH UPA Sept. Meeting - Large Scale User Testing with Bill Albert

Do you ever work with people who question findings from usability study using only a handful of participants? During our September 2009 meeting, Bill Albert, a local expert and author on large-scale user testing will compare different methodologies and give practical advice and guidance for conducting user experience studies that small sample skeptics would appreciate.

Please RSVP to info@nhupa.org if you plan to attend so we can plan appropriately.

Topic:
Beyond the Usability Lab: Exploring Large-Scale User Experience Research

When:
Wednesday, September 30th
Networking and refreshments: 6:00 – 6:30pm
Workshop: 6:30 – 8:00ish

Speaker:
Bill Albert
Director, Bentley College Design and Usability Center

Where:
Autodesk
100 Commercial Street
Manchester, NH 03101
http://tinyurl.com/mr7y7n

Abstract:
In this presentation Bill Albert will discuss the emerging interest in large scale user experience research. This type of research involves collecting qualitative and quantitative feedback from a large group of users, as well as full suite of behavioral data. Together, these data provide tremendous insight into the entire user experience, and fills a critical gap in our methodological toolkit. In the first part of the presentation Bill will review the strengths and limitations of this approach, how it fits in with other popular user research methods, and dispel some of the myths around measuring the user experience. The second part of the presentation will focus on how to conduct large scale user experience research studies. Bill will review some vendor solutions, and provide a basic guideline on how design your own research studies with a limited budget. Bill will also provide a set of practical tips on how to collect and analyze user experience data. He will conclude the presentation with a discussion on how to move your organization forward in thinking about the broader user experience.

RSVP:
We ask that you RSVP to attend, as we need a head count for food and refreshments. Send RSVPs to info@nhupa.org.

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

Hope to see you there!

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Local meeting | Locales | Maine, USA | Manchester, NH, USA | UPA
Tags: nh upa | remote testing | remote usability testing | remote user testing | upa | Usability | usability testing | user testing
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DocTrain East 2009 (Waltham, MA, USA)

The DocTrain Conference Series brings together industry professionals, management, vendors, standards bodies, and others interested in learning about the latest tools, processes, and technologies for technical communicators.

The DocTrain East and DocTrain West conferences are geography-based (east and west coasts of North America) and serve technical communication and training professionals working in a wide variety of industries.

See doctrain.com for more information.

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Conference
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TEI 10 (Cambridge, MA, USA)

TEI, the conference on tangible, embedded, and embodied interaction, is about HCI, design, interactive art, user experience, tools and technologies, with a strong focus on how computing can bridge atoms and bits into cohesive interactive systems.

See tei-conf.org for more information.

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Conference
Tags: 2010conferences
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NH UPA July Meeting: Mind Mapping

Please join us for the NH UPA July Meeting…

Topic: Maximize the Power of your Brain with Mind Mapping.

Facilitator: Rick La Vache (Liberty Mutual Group), Treasurer, NH-UPA

When:
Wednesday, July 29th
Refreshments & Networking: 6:00-6:30 PM – Food & beverages will be provided.
Meeting: 6:30 PM – 8ish

Where:
Liberty Mutual
150 Liberty Way
Dover, NH 03820

Parking Directions: Park in the front lot. License and plate number needs to be presented at security desk. RSVP required (see below).

Meeting Format:
·  Rick will tee off the discussion with a brief presentation on mind mapping concepts and present some examples from his own work.

·  The floor will be opened for an interactive group discussion, providing attendees the opportunity to present their own experiences with using mind mapping to support their work.

·  Feel free to bring examples to share with the group.

RSVP:
You must RSVP to attend, as security is tight at Liberty Mutual. Please send RSVPs to info@nhupa.org

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

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Event type | Local meeting | Locales | Maine, USA | Manchester, NH, USA | UPA
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