UXnet simply is not structured to achieve its goal of building a sustainable network of UX people. We don’t have the ability to tackle or pay for the kind of development work that such a goal requires. We’ve tried hard for eight years, but it’s time to recognize that our approach isn’t the right one and move on.

The good news is that much of this good work–developing the infrastructure for speeding the development of user experience–has been taken on by individuals and projects that are not associated with UXnet. That’s fine by us–as long as it’s happening. It’s not important for UXnet to continue to exist for its own sake. We just want the community to grow and flourish by whatever are the best means available, and we’re thrilled to see the progress and success of other initiatives that support the UX community.

Although we’ve never quite fulfilled all of our goals–all ambitious, and many of which have been a bit ahead of the curve–it’s important to recognize that we have had some successes. Perhaps most importantly, as one of the early facilitators of social networking for the user experience community, we’ve helped UX people connect at a local, often in-person level–stuff that doesn’t show up on the radar, but is the point of a network. All in all, it’s been worth it, and we have no regrets.

And that we’ve gotten this far is testament to the many volunteers who’ve put in impressively generous amounts of hard work and, in many cases, have contributed their own money. Speaking on behalf of our board, we are impressed, grateful, and proud of the contributions that UXnet volunteers have made over these past eight years without compensation and with minimal recognition. The UX community owes them a debt of gratitude.

If you are one of those volunteers, such a local leader, and would like to stay in touch with other UXnet volunteers, we suggest that you join this group. There can you share information with others who are interested in continuing to volunteer to further some of the past goals of UXnet.

We look forward to the community’s continued growth and vibrance; thank you!

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

For managers or advocates charged with championing user-centred design processes, “Repositioning User Experience as a Strategic Process” is a 1-day workshop that shows delegates how to think strategically about user centred design. Unlike ‘tools and techniques’ training, this workshop shows that the ‘user experience’ is more than an isolated set of techniques and best practices.

Overview

While user experience managers have diverse backgrounds, many lack formal training in management or strategic planning. This workshop fills the void by exploring an important topic: how to better align usability goals within the context of an organisation’s business strategy.

Referencing work by business gurus like Drucker, Christensen, and Grove, the workshop shows how management science and business strategy is relevant to user experience practitioners. The workshop covers the operational, organisational, and strategic aspects that user experience groups can and should impact within product development companies. Each topic area is discussed in depth, including case studies as examples, and followed by a group exercise where participants have an opportunity to apply the concepts to a problem faced by their own company.

Delegates work on creating a presentation aimed at the senior management of their company. Delegates vote to identify the best of these presentations, which is then delivered to all attendees.

This seminar is aimed at

This course is for you if you are a manager or advocate charged with championing user-centred design processes. The workshop will also be of interest to product or engineering managers who have a solid understanding of best practices and want to promote user-centred design in their organisation. Attendees should have experience with, or knowledge of, usability testing, gathering UI requirements, and UI design related activities. Some experience with managing or leading teams responsible for user experience activities would be beneficial but is not required. Workshop examples will primarily draw from software development contexts, but the material covered is broadly applicable to user experience initiatives in any product development oriented business.

You will learn how to

• Understand the difference between operational, tactical, and strategic activities.
• Identify hidden benefits associated with user experience efforts within your own company and how to communicate those benefits more effectively.
• Understand how three key factors in organisations (resources, processes, and values) impact product designs.
• Gain hands on experience with techniques to help prioritise work and identify ways of more effectively engaging other organisations in your company for maximum impact and visibility.
• Learn about strategic inflection points and how user experience is in a unique position to help organisations survive these situations.
• Practice articulating the rationale for user experience as a must-have competence for every product development initiative using business terminology.

More information and booking form: Repositioning User Experience as a Strategic Process.

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.

With respect to everyone involved with UXNet, and apologies to Monty Python:

UXNet is a dead parrot.
I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I’m looking at one right now.
The plumage don’t enter into it.
It’s stone dead.

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

More information will be posted at hfes.org.

REGISTER NOW

CHI*Atlanta Past Chair Bill Curtis-Davidson and CHI*Atlanta member Arthur R. Murphy are co-chairing a statewide effort called the “Georgia Alliance for Accessible Technologies” (GAAT), currently an initiative of the United Nations’ Global Initiative for Inclusive Information & Communication Technologies (G3ict). G3ict is a non-profit agency headquartered in Atlanta, and GAAT is intended to serve as a model for regional public-private partnerships on the topic of ICT accessibility. Over 60 Georgia-based companies, research and academic institutions, NGOs and public sector organizations have been involved in GAAT, and the initiative is exploring six “digital accessibility” thematic areas: Culture & Human Rights, Education, Employment, Healthcare & Rehabilitation, Technology, and Travel & Tourism (T&T).

In 2010, the GAAT Initiative plans to become an independent non-profit organization, and Bill and Arthur will describe some projects GAAT is pursuing this year in its focus area of inclusive travel, transportation and tourism. The GAAT Initiative has prepared a “Georgia Inclusive Travel & Tourism” concept paper, that Bill and Arthur will preview: http://sites.google.com/site/gaallianceaccessibletech/Home/themes/travel-tourism/georgia-inclusive-t-t-documents/G3ict_GAAT_TTConceptPaper_20091211FINAL.pdf?attredirects=0

Three GAAT participants will also participate in this panel-style discussion to describe various aspects of their research and development in the focus area. CHI*Atlanta has been a participant in the GAAT Initiative, and Bill and Arthur will welcome questions and encourage interest on the part of CHI*Atlanta members who may want to support this important effort!

Speakers:

1. Bill Curtis-Davidson, GAAT Co-Chair; Past Chair, CHI*Atlanta; and Business Development Executive, IBM Human Ability & Accessibility Center (http://www.ibm.com/able/)
2. Arthur R. Murphy, GAAT Co-Chair, and Owner, Aeolian Solutions, LLC Aeolian Solutions (http://aeoliansolutions.com/)
3. Anisio Correia (Panelist), Vice President for Programs at the Center for the Visually Impaired - Georgia (http://www.cviga.org/)
4. Daver Malik (Panelist), Research & Development Coordinator, Information Services, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (http://www.atlanta-airport.com/)
5. Bruce Walker, Ph.D. (Panelist), Associate Professor, School of Psychology and the School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Tech; and Director, GT Sonification Lab (http://sonify.psych.gatech.edu/)

Don’t miss this special panel discussion. Register now >

The next Health 2.0 Meetup will be held at Jackie’s Restaurant in Silver Spring, MD.  It will again be a STAT format, with multiple 5-minute presentations.  Registration opens March 3.

Jon’s thoughtful analysis starts with a reflection on why he thinks the profession of Interaction Design reaching a critical divide.

“The divide seems to break down around two forces of gravity, loosely identified as:
A. Design, as a discipline. A locus of study, similar to science or art in breadth and depth, and focused on criticism, behavioral change, craft, empathy, humanism, and reflection.
B. UX, as a form of applied design in the context of marketing, and focused on consumption, speed, innovation, and often, apparently, compromise.”

Rob on the other hand emphasises the retrospective nature of this year’s conference.