Items tagged "usability testing"

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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NH UPA April Meeting: Project54 Car Simulator Lab Open House

During our next meeting, held on April 29th on the campus of UNH in Durham, we will get out of our desk chairs and explore usability and human factors from a different perspective. Our meeting will feature an interactive open house at the UNH Car Simulator lab where Professor Andrew Kun will discuss Project54, a research and development project to introduce advanced technologies into the operations of the New Hampshire State Police and other law enforcement agencies. During the open house, meeting attendees will be able to experience the car simulators and eye-tracking devices. Following the tour and open house, Professor Kun will present a short talk outlining the work their lab does on car-speech interfaces, and in cruiser systems that allow troopers to connect with a wide variety of state data networks.

For those of you who work on desktop software and websites, we hope that a different perspective on human factors and experience design will inspire you in your work.

Please note the slightly modified timeframe for the meeting to accommodate the open house portion of the event. Please RSVP to info@nhupa.org if you plan to attend so we can plan appropriately.

Topic: Project54 Car Simulator Lab Open House

When:

Wednesday, April 29th
Open House and Lab Tour: 6:30 – 7:30pm
Presentation: 7:30 – 8:00ish

Where:

University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH
Building, room details and driving directions [To Be Announced]

About Project54

The CATlab project is a collaborative research and development effort between the University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Department of Safety and is supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, through the effort and continued support of Senator Judd Gregg. The faculty and students of CATlab work on introducing advanced technologies into the operations of the New Hampshire State Police and other law enforcement agencies.

Today’s cruisers are equipped with digital radios, GPS units, computers, radars, lights, sirens, etc. Dispatch centers have become computerized, and officers on the beat and in offices access a variety of databases on a daily basis. However, these devices are most often not designed to become a part of a system of multiple devices manufactured by different companies–in other words they are not designed with integration in mind.

The integration of devices and systems is the primary interest of CATlab. Most of our work is done on integrating electronic devices in police cruisers. Our integrated Project54 system allows officers to interact with equipment such as lights and siren, radar, etc. using speech input and feedback. The Project54 system also integrates police cruisers into state-wide data networks. Our system integration efforts include work on integrating the radio systems of multiple agencies. Law enforcement, emergency, and other state and federal agencies have radio systems, but they are often not able talk to each other directly. We are creating an Internet-based system that will allow these agencies to use their current radio equipment and have access to other agencies’ radio links.

Project54 Website: http://www.project54.unh.edu

Car Simulator Lab at UNH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyajRluVOWc&feature=channel_page

Testing Distraction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s00Pq-CxMMs&feature=channel_page

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.***

Hope to see you there!

Posted in Boston, MA, USA | Calendar | Event type | Local meeting | Maine, USA | Manchester, NH, USA | Organizations | UPA
Tags: eye tracking | hci | Usability | usability testing
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