Fresh
JSTOR, 301 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Wednesday, March 6, 6pm
What do stickies, standups, and skyscrapers have in common? Books at JSTOR!
The introduction of Books at JSTOR involved developing new business models to support a new product, immersion in agile methodology, and usability testing and design jams to bridge both geographical and communication gaps. Our team journeyed from standard UX best practices down into the development weeds, up into the strategic stratosphere of our Manhattan-based stakeholders… and back again!
This case study will examine how various UX methods were used to bridge the gulf between the very specific sprint-sized work in an agile environment to the holistic view of the project, with a focus on lessons learned and thoughts about how to improve on our next adventure.
If you are a UX practitioner (whether you do design or user research) and you work in an Agile environment, or are curious about working with Agile, this talk is for you!
About Our Speaker
Tonya McCarley found the field of User Experience by accident in grad school and never looked back. She was always of the belief that she was a “bad user” and was surprised to learn that it might not be only her. It just might be the design of the system. She found her calling! Since that moment, Tonya has enjoyed bringing experiences from her former career in sales to the challenges presented in user experience.
She has been an Information Architect and is now a User Experience Strategist. She’s been called helpful, annoying, overly enthusiastic, clueless, a pain in the ass, and an asset to the organization. Through it all, she keeps beating the drum for the user’s experience.
She lives in rural Michigan and is out numbered by the “boys”: her husband, young son, 3 dogs and a guinea pig.
When
Wednesday, March 6
6:00 PM — Networking
6:45 PM — Announcements
7:00 PM — Speaker
8:30 PM — Wrap up and more networking
Location
JSTOR, Ann Arbor
Google Map
There is an underground public parking structure across from the downtown library (enter on 5th street).
Cost
Current students $5
Usability Professionals’ Association members $10
All others $20
Register
Register online at Guestlist so we know who’s coming and how to plan for refreshments. We’ll also take payment (cash or check) at the door. Questions? Email events {at} michiganupa dot org.
Posted on February 25th, 2013
Posted in Fresh, MiUPA Events | No Comments »
Saturday, February 9, 2013, 8:30am–5:00pm
University of Michigan Modern Languages Building Auditorium 3, 812 E Washington St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Cosponsored by the Michigan Usability Professionals’ Association
Speakers include:
- Peter Morville on The Architecture of Understanding
- Malcolm McCullough on What Architecture Does: How Form Informs and Inhabitation Inspires
- Daniel Eizans on Designing For Distributed Content Models
- Chris Farnum and Farris Khan on UXD V. Analytics – What Have You Got for Me? No, What Have YOU Got for ME?
- Karl Fast on TBD
- Andrew Hinton on Context Design
- Jessica DuVerneay and Marti Gukeisen on A Beginners Guide to Taxonomy
- Evening reception at Sava’s
Cost
Free, but registration is required
Questions? E-mail events {at} michiganupa dot org.
Posted on February 3rd, 2013
Posted in Fresh, MiUPA Events | No Comments »
Thursday, January 24, 2013, 6:30pm
The Qube, 635 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI
A joint event with Refresh Detroit
As previously said best by Steve Jobs, “The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better designs we will have.” And the better the design, the more your company will thrive. But how can we clarify to our non–user experience co-workers some basics of user experience? The easiest and obvious point of reference is pop culture; something to which we all can relate.
Steve Tengler, Director of User Experience at Altia Inc, will provide a fistful of UX lessons with a Hollywood foundation for the collective digestion of your coworkers. Practitioners and novices alike will enjoy this fun-filled-yet-educational evening of cinematic analogies.
Cost
Free, but registration is required
Please register at the Refresh Detroit website
Questions? E-mail events {at} michiganupa dot org.
Posted on December 27th, 2012
Posted in Fresh, MiUPA Events, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Have some beer cheer,
Network with a peer,
Learn why site maps remain dear,
Engage with products that are queer,
Hear each chapter talk about the past and new year,
…and win some stuff!
Thursday, December 13, 2012, 6–9pm
Corner Brewery, 720 Norris Street, Ypsilanti
Schedule
6:00pm Networking, check-in, and product usability challenges (appetizers provided, cash bar)
7:00pm Tiny talks and raffles (Michigan CHI, Michigan UPA, and STC-SM)
7:30pm Presentation: Helping Site Maps Get Their Groove Back, Caitlin Potts
8:15pm The Usability Game Show
8:30pm More networking and appetizers
Helping Site Maps Get Their Groove Back
Who remembers site maps? Anyone? Even if your answer is “Me! Me! I remember them!”, you probably still wonder why anyone used them. Well, no more! Site maps are much more than the antiquated deliverable that offered little to no value that most people remember. We’re bringing site maps back and let me tell you, your product owner and developers will thank you!
I truly believe that site maps are an undervalued deliverable of UX and IA, and I have done work over the last several months that shows how valuable a site map can be, regardless of the state of a project.
This presentation will include a brief introduction of what site maps are today, followed by a case study of how I’ve improved sitemaps at my organization and the benefits that we’ve seen as a result. And if that’s not enough, this presentation will offer takeaway (an Omnigraffle template!) that is immediately actionable for almost any UX or IA professional.
About Caitlin Potts
Caitlin Potts is a user experience practitioner (designer and researcher) at Covenant Eyes, Inc., in Owosso. Working as part of an agile team, she spends her time collaborating with the developers to design web, mobile, and client application interfaces. She is also leading the development of a brand standards guide for Covenant Eyes.
She is passionate about building interfaces that delight users and make their lives just a little bit easier. She also loves ampersands, great coffee, and her Sharpie collection (63 and counting!).
Cost
$5 CHI, UPA, and STC members (if you’re not a member, join one or more!)
$8 All others
Register
Register online at Guestlist so we know who’s coming and how to plan for refreshments. We’ll also take payment (cash or check) at the door. Questions? E-mail events {at} michiganupa dot org.
Posted on December 2nd, 2012
Posted in Fresh, MiUPA Events | No Comments »
Michigan State University’s Usability/Accessibility Research and Consulting (UARC) will host Michigan’s 8th annual World Usability Day event on November 8, 2012, at the Michigan State University Union in East Lansing. The international theme is Usability of Financial Systems, but at the Michigan conference we will also cover other usability and accessibility topics relevant for IT and UX professionals.
- Date: Thursday, November 8, 2012
- Time: 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
- Where: Michigan State University Union Building, Parlors A/B/C, East Lansing, Michigan
- Cost: $20.00
Learn More and Register
Posted on November 7th, 2012
Posted in Fresh, MiUPA Events | No Comments »
ProQuest, 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Thursday, November 1, 6pm
Missed the event? See the slides.
With the extremely fast rise in the use of mobile devices in recent years, companies are starting to realize that ignoring mobile web users is no longer an option. Many have chosen to provide a stripped-down version of their desktop site to mobile users, on the assumption that mobile users only want or need to use a small subset of the features available to desktop users.
But as more and more people are turning to mobile as their primary or only means of accessing the web, it’s becoming apparent that mobile users’ needs aren’t so straightforward. At the same time, attempts to create a simplified mobile version of a website often make it clear that the full desktop site is too complicated, cluttered, and difficult to navigate.
However, there is a solution. By designing from a mobile-first perspective, and using responsive web design to create a site that responds to the device on which it’s being viewed, you can provide all users with a quality experience across screen sizes and devices, without having to create and maintain separate websites.
About Our Speaker
Clarissa Peterson is a freelance web designer and user experience consultant, specializing in mobile strategy and responsive design.
Before setting out on her own, she spent 10 years working for various nonprofit organizations and government agencies, doing everything from front-end development and user experience design to content strategy, online marketing, and project management. With this diverse set of skills, she is able to blend an innate ability to see how things could work better with the solid technical background needed to turn ideas into reality.
When
Thursday, November 1
6:00 PM — Networking
6:45 PM — Announcements
7:00 PM — Speaker
8:30 PM — Wrap up and more networking
Location
ProQuest, Ann Arbor
Google Map
Cost
Current students $5
Usability Professionals’ Association members $10
All others $20
Register
Register online at Guestlist so we know who’s coming and how to plan for refreshments. We’ll also take payment (cash or check) at the door. Questions? E-mail events {at} michiganupa dot org.
Posted on October 18th, 2012
Posted in Fresh, MiUPA Events, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Cengage Learning, 27500 Drake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48331
Tuesday, September 18, 6pm
How can we engage more people in the user experience process? How can we get team members excited and engaged? How can we push the diversity of ideas created?
Using games, with a diverse group of individuals, will help to open people’s minds, facilitate fun, and most importantly encourage creativity. Agreements, discussions, and debates are encouraged and fostered in an open and inviting environment. This type of environment speeds up the idea generation and evaluation process. Focusing on great activities for the idea generation process digs up opportunities and ideas that exist within the people you work with. This set-up allows for divergent thinking to occur, which eventually builds into convergent thinking, which leads to rapid iterative prototyping and testing.
We will look at ways to plan, run, and execute brainstorming sessions in a manner that is set up for fun and function. We will review ways to use games to help cultivate an atmosphere that generates ideas and prototypes. Through images, samples, and stories, we will see how games can be put to use to produce tangible results. I have taken my experience in game design, teaching, and user experience and applied it to the people, which is at the core of creating great ideas and products!
The purpose of this talk is to show how cultivating a highly diverse group of people, with fun and games, can create productive meetings and innovative brainstorming. Design, Development, and Management members will benefit from learning new opportunities to add to their creative process.
About Our Speaker
Kimberly Callery is a User Experience Designer at United Healthcare and teaches online for the Art Institute. She also worked at Cengage Learning as a User Experience Specialist. Past experience also included Game Production Chair at the International Academy of Design & Technology, Web Designer at Mosaicmedia, and Event Planner for the Interfaces Conference in Michigan.
Kim has a BFA in Animation & Digital Media from College for Creative Studies. Also, an MA and MFA in Interactive Design & Game Development, both from Savannah College of Art & Design.
Her passion lies in designing, teaching, and trying to find creative and innovative ways to help people have fun while learning!
When
Tuesday, September 18
6:00 PM — Networking
6:45 PM — Announcements
7:00 PM — Speaker
8:30 PM — Wrap up and more networking
Location
Cengage Learning, Farmington Hills
Google Map
Cost
Current students $5
Usability Professionals’ Association members $10
All others $20
Register
Register online at Guestlist so we know who’s coming and how to plan for refreshments. We’ll also take payment (cash or check) at the door. Questions? Email events {at} michiganupa dot org.
Posted on August 27th, 2012
Posted in Fresh, MiUPA Events | No Comments »
WorkForce Software, 38705 Seven Mile Road, Suite 300, Livonia, MI 48152
Tuesday, June 19, 6pm
As the profession of User Experience Design has evolved it has become more specialized, more effective, and more complicated. This complexity has made it more difficult for designers to communicate with those outside of their discipline. Using examples pulled straight from the business world, Patrick talks about how to bridge that gap and effectively communicate the value of design in a language that project stakeholders and business owners can understand. By repurposing a ‘revolutionary’ strategic business tool, Porter’s Five Forces, he also provides designers with a framework for better understanding the business landscape and making an impact on the bottom line.
About Our Speaker
Patrick Purdy is a User Experience Designer at United Healthcare in Southfield, Michigan. As a UX professional, Patrick has performed research, crafted strategy, and designed web and mobile experiences for clients including Microsoft, Johnson Controls, University of Michigan, Carhartt, Sports Authority, Scotts Miracle Grow, Bosch, and Learning Care Group.
Prior to his work in User Experience, Patrick worked as an Art Director in the advertising industry creating television, online, and print campaigns for national and international brands such as Ford Motor Company, Mercedes-Benz, Avis Europe, Leinenkugel’s, Miller, BOSS, Culvers, Sargento, Mercury Marine, and The Chicago Bulls.
Patrick got his BFA at the College for Creative Studies and an MS at Carnegie Mellon University. In his free time, Patrick likes to play soccer, drink beer, and tell stories that will make you laugh ‘till you cry.
When
Tuesday, June 19
6:00 PM — Networking
6:45 PM — Announcements
7:00 PM — Speaker
8:30 PM — Wrap up and more networking
Location
WorkForce Software, Livonia
Google Map
Cost
Current students $5
Usability Professionals’ Association members $10
All others $20
Register
Register online at Guestlist so we know who’s coming and how to plan for refreshments. We’ll also take payment (cash or check) at the door. Questions? Email events {at} michiganupa dot org.
Posted on May 29th, 2012
Posted in Fresh, MiUPA Events | No Comments »
Pure Visibility, 201 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Wednesday, April 25th, 6pm
Usually the last system to be implemented, but many times the most important lifeline for the customer, is the software help system.
Ideally, your software system is perfectly understandable and problem-free from lots of user testing and software iteration, but that’s usually not the case. Your customers may get frustrated and leave the site, and may even complain about their crappy experience to others. Providing your customers with effective Help is the last chance you have to turn a frustrating experience into a meaningful one.
As a User Experience professional, what Help strategies should you consider? What content do you need? How do you find an appropriate Help Authoring Tool for your software product? There are many vendor systems out there that offer many features. What do you really need? Attendees will learn about help system considerations such as: how to connect the help system to your software, content management features, content strategy, localization, statistics, and more, which will assist you in finding a solution that helps your frustrated customers become happy customers.
About Our Speaker
Elaine Meyer is a User Experience Specialist at ProQuest, an electronic and microfilm publisher in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With over 4 years experience managing, implementing, and producing content for user assistance systems, she has a good grasp on where and when users might need a little extra help. Elaine has implemented the ProQuest platform software user assistance (Help) system from it’s infancy, customized it to suit the platform, populated it with content, and localized that content into 18 other languages.
Before her role at ProQuest, Elaine was an application engineer for a manufacturing company. In her role, she made it her mission to provide pertinent information for her customers 24 hours a day through implementing and populating content for an online FAQ user assistance system.
Elaine earned her MSI degree in human-computer interaction (HCI) and Library and Information Services (LIS) from the University of Michigan School of Information in 2009, and is an avid cyclist, dog walker and veggie enthusiast.
When
Wednesday, April 25th
6:00 PM — Networking
6:45 PM — Announcements
7:00 PM — Speaker
8:30 PM — Wrap up and more networking
Location
Pure Visibility, Ann Arbor
Google Map
Parking is available nearby, including the Fourth & Washington parking structure.
Cost
Current students $5
Usability Professionals’ Association members $10
All others $20
Register
Register online at Guestlist so we know who’s coming and how to plan for refreshments. We’ll also take payment (cash or check) at the door. Questions? Email events {at} michiganupa dot org.
Posted on March 29th, 2012
Posted in Fresh, MiUPA Events | No Comments »
Thursday, December 8, 2010, 6:00pm to 9:00pm
The Michigan UPA invites you to another evening of networking and fun on Thursday, December 8th at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti and/or Dublin Square in East Lansing. Enjoy the networking aspect of our meetings? Feel like the speaker or panel gets in the way of the good stuff? This is your chance to skip the speaker and enjoy the company of fellow usability professionals. Missing people who are at the other location? Share the conversation via twitter #miupa11. This will be the fifth year we have done this event, and it has been a great experience each time.
The Corner Brewery is located in Ypsilanti, near historic Depot Town. There is abundant parking, great drinks, and great atmosphere.
Dublin Square is an Irish pub located in East Lansing near MSU. There are multiple parking structures nearby and parking next to the restaurant for a fee. Also has tasty food and drink with a festive atmosphere.
This is a free event and a great opportunity to catch up with other people in the field and meet new people. We hope to see you there! In order to give an approximate head count to the restaurants host/hostess, please rsvp via Guestlist
Which city will have the larger crowd? Do you want to have a gather in your area as well? Contact the Director of Events to have your city added.
When
Thursday, December 8, 6:00PM to 9:00PM – come and go as you wish
2 Locations
Corner Brewery
720 Norris St
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
Map
327 Abbot Rd.
East Lansing, MI 48823
(517)351-2222
Map
Cost
Free admission! (except for any drinks or additional food that you choose to order)
Please rsvp via Guestlist
Posted on November 16th, 2011
Posted in Fresh, Uncategorized | No Comments »
