Refresh Detroit meeting May 21st - 6:30pm-8:30pm

May's Refresh Detroit meeting will be on the 21st, from 6:30 to 8:30 at the downtown Ann Arbor District library in Ann Arbor. Map to the location.

SPONSORED BY YAHOO SEARCH MONKEY DEVELOPER PREVIEW

TOPIC: There will be a few quick presentations by members of our great group, and general discussion on the latest news, challenges, projects, and ideas that the group members have encountered in their web related occupations/hobbies/activities.

The event like always is free to anyone who is interested.

The current speakers will be:

Nick DeNardis
Designer of the Wayne State University Library and Information Science website. He will discuss the latest release of the website, their goals, process and challenges.

Brian Kerr
Information architecture, user experience, and django development guru. Exact topic details to come…

Paul Tarjan - Yahoo! SearchMonkey
The fine folks at Yahoo! are sponsoring this event and promise to bring lots of swag as well as give a short presentation on their new open source semantic web search in your own applications and websites. This new product they are releasing is called "Search Monkey" and you can read more at:

http://www.ysearchblog.com/archives/000523.html
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/24/yahoo-open-search-platform-launches-into-private-beta/
http://searchengineland.com/080424-113600.php

Social Media: If you could only leverage what your customers know

Sean O'Driscoll

7:30pm - 9pm
Monday, March 31st, 2008
411 West Hall (Ehrlicher Room) directions...

Abstract: Web 2.0, social media, Marketing 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, communities, transparency, virtual worlds, social graphs? Like most new trends, there's no shortage of buzz words, but there's a big gap between the enthusiasm for this "new media" and what it means to a business. This sessions will try to address the following fundamental questions designed to inform a business on how to get started: - What is Social Media? - What is Social Media Strategy? - Why does it matter to a business? - Who are the "influencers" who make these social spaces thrive? - How do you measure it? - What is the social graph...and why should I care?

About the Speaker

Sean O'Driscoll is a 15 year Microsoft veteran who recently left to form his own strategy consulting business focused on Social Media, community and influencer initiatives. In his most recent role at Microsoft, he was the general manager of community support services, where for the past 5 years he was responsible for leading the Web 2.0 strategy across Help and Support, focused on influencer engagement, user generated content, and integration with customer listening systems. For a bit more, visit his blog here: http://www.communitygrouptherapy.com

TechSmith talks user experience

http://refresh-detroit.org/2008/02/29/march-19-2008-refreshing-snagit-a-case-study-for-focusing-on-the-user-experience/

Refresh Detroit is hosting Barb Hernandez from TechSmith to talk about how they evolved their Snagit product to focus on the experience of the user that leads to the conversion from interested person to customer.

Internet User Experience 2008: March 31 - April 3

Our area's largest and best user experience conference, Internet User Experience, continues in its 4th year. It is again at the Morris Lawrence Building on the Washtenaw Community College Campus. It is 4 days of tutorials, panels, presentations, workshops and general hanging-out with some of the leading UX people in this part of the country.

See internetuserexperience.biz for more information. See you there!

the last Sochi Design Challenge of the year

Exciting interaction design challenge tomorrow at the School of Information. Here is the description sent by Joshua Palay

It will be on Thurs. at 5:30 in Room 405A/B with lots of food.

Dealing with Google's open source phone OS - Android and its $10 million competition.

Hope to see you all there!
Josh

Here's a video introducing Android:

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/0,39029453,49294145-5,00.htm

We'll send out an agenda next week, but let SOCHI know if you're interested!

For more on Android, read on below thoughts from HCI faculty member Mark Newman:

There are several videos on YouTube that seem to be about the best intro to what they're up to (start here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FJHYqE0RDg&feature=user and look at the other videos from "androiddevelopers" as well). The focus is primarily technical, which makes some sense because Android is being positioned as a Mobile OS. In some sense, it isn't technically very different from, say, Windows Mobile. The primary difference is that it's an open platform and, well, it's not Windows Mobile (or Palm OS, or Symbian OS, or the stripped down Mac OS running on the iPhone).

Thus, I'm not sure that a deep understanding of Android is totally necessary for the design jam. It might be enough to say "Now we'll be able to easily design and deploy applications for smartphones that have a persistent network connection and can (presumably) easily integrate with the latest and greatest web services like facebook, flickr, google maps, . We can assume that the platform will have a critical mass of users over the next few years. What applications should be developed to take advantage of such a platform?" While, in theory, this design exercise could have been done a few years ago, the fact that Google is putting its leverage into pushing this platform (not to mention the fact that Apple is opening up the iPhone SDK) means that such an exercise is more relevant now than it was previously. One can argue that smartphones are about to explode in the US (they are already fairly ubiquitous in Japan, Korea, and Europe) and that a new opportunity is presenting itself. Not to mention that Google is planning to give away buckets of cash for the best applications developed for Android. I'm not sure that SI can realistically compete with the various startups and major software companies that are likely to be going after that cash but who knows?

Finally, the Andriod platform may provide an easier way for handset manufacturers and third parties to create peripheral hardware. GPS locators are one add-on/built-in that is already on the rise for smartphones and will presumably be even easier to integrate with Android. We can probably assume that phones that know their location will be ubiquitous in the next few years. What other assumptions are safe to make? Cameras, limited voice recognition, bluetooth connectivity, are effectively ubiquitous already. 3D graphics acceleration, accelerometers (for doing in-air gesture-based interaction), integration with peripherals (large monitors, printers, scanners, speakers), and others may be coming sooner rather than later once an open platform exists that allows various market players to compete.

Come hear the Yahoo! VP for Advanced Development give a talk at U of Michigan

Bradley Horowitz, VP for Advanced Development at Yahoo! will be a Guest Speaker on campus next week Tuesday, November 27 from 4-5pm in the 1670 Computer Science Building on North Campus. He is being co-sponsored by SI and CSE and the topic is of clear SI interest "Innovation and Evolution - How Search, Social Media, and New Ideas can Shape the Next Web".

Organizations can ask university students for help

Regional organizations can now ask for FREE help from students in certain classes at both Michigan State University and the School of Information (SI) at University of Michigan. SI has been doing this at least since 1998, when I started, and now MSU announced a similar program. Details below:

Got tech, business challenges? MSU students want to help

Several teams of Michigan State University undergraduates and master's students are ready and waiting to help Michigan businesses and nonprofits solve some of their technology and advertising problems -- for free.

As part of their spring semester coursework in several communications and business classes, the students are required to work in cross- functional teams on real-world business problems. And, they just need a few more volunteer "clients."

Here are a few of the opportunities where local businesses and students can work together:

Management of an information technology project from start to finish -- Teams of three or four undergraduate and graduate students will serve as IT consultants to various mid-Michigan companies. Each student group will analyze the current situation of the business, determine the specifics of an IT project and implement a solution before April 25, 2008. For more details, contact Constantinos Coursaris, assistant professor of telecommunication, information studies and media, at coursari@msu.edu or (517) 353-3122.

Management of advertising and promotion projects -- Teams of four to six second-year master's level students will serve as advertising consultants to various mid-Michigan companies. The team will analyze the business position in the targeted market segment and will develop an advertising strategy based on the current needs of the business. Participating organizations will receive a written market analysis and recommendations of various advertising and promotion programs. For more details, contact Constantinos Coursaris, assistant professor of telecommunication, information studies and media, at coursari@msu.edu or (517) 353-3122.

IT Risk Assessment -- Information technology can create a lot of value for a business, but there are lots of ways things can go wrong. Students in the master's accounting program will work in teams of three or four to help local companies assess their IT processes. Issues covered range from adherence to basic security standards to identifying internal controls that may affect regulatory compliance. While no actual audit testing will be done, the team will interview company managers to produce a report to assist companies in developing a strategic IT plan and understanding IT governance issues. For more information, contact Brian Pentland, professor of accounting and information systems, at pentland@bus.msu.edu or (517) 432-2927.

HCI Reading Group at SI (U Mich)

Folks at the School of Information, University of Michigan are holding a HCI reading group!

The first meeting will be:
Friday, 11/09
12PM-1:30PM
Culliton Conference Room (in the connector between Shapiro Library & West Hall)

They will discuss the first reading and will talk about what sort of readings people are interested in for the future.

Week 1 Reading (Nov. 9, 2007):

E.L. Hutchins, J.D. Hollan, and D.A. Norman, "Direct manipulation Interfaces", in User centered system design, D. A. Norman and S. W. Draper Eds., Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc, Hillsdale, NJ, pp. 87-124, 1985.
http://hci.ucsd.edu/120/direct-manip.pdf

You can also find this on the HCI wiki:
http://hcireadinggroup.pbwiki.com/

If you won't be able to make the first meeting they will also be meeting on Friday, 12/07.

Live Web Site Evaluations: Branding, Message, Content, and Usability

The Michigan Usability Professionals' Association and the West Michigan Shores Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication invite you to an exciting and engaging evening of focus and improvements to web site design...perhaps one of yours.

Live Web Site Evaluations: Branding, Message, Content, and Usability

Tuesday October 16th, 2007

Grand Rapids, MI

ABSTRACT
Why is Web site usability important? When have we adequately translated the brand image to a Web site? How clear is the marketing message? Let Dave Mitropoulos-Rundus help you count the ways in an informative and entertaining way. Come and experience live evaluations of a number of web sites that have been submitted by attendees. This session provides you with a rare opportunity to see it live, experience the interactions with the stakeholders and designers, and, time and bandwidth permitting, discuss YOUR site directly with Dave.

Call it 'extreme UX'... call it what you will. This interactive session will reveal both areas of excellence and opportunities for improvement, and it will focus attendees on what's important for design or improvement of the web sites they are responsible for. Attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of what constitutes user experience issues and roadblocks. They will immediately learn about redesign options that may fix, improve, or enhance each web site experience.

Dave began conducting these sessions in 2005 and continues to do them several times each year. This session, as all previous ones, will cover a new set of web sites based on attendee submissions.

SUBMIT YOUR SITE FOR EVALUATION
If you would like your company web site to be considered for this session, please state this in a separate email to events@miupa.org.

You must include the name and contact information for you or the appropriate person who will be able to interact with Dave during this session.

SPEAKER
Dave Mitropoulos-Rundus has designed user interfaces for hand-helds, kiosks, Web sites, and production machines, and has conducted evaluations in the lab, on the Web, in the field, and in the homes of consumers. He currently lead's Compuware's Usability and Interaction Design group whose mission is to improve usability and standardize user interfaces across Compuware's products. Dave is a frequent conference presenter and user interface design instructor, and authored a chapter in Design by People for People. He is an active member of ACM SIG-CHI, HFES, STC, UPA and Uxnet. Mitropoulos-Rundus has a master's degree in human factors psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

WHEN
Tuesday October 16, 2007
6:00-8:30PM (Food and networking at 6, program begins at 7)

WHERE
Dematic's Schoolhouse Facility
423 Plymouth Avenue NE
Grand Rapids, MI

The Dematic Schoolhouse is located on the corner of Michigan Ave. and Plymouth Rd. in Grand Rapids. Entry to the Dematic Schoolhouse building is off Plymouth Road.

>From the intersection of Michigan and Plymouth roads, go north on Plymouth (down the hill) and turn left into the first drive that you can, driving between two black iron gates. Drive straight ahead, turning left just before the fence and guardshack. Follow the road around the building you just passed and up the hill to the schoolhouse parking area.

COST (includes food and beverage)
$10 Students, $20 STC and UPA members, $30 all others

REGISTER
RSVP to events@miupa.org

Conference Proposals Deadline Extended for UPA International Conference

> The 2008 Usability Professionals' Association International Conference
> is celebrating the diversity of communities that contribute to the
> usability field. In order to encourage participation from a multitude
> of disciplines and perspectives, we are pleased to announce that UPA
> is extending the deadline for conference proposal submissions to
> October 15, 2007.
>
> The 2008 Conference theme, "The Many Faces of User Experience: Usability
> through Holistic Practice" addresses the need for a wider view on
> usability. Marketing specialists, industrial designers, graphic designers,
> computer scientists, business analysts, psychologists, information
> architects, technical writers and others bring valuable perspectives to
> usability and user experience.
>
> UPA 2008 will be held June 16 – 20, 2008 at the Baltimore Marriott
> Waterfront in
> Baltimore's beautiful Inner Harbor district. Among the broad range of offerings
> this year, UPA will again be offering the very popular Experienced Practitioners
> track, as well as introducing a new track, Managing User Experience. This year
> only, a special track in e-Government Usability will also be offered.
>
> We invite you to share your ideas and experiences with fellow
> practitioners at the annual UPA international conference by submitting
> proposals for presentations, panels, papers, tutorials, and workshops.
>
> To submit a proposal on line, please see the full Call for
> Participation: http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/conference/2008/call-for-participation.htm
>
> To learn more about the 2008 UPA International Conference, please see:
> http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/conference/2008/index.htm
>
> For questions about the 2008 UPA International Conference, please
> contact Eva Gaumond at publicity2008@usabilityprofessionals.org
>
> We look forward to hearing your ideas!
>
>
> For more information about UPA, contact:
> email: office@upassoc.org
> web: http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org