UPA Monthly: March 2008
The monthly newsletter of the Usability Professionals' Association
English | Français | Deutsch | Español | Italiano | Português | Japanese | Hebrew | Russian | Chinese
In This Edition
Usability in the News
Japan: Google's Real-Life Lab (BusinessWeek, 14 Feb 2008)
"To figure out what mobile Web surfers like, the company relies on user experience groups, or UX in Google-ese. Dozens of participants are given phones with Net access and asked to complete simple tasks, either in a company lab or out on the streets of Tokyo."
IPhone pushes mobile makers to think simpler (IHT, 9 Jan 2008)
"Whatever the features, the next big thing in mobile phones must not be too big, analysts agree."
New technology turns your body into a swipe card (The Age, 22 Feb 2008)
"It uses technology to turn the surface of the human body itself into a means of data transmission."
Is Customer Experience Recession-Proof? (CIO Insight, 14 Mar 2008)
"When consumer spending drops, the need to compete for remaining dollars only heats up. Our recent customer strategies survey found analytics, improving service and creating a consistent customer experience are priorities; our spending survey found companies still plan to invest in business intelligence."
Chapter News
** French translation **
UPA is looking for a volunteer that would like to contribute to translate the UPA newsletter each month from English to French. Interested? For more information, contact us at: dszuc@apogeehk.com
Chapter Updates 2008
In Feb 2008, UPA will send out "Chapter Updates" to all Chapters to better understand what is happening in your Chapter -- We look forward to hearing from you!
Questions: chapters@usabilityprofessionals.org
UPA Boston: Annual Conference (28 May 2008) - Submissions Needed! The success of this conference depends on YOU! We welcome presentation submissions from all levels of experience and industry.
Photo of the Month
Share Chapter event photos - use the 'upachapter' tag.
Looking for a chapter in your city? Contact: chapters@usabilityprofessionals.org
UPA News
UPA 2008 Conference
Registration is now open for the 2008 International UPA Conference, "The Many Faces of User Experience: Usability through Holistic Practice".
The conference will take place at the beautiful Inner Harbor of
Baltimore, Maryland, June 16-20, 2008.
UPA Europe 2008
The first European regional conference of the Usability Professionals' Association (UPA) will take place in Torino, Italy, named the 2008 World Design Capital. Hundreds of designers and usability specialists are expected to attend.
World Usability Day 2008 - Transportation
World Usability Day will next be held on 13 November 2008 and the theme is Transportation
-- Look out for more information soon.
UPA 2007 Salary Survey Report Now Available
The full, members-only version of the UPA 2007 Salary report has been completed and is available for UPA members to download here. This report has been created especially for UPA members; a free-to-all version for the UX community at large is available from the main page of the UPA web site. You will need your UPA username and password to access the members-only report. If you do not remember your username or password, browse to this page for assistance.
Conference site volunteers needed
UPA is seeking 2 volunteers for the 2009-2010 Conference web committee. Interested?
- Contact Amanda Nance at web2008@usabilityprofessionals.org
1. Web Manager - The manager will oversee the 2009 conference website and should have attended at least one UPA conference. Duties include coordinating tasks, ensuring that deadlines are met, updating Dreamweaver templates and site text as needed, and possibly working with a development vendor. This person should keep a focus on the usability and accessibility of the site and gather feedback from stakeholders. The Web Manager will need familiarity with Dreamweaver, HTML/CSS, and accessibility standards. They should be able to volunteer up to 10 hours per week during the busier times of the project and be able to respond quickly to requests to update the website. July, August, February and March are particularly busy for the conference site, while other months require less time. We prefer that this person is available soon to begin training. The first stage of the 2009 conference website will be out in June.
2. Web Volunteer - The volunteer will assist with implementation of the 2009 conference website and should have attended at least one UPA conference. This person should be able to think critically about the target users of the site and their typical tasks, and also be familiar with accessibility standards and best practices for writing for the web. Additional, the Web Volunteer will have experience gathering both formal and informal usability feedback and should be able to produce design mock ups (e.g. in Visio). During busier times, the volunteer will spend 5-7 hours per week working on the conference site. July, August, February and March are particularly busy for the conference site, while other month require less time.
Sponsor a Young Professional
The UPA Student and Young Professionals Board is happy to announce that Apogee - www.apogeehk.com - has donated sponsorship of 10 x UPA student memberships. - Contact: info@apogeehk.com for more details on eligibility.
UPA Students & Young Professionals
UPA would like to welcome students and young professionals to join a UPA sponsored Yahoo Group. The group will serve as a way to help connect current and potential UPA members. Join the group to learn, to network, and to get more involved with UPA.
LINKEDIN – Networking among UPA members and more
Do you want to find quickly and easily other UPA members with similar backgrounds and needs? Join us on LinkedIn today.
If you would like to learn more about your Board of Directors.
UPA Publications
UPA - Journal of Usability Studies - February 2008: Volume 3, Issue 2
A Voyage to Maturing Usability
Author: Effie Lai-Chong Law
UPA - Voice February, 2008
Usability in Open Source Software
User Experience Magazine: Volume 7, Issue 1, 2008
http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/upa_publications/user_experience/past_issues/2008-1.html
Want to write an article for a UPA publications?
Contact: publications@usabilityprofessionals.org
Want to advertise in a UPA publication?
Contact: assocdir@usabilityprofessionals.org
Save the Date
UPA Announces 2008 International Usability Conference
"The Many Faces of User Experience: Usability through Holistic Practice"
Baltimore, Maryland, June 16-20, 2008
UPA Europe 2008
The first European regional conference of the Usability Professionals' Association (UPA) will take place in Torino, Italy, named the 2008 World Design Capital. Hundreds of designers and usability specialists are expected to attend.
World Usability Day 2008 - Transportation
World USability Day will next be held on 13 November 2008 and the theme is "Transportation"
-- Look out for more information soon
New email or address?
Keep your member profile up to date, so you don't miss any mail.
Thanks to Our Contributors
- Melanie Rousseau and Sylvie Lachize (Québec Chapter), French
- Silvia Zimmermann (Swiss Chapter), German
- Alberto Lacalle (Spanish Chapter), Spanish
- Michele Visciola (UPA Italia), Italian
- Adriana Betiol (Brazil Chapter), Portuguese
- Yaniv Michaeli (UPA Israel), Hebrew
- Natasha Voynarovskaya (UPA Russia), Russian
- Denny Huang (UPA China), Chinese
- Tadashi Kobayashi (HCD-Net), Toyohiro Kanayama (UPA), Japanese
- Daniel Szuc (UPA China-Hong Kong), English, News scout
** Schedule and events for the 2008 UPA International Conference **
http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/conference/2008/schedule.htm