DFW Usability Professionals' Association http://dfw-upa.org Promoting Usability Concepts and Techniques Worldwide Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:48:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Conference Redux Wrap Up http://dfw-upa.org/2010/08/conference-redux-wrap-up/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/08/conference-redux-wrap-up/#comments Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:48:50 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/?p=341 The conference redux worked out well at Microsoft.  A big thanks to Taylor Cowen for working to schedule the room for us.  The faculty was professional and hospitable (there were 2 other user groups meeting that night).
Lorie Whitaker gave us insight on UPA International in Munich where she explored the question of doing professional development on the cheap.  In the end, she found that Twitter was one of the most efficient ways of keeping up to date on news and trends within one’s industry of interest.
Big points that she took away from other breakout sessions:
- Agile is best kept within the same physical locale
- Debunking myths about usability
- If you were to conduct a usability test, it would be an expert review.  If you were to conduct an expert review, it would not be a usability test
Brian Sullivan delved into a STC presentation on usability.  Kris Courtney talked about the Nielsen Norman mobile usability course that she attended (recommends the report available on their website).  Diana Martin had a wealth of knowledge pertaining to SxSW.  Crystal McDermott went over her experience attending the UIE virtual bookclub.
Thanks to all who stopped in for the information.  We are already looking forward to Adam Polansky’s talk next month on innovation.  Location TBD.

The conference redux worked out well at Microsoft.  A big thanks to Taylor Cowen for working to schedule the room for us.  The faculty was professional and hospitable (there were 2 other user groups meeting that night).

Lorie Whitaker gave us insight on UPA International in Munich where she explored the question of doing professional development on the cheap.  In the end, she found that Twitter was one of the most efficient ways of keeping up to date on news and trends within one’s industry of interest.

Big points that Lorie took away from other breakout sessions:

- Agile is best kept within the same physical locale

- If you were to conduct a usability test, it would be an expert review.  If you were to conduct an expert review, it would not be a usability test

Brian Sullivan delved into a STC presentation on usability.  Kris Courtney talked about the Nielsen Norman mobile usability course that she attended (recommends the report available on their website).  Diana Martin had a wealth of knowledge pertaining to SxSW.  Crystal McDermott went over her experience attending the UIE virtual book club.

Thanks to all who stopped in for the information.  We are already looking forward to Adam Polansky’s talk next month on innovation.  Location TBD.

Media

I took pictures this time around!

http://picasaweb.google.com/dfwupa

http://www.youtube.com/user/dfwupa

If you have media that you would like to share, please email dfwupa [at] gmail [dot] com.

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/08/conference-redux-wrap-up/feed/ 0 Aug 24 – Conference Redux @ Microsoft http://dfw-upa.org/2010/08/aug-24-conference-redux-microsoft/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/08/aug-24-conference-redux-microsoft/#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:30:21 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/?p=336 For those of you who were too busy to break away for the conferences that were held this year, DFW-UPA is hosting its annual conference redux session at Microsoft in Las Colinas.  The session will be an informal meeting to go over the big take aways from everyone’s experiences at IA Summit, UPA International, and Big Design Conference.  Refreshments will be served.  Also, make sure to check out the info on the Table 4-Eight going on the following day.

What?

Conference Redux

When?

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

6:00 – 6:45  Arrivals
6:45 – 7:00  Chapter Business (lots of exciting announcements)
7:00 – 8:15  Conference Redux
8:15 – 8:30  QA
 
Where?

Microsoft Corporation
7000 State Highway 161
Irving, TX 75039-2418

Important!!

Much like the Aquent meeting, Microsoft has a secured campus.  In order to help Microsoft out, we have created an Eventbrite event to facillitate the RSVP process.  The link below will take you to the offical event which costs nothing to get into.
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/808260529
 

Who?

Conference attendees within DFW-UPA

Cost?

FREE

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/08/aug-24-conference-redux-microsoft/feed/ 0 Ice Cream Social 2010 at Aquent Wrap Up http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/ice-cream-social-2010-at-aquent-wrap-up/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/ice-cream-social-2010-at-aquent-wrap-up/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:57:03 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/?p=330 Despite the sudden downpour, a crowd of roughly 20 turned out for the July monthly meeting, hosted by Aquent at their facility.

Members discussed usability trends in the marketplace today, such as employer needs versus budget, blended roles, for example, designer plus architect, and the reaction of companies to trends like mobile apps and social media.

In addition, Aquent’s Matthew Feldman gave us an overview of Aquent’s services, who call their staff agents as opposed to recruiters, because they are marketing and placing talent. Aquent’s agents have work experience in the disciplines for which they try to match the needs of their clients with talented individuals.

After the group discussion, Aquent treated us to ice cream sandwiches made with our choice of cookie, and a number of DFW-UPA members stuck around for a while afterward, getting to know each other better.

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/ice-cream-social-2010-at-aquent-wrap-up/feed/ 0 ActionScript Workshop 3.0 Wrap Up http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/actionscript-workshop-3-0-wrap-up/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/actionscript-workshop-3-0-wrap-up/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:51:15 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/?p=326 The Intro to ActionScript 3.0 was a success.  20 some people registered for the event, and things move nicely throughout the day.  Dave Gillem gave us a tutorial on programming 101 with a helpful amount of hands on applied exercises.  Lunch was catered by iFratelli Restorante & Wine Bar.   For those of you who are interested in a next step class stay tuned as Dave is planning on teaching a intermediate, and introduction, course in the early fall.

The Intro to ActionScript 3.0 was a success.  Some 20 people attended the event, and things move nicely throughout the day.  Dave Gillem gave us a tutorial on programming 101 with a helpful amount of applied exercises.  Lunch was catered by iFratelli Restorante & Wine Bar.  Big thanks to Dave Gillem and those of you who helped set up and break down the workshop.

For those of you who are interested in a next step class, stay tuned as Dave is planning on teaching an intermediate, as well as another introduction, course in the early fall.

Media

The presentation was so good that I forgot to take pictures… again!

http://picasaweb.google.com/dfwupa

http://www.youtube.com/user/dfwupa

If you have media that you would like to share, please email dfwupa [at] gmail [dot] com.

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/actionscript-workshop-3-0-wrap-up/feed/ 0 July 27 Monthly Meeting – Aquent Hosts Ice Cream Social 2010 http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/322/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/322/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:59:32 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/322/ DFW UPA is proud to partner with Aquent in order to bring you Ice Cream Social 2010!
Do you have a need to brush up on your resume, interview skills, or have questions about what companies are looking for?  After a talk on positioning yourself in the marketplace, Aquent will have resources available on hand to help you regardless of experience level or direction.  Perfectly happy with your job you say?  No problem, we will have gratuitous amount of ice cream sandwiches and esteemed colleagues.  Think about it, DFW UPA has not hosted a social since January, let alone a meeting in the mid cities in over a year.  Enough already, here are the specifics:
What?
DFW UPA – Aquent Hosts Ice Cream Social 2010
When?
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
6:00pm – 8:30pm CST, kickoff at 6:30pm CST
Where?
Aquent Dallas Office
14643 Dallas Parkway Suite 380
Dallas, TX 75254
Main Office: 972-789-4000
How?
RSVP at dfwupa@gmail.com to help estimate the ice cream
Cost?
Free!
–
Do you want to speak at a meeting, or do you know  someone who does? Drop us a line at dfwupa@gmail.com.
Sent on behalf of the DFW Usability Professionals’ Association.
Website:
http://www.dfw-upa.org
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/dfwupa
Facebook:
DFW Usability Professionals’ Association

DFW UPA is proud to partner with Aquent in order to bring you Ice Cream Social 2010!

Do you have a need to brush up on your resume, interview skills, or have questions about what companies are looking for?  After a talk on positioning yourself in the marketplace, Aquent will have resources available on hand to help you regardless of experience level or direction.  Perfectly happy with your job you say?  No problem, we will have gratuitous amount of ice cream sandwiches and esteemed colleagues.  Think about it, DFW UPA has not hosted a social since January, let alone a meeting in the mid cities in over a year.  Enough already, here are the specifics:

What?
DFW UPA – Aquent Hosts Ice Cream Social 2010

When?
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
6:00pm – 8:30pm CST, kickoff at 6:30pm CST

Where?
Aquent Dallas Office
14643 Dallas Parkway Suite 380
Dallas, TX 75254
Main Office: 972-789-4000

How?
RSVP at dfwupa@gmail.com to help estimate the ice cream

Cost?
Free!

–

Do you want to speak at a meeting, or do you know  someone who does? Drop us a line at dfwupa@gmail.com.

Sent on behalf of the DFW Usability Professionals’ Association.

Website:

http://www.dfw-upa.org

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/dfwupa

Facebook:

DFW Usability Professionals’ Association

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/07/322/feed/ 0 Intro to ActionScript 3.0 Workshop http://dfw-upa.org/2010/06/intro-to-actionscript-3-0-workshop/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/06/intro-to-actionscript-3-0-workshop/#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:15:06 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/?p=308 That’s right folks, Dave Gillem is back.

Earlier in the year, Dave introduced Flash as a platform as well as basic animation techniques.  For his next act, Dave will continue the Flash series by introducing ActionScript 3.0.  ActionScript is a powerful programming environment within Flash which adds interaction to your projects.  As a disclaimer, some basic knowledge of Flash (movieclips, symbols, and motion tweens) is assumed and will not be covered.  If you are interested in taking your Flash projects to the next level, be sure check out this inexpensive workshop.

Who:

Dave Gillem (Interactive Creative Director – Travelocity)

When:

Saturday, July 24, 2010


Where:

Sabre Holdings

Building B

Room: B1-157


Cost:

The workshop price is $99 (plus EventBrite fees), which is a great bargain.  The price includes a pizza lunch, drinks, trial versions of software, and additional swag.  Similar Flash workshops cost between $175-300.

To register click the following link:

http://http://www.eventbrite.com/event/689180357



Details:

TIME                                                      DESCRIPTION

10:00am – 11:00am                         ActionScript Overview

11:00am – 12:00pm                         ActionScript Programming Fundamentals (Hands-on Exercises)

12:00pm – 1:00pm                           Lunch Break

1:00pm – 2:30pm                             ActionScript Programming Fundamentals cont… (Hands-on Exercises)

2:30pm – 3:00pm                             PM Break

3:00pm – 4:30pm                             Hands-on Exercises


About Dave Gillem

Dave Gillem is the Interactive Creative Director for Travelocity and operates his own studio under the name Crucial Limit. He is a graduate of the Art Institute of Dallas and now sits on the Advisory Board for the school. He was one of the technical reviewers for the Flash CS3 test offered by Brainbench. Dave has been doing interactive design for over 12 years, using Flash since version 3, and drawing on walls since age 2. He has received numerous awards for his client work using Flash and is very passionate about the Flash Platform.

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/06/intro-to-actionscript-3-0-workshop/feed/ 0 Crawfish Boil Wrap Up http://dfw-upa.org/2010/05/crawfish-boil-wrap-up/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/05/crawfish-boil-wrap-up/#comments Fri, 21 May 2010 22:50:38 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/?p=301 In lieu of a monthly meeting, DFW UPA members joined Cohabitat for their second annual crawfish boil, where we mingled with other Dallas area creative thinkers, designers, and entrepreneurs, and enjoyed the tasty critters, washing them down with beer. If you didn’t make it this year, we hope to see you next time.

Reminder!! We also want to remind you that the Big Design Conference is on May 28 and 29 at SMU. If you haven’t purchased your tickets, get them now!

Media

There were a few photos taken this time around.  Visit our picasa page if you are interested.  Kudos to John Michael Flores at Pegasus News  for assisting with the coverage.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dfwupa/DFWUPACrawfishBoilSocialEventHostedByCoHabitat#

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2010/may/17/photos-video-cohabitat-crawfish-boil-uptown-dallas/

If you have media that you would like to share, please email dfwupa [at] gmail [dot] com.

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/05/crawfish-boil-wrap-up/feed/ 0 May 15th: Monthly Meeting – Crawfish Boil at Cohabitat http://dfw-upa.org/2010/04/may-15th-monthly-meeting-%e2%80%93-crawfish-boil-at-cohabitat/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/04/may-15th-monthly-meeting-%e2%80%93-crawfish-boil-at-cohabitat/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:23:46 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/?p=296 Where has the time gone this year?  In just four weeks, Big (D)esign Conference will be kicking off with all of your favorite speakers in strategy, social media, user experience, and code development.  Purchase your ticket(s) before Saturday, May 8th when two -day ticket prices go up to $150.00.  By the way, the winners of the iPads will be announced in the coming weeks leading up to the conference.

For all of you who will not be able to attend the Big (D)esign Conference this year, please plan on stopping by Cohabitat Saturday, May 15th between 3:00pm – 12:00am for the Second Annual Cohabitat Crawfish Boil.  Please send us an email letting us know how many people will be in your group so that we can get an accurate headcount.  Cohabitat is a coworking space for developers, creatives, and entrepreneurs in the Dallas area.  Come out, grab a shell fish, and mingle with your fellow colleagues for this messy, yet fun, event.

When?

Saturday, May 15, 2010

3:00pm – 12:00am

Where?

Cohabitat

2517 Thomas Street
Dallas, TX 75201

How?

RSVP by sending an email to dfwupa@gmail.com

Who?

Our type of people, and probably more.

Cost?

Free

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/04/may-15th-monthly-meeting-%e2%80%93-crawfish-boil-at-cohabitat/feed/ 0 Design Like da Vinci Wrap Up http://dfw-upa.org/2010/04/design-like-da-vinci-wrap-up/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/04/design-like-da-vinci-wrap-up/#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:15:41 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/?p=293 Brian Sullivan, president of DFW UPA and usability principal at Sabre Holdings’ Human Factors Center, treated this month’s meeting participants to Leonardo da Vinci’s basic principles on how to think. These principles are divided into the following categories:

  • Curiosity – The focus should be on questions, not answers. Some of the many practices you can adopt are to keep an idea journal, write 100 questions in one sitting about a problem or situation, ask the five Ws and H (who, what, when, where, why, and how) and then “else yourself” on all of them, build your vocabulary, and use the ladder of abstraction.
  • Demonstration – This is facts versus opinion. As a designer, you need facts as a basis, not emotion.
  • Sensations – Develop your senses more fully.
  • Sfumato or embrace ambiguity – Let your ideas incubate, subject them to thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.
  • Art and science – Use whole brain thinking, not just the creative side or the scientific side.
  • Corporality – Keep your whole body in shape to enhance your ability to think, for example: proper diet, exercise, sleep, increasing your manual dexterity, and even juggling.
  • Connections – We are all part of a larger system, so don’t limit your thinking or design to one aspect or one user profile.

In order to reinforce the materials covered, Brian asked individual attendees to do such things as draw “coffee” three different ways (curiosity), block a punch (sfumato), and elaborate on the scent of Old Spice (sensations).  After working out our brains, Brian supplemented the training with a taste test to further develop our senses.  In case you are interested in the subject matter of this short workshop, you can find more information in the book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, by Michael Gelb and the MapMind website.

Media
The presentation was so good that I forgot to take pictures.  Next time!

http://picasaweb.google.com/dfwupa

http://www.youtube.com/user/dfwupa

If you have media that you would like to share, please email dfwupa [at] gmail [dot] com.

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/04/design-like-da-vinci-wrap-up/feed/ 0 April 20th: Monthly Meeting – Design Like da Vinci http://dfw-upa.org/2010/04/april-20th-monthly-meeting-design-like-da-vinci/ http://dfw-upa.org/2010/04/april-20th-monthly-meeting-design-like-da-vinci/#comments Sat, 03 Apr 2010 01:02:56 +0000 Brian Sullivan http://dfw-upa.org/?p=285 Can you believe it?  Big Design Conference 2010 will be here next month!  In order to help promote the event, they’ve decided to give away Apple iPads to 4 lucky people.  The catch is that you need to be within the first 200 to register for the Big Design event.  Of course, this is for your own benefit since the ticket prices will increase as the date approaches.  Not only is Big Design Conference giving away free stuff, but you can expect Aquent, Mad*Pow, Microsoft, Adobe, and others to have free swag at the conference as well!

Since the Big Design Conference is right around the corner, DFW UPA decided that it would be a good time to incorporate design thinking into usability.  Brian Sullivan will be presenting a Design Like da Vinci interactive workshop for the April meeting.  The workshop will feature 10 exercises that Leonardo da Vinci used when designing the The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa.  Plan your schedules accordingly, because you won’t want to miss this one!

What?

Design like da Vinci

When?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

6:30pm – 8:30pm

Where?

Sabre Holdings, 3150 Sabre Dr., Southlake, Texas 76092
Building B, Room B1-157

General Directions: Take Highway 114 West and exit Kirkwood Blvd. Turn right at the traffic light onto Kirkwood Blvd. Proceed through the gates, and then up the hill. Follow signs for parking and to the meeting location.

Links to maps: Sabre Holdings

Important!!

Arrive before 7:00pm. After 7, the security gates close and you will not be able to enter the property.

Who?

Brian Sullivan is the President of DFW-UPA, Usability Principal at the Sabre Human Factors Center, one of the organizers of the Big (D)esign Conference, and was World Usability Day Theme Chair (2008, 2009).  Brian has been involved on panels at UPA 2008 and UPA 2009, presented at the Big (D)esign Conference 2009, reviewed books for Rosenfeld Media, and presented at the Poster Revolution at UPA 2007.

Brian has been involved in the IT industry for over 20 years.  Brian has had positions in a variety of arenas including Content Management, Training Development, QA, Customer Support, and Usability.  Brian has worked in the retail, banking, medical, financial, and travel industries.  Brian holds an MA in English Literature, MBA in Management Information Systems, and CUA from Human Factors International.

Cost?

$5 unless your 2010 dues are paid ($20 for professionals, $10 for students)

]]> http://dfw-upa.org/2010/04/april-20th-monthly-meeting-design-like-da-vinci/feed/ 1