Promoting user experience in Michigan
We’re looking for a strong Experience Architect to join a mighty, ambitious, User Experience team.
This individual should be an exceptional problem solver, a master of UX skills, and have an excellent
understanding of how technology and business drivers shape successful user experiences.
Continue reading “Experience Architect at ITHAKA (Ann Arbor)”
We’re looking for a strong UX Designer to join a mighty, ambitious User Experience team. This
individual should be an exceptional problem solver, a master of wireframes, and have an excellent
understanding of how technology and business drivers shape successful user experiences.
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, November 1
6:00 PM — Networking
6:45 PM — Announcements
7:00 PM — Speaker
8:30 PM — Wrap up and more networking
ProQuest, Ann Arbor
Current students $5
Usability Professionals’ Association members $10
All others $20
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.
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.
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!
Tuesday, September 18
6:00 PM — Networking
6:45 PM — Announcements
7:00 PM — Speaker
8:30 PM — Wrap up and more networking
Cengage Learning, Farmington Hills
Current students $5
Usability Professionals’ Association members $10
All others $20
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.
Michigan UXPA 