Michigan UPA 2011 Board Elections Call for Nominations

Michigan UXPALeave a comment

How would you like the opportunity to steer the direction of the Michigan chapter of the Usability Professionals’ Association? We have just the opportunity for you: run for one of our board positions or volunteer for one of our committees! We have five leadership opportunities:

  • President
  • Vice-President
  • Treasurer
  • Events Director
  • Secretary

and two volunteer committees:

  • Events
  • Outreach

Election Details

  • Chapter elections will be held in November.
  • Terms are 13 months and run from December 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012.
  • You must be a Usability Professionals Association member prior to running for election (note: Michigan UPA sponsors the membership of its board members).
  • As an officer, you will commit to an average of five to fifteen hours each month.
  • If you’re interested in running for a board position, submit a brief biography, photo, and statement (500 word maximum) and tell us why you are the best candidate for the position. Submit your nomination to secretary@michiganupa.org by October 31, 2011.
  • Have questions about running for the board? Contact Michael Beasley or any Michigan UPA officer.

Volunteer Committees

Volunteers are critical to the success of our outreach and events. As a volunteer, you’ll:

  • Work with board members
  • Gain valuable experience while maintaining a lower level of commitment
  • Commit one to five hours each month

Ready to volunteer? Contact Michael Beasley or any Michigan UPA officer. Note: you don’t have to be a Usability Professionals Association member to become a Michigan UPA committee volunteer.

After elections, we’ll get our committees organized and ready to go for 2012.

Officer Role Descriptions

Below are the duties of specific board positions. Board members are expected to have a position on one or more of the committees, such as Events. In addition to the specific activities listed below, officers attend a board meeting once a month.

President

  • Ensure smooth operation of chapter by delegating tasks (including any of the following) and following up
  • Be the primary point of communication with UPA and other professional organizations
  • Complete annual chapter report
  • Call officer meetings

Vice President

  • Fill the president’s role when the president is unavailable or incapacitated
  • Prepare to fill the presidency in a future term

Treasurer

  • Oversee chapter funds
  • Complete annual chapter financial report
  • Develop chapter budget
  • Report financial status of chapter to board

Events Director

  • Coordinate the Events for MI UPA with the assistance of the Events Committee
  • Coordinate and run the Events Committee and post minutes on the wiki
  • Communication for events
  • Post events to the Google UX calendar
  • For each event, the Director and Committee members:
    • Find a Speaker
    • Find a Host
    • Find a Sponsor (hopefully the Host) for food
    • Prepare description of the event with assistance from the Speaker
    • Promote the event by posting on MI UPA website, sending out announcements, posting of public forums, coordinating mailings with the secretary
    • Create online registration for the event (currently using Guestlist)
    • Prepare for the event by printing nametags and attendance lists
    • Attend event and assist with setup and take down, which can include room arrangement, speaker setup of computer/projector, food, and sign in.
    • Send out follow up thank you messages to host(s) and speaker(s), update website posting

Secretary

  • Ensure chapter’s compliance with chapter and UPA bylaws
  • Propose changes to bylaws to reflect changing chapter needs
  • Take and post notes for monthly board meetings
  • Manage email newsletter. Design, write, test and publish three newsletters each month
  • Maintain social media presence on Twitter and LinkedIn with regular postings and engagement on usability related news, activities and MI UPA events
  • Manage MI UPA website (oversee Outreach committee members). Upgrade as needed, review posts, update and maintain information.

Immediate Past President

  • Provide advice to board members
  • Ensure continuity of organizational memory

Committees

Each committee consists of a chair either from the ranks of the board or a chapter member appointed by the board, and one or more committee members from the board and the chapter membership.

Events

  • Plan and coordinate events (more details described in Event Director responsibilities)

Outreach

  • Update and maintain website
  • Public relations
  • Manage email newsletters, write content, create newsletter, publish newsletter

World Usability Day 2011: Making Social Media Work For You

Deborah Edwards-OnoroLeave a comment

We’re glad to announce Michigan State University will hold their seventh World Usability Day event, Making Social Media Work For You, on November 10, 2011 in East Lansing, Michigan. This year’s event focuses on the usability of social media and social networking, and the role they play in website and product development.

Speakers and Topics

  • Return on Investment of Social Media: Marcel Santilli, Social Media and Marketing Strategist, IBM
  • Usability and Social Media Design: Mary Henige, Director of Social Media & Digital Communications, General Motors
  • The Adventures of @DMC_Julian: How a Hospital System Uses Social Media to Reach People: Julian Bond, Social Media/Marketing Manager, Detroit Medical Center
  • Using Social Media in the Research & Development of Products: Betsy Weber, Chief Evangelist, TechSmith
  • Usable Social Media Analytics: Making Sense of Metrics (Workshop): Constantinos Coursaris, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University

World Usability Day

World Usability Day is the largest gathering of industry professionals, world-class academics, government leaders, and students facilitating the progression of usability, user experience, and user-centered design. Last year, 150 events in more than 40 countries celebrated World Usability Day.

Details

  • Date: Thursday, November 10, 2011
  • Time: 8:30am to 3:00pm (speakers, lunch and workshop)
  • Registration: 8:30am
  • Morning program begins: 9:00am
  • Afternoon workshop: 1:30pm to 3:00pm
  • Cost: $30 (includes lunch)
  • Location: Michigan State University Union, East Lansing, Michigan

Register online at the Michigan State University website. (You’ll need to Click “Add to Shopping Cart” and then “Check out.”) Michigan State University employees can login with their MSU ID. Non-MSU employees must click on the “Account Creation” link and follow the instructions to continue.

Questions about the registration process? Contact JoDee Fortino or call at 517-353-8977.

Accessibility Summit 2011

Deborah Edwards-Onoro1 Comment

Tuesday, September 27, 2011, 9:30am to 5:30pm

University of Michigan Union, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Join us for a full-day online conference with experts on web accessibility, presented by Environments for Humans. Learn strategies for captioning, how different screen readers handle HTML5 and ARIA, integrating accessibility across multiple devices, how people with disabilities access the web and more.

Accessibility Summit

Thanks to the generous support and partnership from the University of Michigan Office of Institutional Equity and an anonymous sponsor, MI UPA will host the Environments for Humans Accessibility Summit at no cost for those who attend at our meeting room location in Ann Arbor.

Speaker Schedule (as of September 4, 2011)

Lunch at 2pm (one hour)

  • 3:00pm – Glenda Sims: Captioning Strategy
  • 4:00pm – Henny Swan: Integrating Accessibility Across Devices
  • 5:00pm – Matt May: Watch Your Language
  • * 6:00pm – Derek Featherstone: Everything I Know about Accessibility I Learned from Star Wars

Location

University of Michigan Union (map)
Pendleton Room
530 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1308

Cost and Registration

There is no cost to attend the conference at our MI UPA event, but:

  • The conference will be viewed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you’re not able to come to Ann Arbor, you will need to purchase your own ticket from Environments for Humans.
  • Pre-registration is required.
  • First-come, first served. There will be no waiting list.
  • Register online via Guestlist

Note: If you want free wifi for the event, you must email secretary {at} michiganupa {dot} org by September 20. (University of Michigan people don’t need to request wifi, as your uniqnames and passwords will allow you access.) Any requests received after September 20 will not be filled.

Additional Information

  • Arrive before 10:00am since the session begins promptly.
  • The online conference will be presented via the Internet via Adobe Connect and will be viewed via a projector.
  • Attendees don’t need to bring their laptops, except for note taking.
  • Free continental breakfast will be served before the conference begins.
  • * Since an evening event is scheduled in the venue, we will need to vacate the room by 5:30pm

While the conference is free, those attending will need to arrange for their own lunch (one hour lunch break). Lunch is available from several restaurants in the Michigan Union as well as local Ann Arbor restaurants within walking distance.

Questions? Email secretary {at} michiganupa {dot} org.

Internet User Experience 2011

Michigan UXPALeave a comment

Internet User Experience 2011 Conference
October 10-13, 2011
Ann Arbor, MI

The Michigan UPA is proud to co-sponsor the seventh annual Internet User Experience conference. This conference has grown every year and has now captured international attention. Come and participate as world-reknowned speakers and trainers cover aspects of web site design and strategy, including usability, marketing, branding, social media, mobile, and more. Tutorials will be offered on designing the mobile experience, personas, storyboarding, web analytics, and more.

Here are a few highlights:

  • Keynote talks by Susan Weinschenk, Peter Morville, and Dave Mitropoulos-Rundus.
  • Presentations and panel sessions.
  • Optional training tutorials will be offered before the conference.
  • Gala reception Tuesday October 11th at 5:00pm
  • Student poster session.
  • Third annual IUE Pub Crawl on Wednesday evening October 12th.
  • Exhibits and Bookseller.
  • Raffles and giveaways.

Register

Registration for this conference is now open.

Sponsor

If you are interested in marketing your company, organization, or products, recruiting, or simply supporting this conference, review the numerous sponsor, exhibit, and recruiting opportunities available on the web site.