Usability Knowledge-Sharing Camp

Michigan UXPALeave a comment

Tec-Ed, Ann Arbor, MI

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The UPA‘s Usability Body of Knowledge (BoK) project is the subject of a day-long interactive session. The Body of Knowledge can become a valuable web resource for usability and design, but only with your help!

At this event, you will get the inside story on the UPA’s initiative to create a living reference for the usability profession, and participate in making it happen. The Usability BoK needs your help to:

  • edit and review existing information topics
  • create new entries
  • contribute your favorite useful links
  • help design a usability reference site for the future

These things are easier and more fun when we do it together, and we all learn new things at the same time.

The Michigan UPA invites you to help move the Usability BoK forward. Together, in just a few hours we can make 20-30 really useful topics available to usability practitioners worldwide! We all benefit.

We provide the space and the food. You provide your good ideas, experience, and camaraderie. You don’t have to be an “expert” in any particular aspect of usability (although that’s good, too!) – bring your enthusiasm and interests, and we’ll work together to make things happen.

The day will include:

  • An overview of the Usability BoK project, the topics, and the current web site
  • Identifying what areas you are most interested in, and what experience you can share
  • Small group activities focused on your interests, such as:
    • contribute/review valuable web references
    • final editing and publishing current “draft” topics
    • focus on a single larger topic area, to draft its related sub-topics
    • feedback and refining the design for the future Usability BoK web site

Contact the events coordinator for events-related issues – Carol Smith 773-218-6568 or carol@mw-research.com

Date and Time

Saturday, March 26, 2011
10:00am to 4:00pm
This is a free event and you can stay for all or even just part of the time. Food will be provided. To ensure that we have enough seats and food, please register online and let us know when you can make it and when you will leave.

Please bring a laptop computer if you are able to. This will make it easier for you to do research or look around the Body of Knowledge website.

Cost

Free

Location

Tec-Ed, Inc.
4300 Varsity Drive, Suite A
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
map

Recap: Overlappings and Underpinnings: Content Strategy and Information Architecture

Deborah Edwards-OnoroLeave a comment

In his presentation to Michigan Usability Professionals February 10, 2011, Chris Moritz of Campbell-Ewald proposed “information architects and content strategists can create the same deliverables. The difference is what you spend the bulk of your time on.”

Thanks Chris for a great presentation and for posting your slides online. Here are my notes from his talk:

  • What everyone thinks content creation is:
    • create
    • review
    • approve
  • What content creation actually is:
    • audit
    • analyze
    • strategize
    • categorize
    • structure
    • create
    • review
    • approve
    • publish
    • update
    • archive
  • Some people argue that information architecture and content strategy are:
    • the same
    • completely different
    • partners
    • redundant
  • There is no single way to do information architecture and content strategy; it depends on the project.

Chris shared a chart used in Campbell-Ewald projects to define responsibility for tasks and deliverables:
How tasks are divided between information architects, content strategists and content marketing

Additional notes

  • Focus your content creation by developing strategic pillars.
  • What’s different between information architects and content strategists? Content strategists need to know more of what’s going on page(s).
  • Information architects define structure. Content strategists define mass. Creatives define surface.
  • Ensure continuity between information architects and content strategists by having them report to same person. If it’s a small project, have one person manage content strategy and information architecture.
  • Good resources for content strategy and writing:

Posted by Deborah Edwards-Onoro, an officer for Michigan Usability Professionals’ Association since 2008. She owns Lireo Designs, a web development company, is a group leader of Refresh Detroit and Tweetea. You can find her tweeting about usability, user experience, accessibility and higher education @redcrew.

Overlaps and Underpinnings – Content Strategy and IA

Deborah Edwards-Onoro2 Comments

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Chris MoritzYou’ve no doubt heard the buzz that 2011 is the “year of content strategy” (just like 2010 was supposed to be).

You’ve read blog posts, magazine articles, heard podcasts and watched videos on the topic. You’ve got deliverable lists that include content audits, taxonomies, labeling guidelines, etc. Sound familiar? Isn’t that what many of you are already doing? Does that make you a content strategist?

For our February meeting, Chris Moritz, Digital Content Strategy Manager at Campbell Ewald, will provide his definition of the practice of content strategy and where it overlaps and diverges from information architecture. We’ll discuss the maddening ambiguity and energizing opportunity of the pairing and partnership of these critical disciplines.

You can find Chris on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Location

Campbell Ewald
30400 VanDyke
Warren, MI 48093 (map)
Website

Cost

$5, Current students
$10, Michigan Usability Professionals’ Association members
$20, All others

Register online at Guestlist so we know who’s coming and how much refreshments to go around. We’ll also take payment (cash or check) at the door. Questions? Email events {at} miupa dot org.

Schedule

6:30pm, Networking, food, announcements
7:00pm, Program begins

Agile and Beyond Conference

Deborah Edwards-OnoroLeave a comment

Thanks to our partnership and support, MIUPA members have been offered a discount to attend the second Agile and Beyond Conference, to be held March 12, 2011 at the Conference and Event Center in Dearborn, Michigan.

Agile and Beyond Conference

Mary Poppendieck, noted author on lean software development, is the morning keynote speaker and David Hussman, well-known Agile Coach, provides the closing keynote address.

The conference features breakout sessions, lunch and workshops featuring regional experts on a variety of relevant topics. In addition, Tom Kubit will facilitate Open Space meetings throughout the day for impromptu discussion. The conference wraps up with a panel discussion featuring Poppendieck and Hussman.

Check out the complete list of conference presenters andsessions. Register before January 31 for a significant discount. Use the discount code “MiUPA” when you register (note: the discount code is case-sensitive).

This looks to be a great event! It’s not often we have conferences of this type that are held locally.

Live Social Networking 2010

Michigan UXPA2 Comments

Thursday, December 9, 2010, 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Corner Brewery

The Michigan UPA invites you to another evening of networking and fun on Thursday, December 9th at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. Enjoy the networking aspect of our meetings? Feel like the speaker or panel gets in the way of the good stuff? This is your chance to skip the speaker and enjoy the company of fellow usability professionals. This will be the fourth year we have done this event, and it has been a great experience each time.

The Corner Brewery is located in Ypsilanti, near historic Depot Town. There is abundant parking, great drinks, and great atmosphere. This is a free event and a great opportunity to catch up with other people in the field and meet new people. We hope to see you there!

When

Thursday, December 9, 6:30PM to 8:30PM

Location

Corner Brewery
720 Norris St
Ypsilanti, MI 48198

Map

Cost

Free admission! (except for any drinks or additional food that you choose to order)