AZUPA Special Event - UX Lab Tour Sponsored by Apollo User Experience Labs on May 13

RSVP to info@arizonaupa.org NOW to ensure your spot on the guest list!

UX Lab Tour: May 13 6pm-9pm

This top tier, state of the art facility allows the team of the Apollo User Experience Labs to understand and improve the user experience of their software products for their students, faculty and staff.

The UX Lab includes:

• Tobii Eye Tracking Software
• Ovo Studios software to capture various behavioral data points
• Executive viewing conference room

If your organization is or is planning to implement a UX lab of its own, this is a golden opportunity to learn first-hand all the details involved in the process and to sneak-a-peak at some awesome technology.

Appetizers and beverages will be served thanks to our gracious hosts. Please respond as soon as possible so that AZUPA and our hosts can accommodate the appropriate number of attendees.

Agenda
6:00 pm Arrival and networking
6:30 pm *Lab Tours
9:00 pm Adjourn

*Tours may run in stages depending on the number of attendees.

 Location

Apollo User Experience Labs
Suite 200 (2nd Floor)
1620 South Stapley Drive
Mesa AZ 85204

Google Map

Mix it Up! IxDA Phoenix + AZUPA Invite You to Attend this Pre-IA Summit Event

IxDA Phoenix and the Arizona UPA are proud to co-sponsor a mixer at Hanny's downtown to kick off the IA Summit being held in Phoenix this year.

Hanny's is near the light rail and easily accessible for most professionals in the valley as well as those in town for the IA Summit.

Everyone is invited, members and non members alike, whether you have a profession in user experience or design or not.


The night's agenda will be casual and a way to network and socialize.

Please RSVP and hope to see you there!!

**Please note that payment of any drink and food items you purchase are your responsibility.

Arizona UPA Meeting – Thursday, February 11, 2010

Join us for the Arizona Usability Professionals Association (AZUPA) Chapter meeting on Thursday, February 11 from 6-8 p.m.

RSVP Now!*


Our invited guest for this meeting is Robert Hoekman who will be speaking on the topic of Web Anatomy Interaction Design Frameworks concept.

At the start of every web design project, the ongoing struggles reappear. We want to design highly usable and self-evident applications, but we also want to devise innovative, compelling, and exciting interactions that make waves in the market. Projects are more sophisticated than ever, but we have fewer resources with which to complete them. Requirements are fuzzy at best, but we’re expected to have everything done yesterday.
What we need is a reuse strategy, coupled with a pathway to innovation.

Web Anatomy delivers:

• A guide to using interaction design frameworks
• An examination of the psychology behind major frameworks
• A thorough look at how frameworks will change the way you work for the better
  

Agenda
6:00 pm Arrival and networking
6:30 pm Brief business meeting
7:00 pm Presentation - Invited Speaker
8:00 pm Adjourn

Meeting Location
The Art Institute of Phoenix
2233 West Dunlap Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona
Note: The meeting will be in room 456

Speaker Bio
Robert Hoekman, Jr, is a user experience specialist and author who has written dozens of articles and has worked with:

• Seth Godin (Squidoo)
• Adobe
• Automattic
• United Airlines
• DoTheRightThing.com, and others.
  

Robert has spoken at industry events all over the world, including:

• An Event Apart
• Web App Summit
• SXSW
• Future of Web Design, and many others.

Notable works:

• Amazon bestseller Designing the Obvious (Amazon bestseller)
• Designing the Moment
  
• Web Anatomy, (coauthored by Jared Spool)
  

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*This is a free event, but space is limited. Walk-in attendees are certainly welcome, but please RSVP so that we can ensure we provide the appropriate accommodations.

You do not need to be a member to attend. Feel free to come and check us out!!! Also, please feel free to spread the word to any interested colleagues.

Dr. Theo Mandel's "Golden Rules of Web Design"

Hello:
We have received quite a few requests for Theo's "Golden Rules of Web Design" presentation from our World Usability Day celebration. So, Theo has been kind enough to post the presentation for you to view. Enjoy!

www.slideshare.net/theomandel/mandel-keynote-user-experience-russia-october-25-2009

World Usability Day is Coming!

RSVP Now!

Please join us for a special event hosted by the Arizona Usability Professionals Association Chapter (AZUPA) and The Art Institute of Phoenix. The event is Thursday, November 12^th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Our speaker will be Dr. Theo Mandel. Theo will discuss “The (New) Golden Rules of Web Design” and present a recap of his recent experience as a keynote speaker at User eXperience Russia conference and UPA Europe 2009.

** Admission is FREE, but space is limited. Please RSVP to ensure we can provide adequate accommodations for all. **
** Food and Drink Provided **

Agenda
6:00 pm Arrival and networking
6:30 pm Brief UPA business meeting
7:00 pm Presentation
8:00 pm Adjourn

Location, Map, and Directions

The Art Institute of Phoenix

Cafe/Dining Room
2233 West Dunlap Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona

www.artinstitutes.edu/phoenix/AboutUs/Map_Directions.aspx

Speaker Bio

Theo Mandel, Ph.D. is the Director of Site Design and Usability at CoolHotNot.com as well as Founder and Principal Consultant at Interface Design and Development, LLC in Scottsdale. Theo is an international specialist in the design, development, education and usability testing of PC and Web software. Dr. Mandel designs technology- and business-based Web sites, Web applications and PC applications that are user-centered, task-oriented, enjoyable and usable.

He is the author of a number of publications and books, including The Elements of User Interface Design (John Wiley & Sons). His first book was The GUI-OOUI War: The Designer's Guide to Human-Computer Interfaces (John Wiley & Sons, 1994). He was also part of the Architecture team that wrote Object-Oriented Interface Design: IBM Common User Access Guidelines (QUE, 1999). Dr. Mandel received his Master's degree and Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Theo is an invited keynote speaker at the User eXperience Russia 2009 conference in Moscow in October. Theo is also the Vice President of the Arizona Chapter of the UPA.

About World Usability Day

What is World Usability Day?

It's about making our world work better.

It's about "Making Life Easy" and user friendly. Technology today is too hard to use. A cell phone should be as easy to access as a doorknob. In order to humanize a world that uses technology as an infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, government, communication, entertainment, work and other areas, we must develop these technologies in a way that serves people first…

World Usability Day was founded in 2005 as an initiative of the Usability Professionals' Association to ensure that services and products important to human life are easier to access and simpler to use. Each year, on the second Thursday of November, over 200 events are organized in over 43 countries around the world to raise awareness for the general public, and train professionals in the tools and issues central to good usability research, development and practice.

For more information: http://www.worldusabilityday.org/

Arizona UPA Meeting – Thursday, October 8, 2009

RSVP Now!*

Please join us for the Arizona Usability Professionals Association (AZUPA) Chapter meeting on Thursday, October 8 from 6-8 p.m. Our generous host is Gene Tucker of the Arizona State University Technology Office (http://usability.asu.edu/ ).

Our speaker will be Kath Straub, PhD. Kath is the Founder of Usability.org and is an industry leader who approaches usability as the intersection of experimental cognition, social psychology, marketing, and technology. On October 8th Kath will discuss "Convenience, credibility, and content: Designing web content to engage consumers."

Agenda
6:00 pm Arrival and networking
6:30 pm Brief business meeting
7:00 pm Presentation - Invited Speaker
8:00 pm Adjourn

Meeting Location
Arizona State University
Memorial Union Alumni Lounge, Room 202
http://www.asu.edu/map/interactive/?campus=tempe&building=MU

Additional location and parking information:

http://uabf.asu.edu/parking_visitor_tempe

The visitor parking structure closest to the Memorial Union (MU) Building is off Apache Blvd. The Apache Blvd. parking garage fee is $2.00 per hour and is CASH only.

Note that you can also take the light rail into ASU. It is free to park at any of the rail stops that have parking available.


Speaker Bio
Kath Straub works with organizations and government agencies to evaluate and design websites, applications and other resources that help consumers understand more, make better decisions and get more done. Making resources more usable and useful is a key part of that effort. But, as the web has evolved into the primary (and often the only) point of connection between consumers and companies, Kath’s approach has evolved, as well. Today she also enfolds evidence-driven methods that guide the design of engaging, persuasive and empathetic content that educates consumers and shapes key behaviors.

Kath is an energetic and entertaining speaker who presents frequently at conferences and workshops around the world. She's currently the Principal of Usability.org. Prior to that, she spent 9 years as the Chief Scientist at Human Factors International. Kath holds a Ph.D. in Brain and Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester.

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*This is a free event, but space is limited. Walk-in attendees are certainly welcome, but please RSVP so that we can ensure we provide the appropriate accommodations.

You do not need to be a member to attend. Feel free to come and check us out!!! Also, please feel free to spread the word to any interested colleagues.

Save The Dates...

After a successful World Usability Day meeting last year and two initial chapter meetings this year, we are ready to announce a series of regular events. The chapter will now meet on the second Thursday of every other month from 6-8 p.m. In addition to the regular meetings, we will again host a local World Usability Day event and organize other occasional special events.

Here’s our lineup for the next several months. We’re very fortunate to have local and international luminaries from the field coming to speak. More details about each event will be provided as we get a little closer to each. Meanwhile, please save these dates and make plans to join us!


October 8, 2009 - Bimonthly Meeting
Speaker: Kath Straub
Topic: Convenience, credibility, and content: Designing web content to engage consumers
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Location: Arizona State University
University Technology Office
Tempe, Arizona


November 12, 2009 - Special Event for World Usability Day
Speaker: Theo Mandel
Topic: User experience design: the journey from discovery to advocacy
(A recap of Theo’s keynote presentation from User eXperience Russia and UPA Europe 2009)
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Location: The Art Institute of Phoenix
2233 West Dunlap Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona


December 10, 2009 - Bimonthly Meeting
Speaker: Elisa Delgado
Topic: Internationalization and localization for UI design and evaluation
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Location: Gangplank
325 East Elliot Rd Suite 34
Chandler, AZ 85225


February 11, 2010 - Bimonthly Meeting
Speaker: Robert Hoekman
Topic: Web Anatomy Interaction Design Frameworks
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Location: The Art Institute of Phoenix
2233 West Dunlap Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona


April 8, 2010 - Joint meeting with the Phoenix Interaction Design Association (IxDA)
Speaker: Whitney Quesenbery
Time: 6-8:30 p.m.
Location: Gangplank
325 East Elliot Rd Suite 34
Chandler, AZ 85225