February 2012
6 posts
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Tutorial Preview: Designing with the Mind in Mind
Jeff Johnson describes his Friday morning, half-day tutorial on Designing with the Mind in Mind: The Psychological Basis for UI Design Rules:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYKRnzpPpUQ)
More from Jeff about the tutorial:
UI design rules are not simple recipes to be applied mindlessly. Applying them effectively requires determining their applicability and precedence in specific situations. It...
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Tutorial Preview: Using Google Analytics for User...
Mike Beasley describes his Friday morning, half-day tutorial on Using Google Analytics for User Experience:
Web analytics, at least for those working with websites, is an awesomely useful skillset to add to our repertoire. Unfortunately, it’s also something that most people have to pick up on their own in all that free time they have. You have to start somewhere, and this tutorial is a...
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Introducing our excellent tutorials...
Enrolling in a tutorial is a great way to get the most value out of your conference experience. Tutorials provide the opportunity to learn a new skill from an expert, with plenty of opportunities for hands-on practice and one-on-one time with the instructor. These highly interactive sessions also provide an opportunity to get to know other conference attendees and learn from each other.
We have...
Writing a presentation? Begin with chaos.
Last week, the excellent @waringdesign reminded me of this diagram. He used it to discuss the design process, but it could equally describe what happens when I write a presentation (or anything, really).
His point was this. Design (or writing, or presenting) begins with chaos. This is not failure or a mistake or a problem. It’s necessary to understanding what it is you’re designing...
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The M Resort Spa Casino
Since I mentioned the conference hotel rooms selling quickly in my last post, I thought I’d share a little more about our fabulous location for UPA 2012. I visited The M Resort last fall for a tour and was lucky enough to stay there in January for the UPA International board meeting.
The M is a really wonderful property and I think it’s the best conference venue we’ve had in...
Early registration now open →
UPA 2012 registration is open and people are responding with enthusiasm! We already have 80 people registered to attend the conference. That means only 120 “early bird” registrations remain, so sign up soon!
(Also, word on the street is that our discounted rooms at the amazing M Resort are also getting booked quickly, so book your travel while you’re at it!)
December 2011
2 posts
What’s new for 2012: More interactive conference...
The UPA conference committee has been busy putting together the 2012 conference programme and all will be revealed to the UX world shortly. If you are wondering how 2012 might be different to previous years, then here’s a taster:
In addition to the traditional conference programme of presentations, panels and tutorials the UPA is expanding the more rapid and interactive aspects of the conference....
Run up to UPA 2012 starts here!
As 2011 draws to a close and we check the damage done to our bank accounts over the festive period and think about what we’ll wear on New Year’s Eve (at least this is what we do in the UK), it is also time to reflect on a great year for UX and look forward to 2012 and a yet another fantastic UPA Conference!
In 2011 we’ve heard a lot of discussion about Smart TVs and what to put on them, we’ve had...
November 2011
3 posts
UPA2012: Save the Date
Mark your calendars for the UPA International 21st annual conference. UPA2012’s theme is LEADERSHIP and the conference will explore all of the opportunities the opportunities usability professionals have to be leaders that shape not just human experiences, but also the business and technology world.
WHO: At least 600 attendees from more than 40 countries who work in the user experience...
Your proposal under the microscope
Last night the reviews process came to an end. It was a massive task. Now we’re ready to start selecting which proposals make it into the schedule for UPA 2012.
Each paper has been scrutinised by a minimum of 3 reviewers, though the average number of reviews is higher: 4.3. We’ve sent out thank you messages the reviewers around the globe who spent their evenings and lunch breaks to...
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Our vision for the UPA conference
With reviews beginning, I thought now would be a good time to share some of the things we consider as we create the UPA conference. As reviewers, you have the opportunity to help design the conference by making recommendations for which submissions we accept and providing feedback to submitters to help them improve their sessions. The conference co-chairs thought more information about our...
October 2011
9 posts
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Greetings from the Education Committee for UPA...
Before the deadline for submissions closes (Monday!), we’d like to further explain our role and what we’ll be looking for in the proposals that you submit.
As our focus is on education, we want the conference to cover a good range of topics. In particular, we will be looking for submissions of all proposal types that cover core skills and introduce attendees to basic user experience subjects or...
Last call for your Submission! 3 days to go…...
UPA conferences are one of the biggest in the UX industry. Every year we attract hundreds of UX practitioners and professionals who come to the conference to hear what our brilliant speakers have to say.
So why should you submit a paper?
It’s a perfect platform to get your voice heard across the UX industry.
Boost your career profile
Network and meet likeminded UX people
Share your innovative...
Ch-ch-ch-changes Part II: Workshops at UPA 2012
Last year the UPA International Conference introduced some interesting changes to workshops: for the first time workshops were integrated into the conference program as half-day events. The price for workshops was also drastically dropped (only $30!). What this resulted in was a huge increase in workshop participation and running more workshops than had been offered in recent years.
For...
More Good Reasons to Get That Proposal Done
The deadline for submitting a proposal for UPA 2012 is October 24th. That’s just a little over a week away but still enough time to pull your ideas together or wrap up a submission you’ve been working on. You may already be aware of all the exposure benefits that come with presenting at a UPA conference. But perhaps you think presenting at a conference is something only “other” UX professionals...
An example UPA presentation proposal
To help give you an idea of what to write in a UPA presentation proposal, here’s the one that I submitted to UPA 2009 - along with a few explanatory notes.
SECRETS OF SIMPLICITY
Proposed Presentation Length: [x] 90 minutes [ ] 40 minutes
In 2009, there was a choice of lengths, but in 2012, all presentations will be 60 minutes.
Intended Audience:
[x] Everyone [ ] ...
Using the ‘Leadership’ theme in your proposal
We are particularly interested in conference submission that explore the main conference theme of ‘Leadership’. To help inspire you, here are some ways you could interpret the theme (if you’ve got suggestions for other ways the theme could be used, let us know and we’ll expand this list):
How are user experience professionals leading the way in different situations?
The workplace and our...
What topic do you want to see on the program at...
Now is your chance to inspire someone to give the presentation you most want to see at the next UPA International Conference! Many of your colleagues are out there with knowledge to share, waiting for the inspiration to propose a talk. Let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about, and we'll spread the word via this blog and twitter. Hopefully an expert on your topic will notice your interest and decide to submit a proposal for a session.
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Changes coming your way for UPA 2012....
We (your conference chairs and committee) are constantly working to improve your conference experience. Our goal is to preserve the essential elements of our conference that attendees love - networking opportunities, practitioner focus, and interactive sessions - while at the same time adding new things or changing things in ways that make the conference better. We make changes based on our...
September 2011
7 posts
1 tag
It's not too early to get started...
UPA 2012 submissions will officially open soon (next Monday if all goes as planned). That means we will begin accepting your submissions next week, and, you can start creating them now.
— Image credit: flickr user Jamiesrabbits
You can find out more about submitting for UPA 2012 and download the submissions templates on the conference website. Most of the content for your proposal is...
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UPA 2012 conference website →
The official conference website contains all the details you need to know about UPA 2012: where it is happening, when it is happening, how to submit, and more.
Tips for incorporating audience participation
Photo: Wild_Child_HC
This year, most UPA presentation slots will be one hour long. This means there’s more opportunity for meaningful audience participation in your presentation. While audience participation isn’t mandatory, a proposal that features thoughtful use of audience participation will always catch the conference organisers’ attention.
We see a lot of proposals...
Designing a better conference for speakers
Photo: Doug Wheller
A few months back I was reading my Twitter stream and a couple of tweets about conference planning from the outstanding Andy Budd caught my eye.
Andy organises UX London and dConstruct - two outstanding conferences - and speaks at other people’s conferences all the time so he’s about as good a person as I can think of when it comes to knowing what makes a great...
How to write a killer proposal for UPA 2012
Photo: Kier Martin
Want to be killer? Here’s how:
Sell your idea You’re writing to impress the reviewers. They have been to plenty of conferences before. They want to see topics that are either new, or presented in a way that’s original and thought-provoking. Write an abstract that sells your idea to them - it should summarise the topics and methods you’ll cover and why...
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Hi everyone!
My co-chair Christina and I are very excited about the plans for next summer’s UPA International Conference. We’ve spent the last couple months working with the UPA Board, UPA Office, Conference Committee, and others to create the foundation for our 21st annual conference. We have some great changes planned: a simplified schedule, more IGNITE and Unconference sessions,...
Finding inspiration for your conference proposal
Photo: Welsh Baloney
If you’re stuck for inspiration for a conference presentation topic or an angle to make it interesting here are some thoughts to get your creative juices flowing.
How to… If you’ve done something new, original, or complex, then people will always want to learn how they can do it. These kinds of presentations are best when they follow an actual case study and then boil it...
August 2011
1 post
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The early bird...
Last year a friend of mine decided at the last minute to submit a proposal for a presentation for UPA 2011. And by ‘the last minute’ I mean on Sunday evening, a few hours before the submissions process closed. So he sat down and dashed off a proposal.
Now, he’s really bright and a great speaker and I’d have loved to see him present at UPA Conference, but with zero preparation he didn’t stand a...