[MNASIS-L] World Usability Day 2008 Events at the University of Minnesota - November 13

[Janet Arth]

-- World Usability Day 2008 Events at the University of Minnesota --

The U of M Office of Information Technology and the Digital Technology 
Center are sponsoring a free program of events on Thursday November 13th 
for World Usability Day.  The purpose of the program is to promote 
awareness of the benefits of usability engineering and user-centered 
design.  World Usability Day was started in 2005 by the Usability 
Professionals Association and involves 36 hours of usability-related 
activities around the world in 41 countries.

You are invited to join us for a program including speakers and
discussions on usability and accessibility topics, an Adaptive
Technology Fair, a participatory activity on signage and way-finding,
and an Open House at the Usability Services Laboratory.

All students, staff, faculty, and the general public are invited to the
World Usability Day events.  Events will take place in Walter Library on
the East Bank of the Minneapolis campus.  All events are free of charge
and no registration is necessary.

A schedule of events is listed at the end of this email.  For more
detailed information and directions to the World Usability Day events,
please see:
   http://www.dmc.umn.edu/usability/world_usability_day/

=======================================

*WORLD USABILITY DAY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ON NOVEMBER 13th*

*9:45 - 10 a.m.   *402 Walter Library
    Program Introduction:  "About World Usability Day"
    by Alice de la Cova (Usability Services Manager)

10 - 11:30 a.m.  *402 Walter Library*
    Presentation: "The Usability of Social Networks"
    by Kristofer Layon (Director of Web Design and Online Collaboration,
System Academic Administration)
    and Kurtis Scaletta (Senior Educational Technology Consultant,
Office of Information Technology)

Noon - 2 p.m.
Choice of three events:

    Open House at the Usability Lab *  B26 Walter*
      The lab will be open for tours, and Usability Services staff
will be available to do demos and answer questions.

    Adaptive Technology Fair   4th Floor Atrium, Walter*
       Staff from the Computer Accommodations Program will
demonstrate how various adaptive technology products are used to 
increase access to information technology.
       Organized by Phil Kragnes (Office of Information Technology)
and Eric Eklund (Disability Services)

    Participatory Activity    *Starts at B26 Walter
      "Signage, Maps, and Way-finding in the Gopher Way System on
Campus" - A participatory activity to evaluate the Gopher Way signage
and maps.
      Organized by the student chapter of the Society for Technical
Communication (STC).

2:15 - 3:15 p.m.  402, 404, and 405 Walter
    "Usability and Accessibility Topics" - Information discussions on a 
variety of topics.  Join a topic that interests you.
      Organized by Usability Services staff and volunteers.

3:30 - 5:00 p.m.  402 Walter Library
    Panel Discussion:  "Writing for the Web"
     with Lee-Ann Kastman Breuch (Associate Professor, Writing Studies),
     Josh Carroll (Usability Consultant, Office of Information Technology),
     David Rosen (Usability Consultant, Office of Information
Technology), and
     John Wooden (Director of Usability Services, Fredrickson 
Communications)

Information for getting to Walter Library:
   http://www.dmc.umn.edu/usability/world_usability_day/directions.shtml