HFIDO - Human Factors in Information Design Organization

Saturday, April 12 at 1:00pm - 4:00pm
On-campus (Room TBD) and online.

In this workshop, you’ll learn ways to use storytelling to add emotion and depth to UX work. Stories, and the personas they are about, tell stories from user research that cut across the complexity of context, attitudes and behavior, so you can design with a better view of users in mind.

You’ll work individually and in teams to explore different ways to use personas effectively, and how to write stories for them, including:

• Stories that make a compelling case for user needs
• Exploring the stories behind the data from analytics, user research, search
• Creating scenarios for personas that use words and images to explore ideas

What You’ll Learn

• How to use personas throughout your UX process
• Different ways to create persona stories to optimize their impact
• Easy techniques you can apply immediately to your own work

Workshop is free. It’s open to remote students.

About Whitney Quesenbery

Whitney combines a fascination with people and an obsession to communicate clearly with her goal of bringing user research insights to designing products where people matter.” She’s written three books on the subject - Storytelling for User Experience and A Web for Everyone (Rosenfeld Media) and Global UX (MKP/Elsevier) - to help practitioners keep users in mind throughout the creative process.

She’s also passionate about improving the way government communicates with citizens. She is the co-director of the Center for Civic Design, which works with election officials on usability and design of ballots, voter guides, and other election materials.

Before she was seduced by a little beige computer into software, usability, and interface design, Whitney was a theatrical lighting designer on and off Broadway, learning about storytelling from some of the masters.

Follow Whitney’s practical UX advice anytime on Twitter @whitneyq.

RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/708503162533647/ or with [email protected]

UPDATE (1/31): Here is the recording of the panel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX1wM3v9qvQ

Join UX practitioner Ben Judy from Texas online for a panel discussion he organized, exploring what it’s like to be a user experience design practitioner in different environments.

By “environments” we primarily mean different kinds of organizations, such as:

* For-profit corporation
* Non-profit organization
* Government / civil service
* Marketing agency
* Startup venture
* Independent consultant / freelancer
* Academic institution
* and so on…

Other comparisons may also be discussed:

* different industries, e.g. travel vs. health care vs. retail
team size, e.g. “UX team of one” vs. small team vs. large department
* organizational structure, e.g. centralized UX team vs. individuals embedded in project teams

Panelists:

* Stephen Anderson - Author of Seductive Interactions and creator of Mental Notes
* Kara DeFrias - Appointed to the first class of White House Presidential Innovation Fellows
* Daniel Munz - Web professional with experience building smart digital strategies for civic causes, political campaigns and federal agencies
* Lynne Polischuik - Independent designer and consultant
* John Yuda - Establishing an in-house design and development practice for the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 
* Roger Belveal - Principal Experience Designer at Intuit
Moderator: Ben Judy - UX generalist who has worked as a manager, contributor, contractor, and consultant

For full details and additional information on the panelists, visit: www.benjudy.com/ux-in-different-environments

Date & Time: Thursday, January 30, 2014 @ 8:00PM EST

Google Hangouts on Air Link: https://plus.google.com/events/crrcitvvdd309pf2f7hem0829os

The goal of the UX Portfolio Roundtable is to provide students with the tools and knowledge to create or refine their UX portfolio. Several panelists will begin by sharing their experiences in creating their own portfolios, and/or using portfolios during the hiring process. Following the discussion, the panel participants will take questions from students, and provide individual feedback on student portfolios.

The event is an adjunct to Eva Kaniasty’s UX Portfolio class on Skillshare.com, but will be open to the whole Bentley community. (If interested, you can still sign up for the Skillshare course at http://skl.sh/1alp3S4

The panelists include:
Christopher Laroche, MIT (HFID Grad, Instructor at Northeastern)
Rob Fitzgibbons, Mobiquity (RISD Grad, Manager)
Dani Nordin, the zen kitchen (HFID Grad, Author)

If you wish to receive feedback on your portfolio, please make sure it is either accessible online or through your laptop.

Don’t have a portfolio?  Come and learn what you need to know from the panelists and your classmates!

When: Thursday, December 5 @ 7:30PM ET  (students in Resnick’s class, just drop in after class ends!)

Where: Smith 122, online (see below)

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For your remote participation in the HFIDO Portfolio Panel, Thursday, Dec 5, 2013 at 7:30, you will be using Saba Centra 7 Web conferencing Software. Please follow the directions below.

ATTEND USING A GUEST LINK

If not live, copy and paste the link below into a Browser. We recommend Chrome for the PC and Safari or Firefox for the MAC.

· NOTE: This program works with Java. Please make sure the latest update is installed and enabled on the browser you are using.

· If you have Windows 8, you may have difficulty installing this program. Please contact us for assistance.

· If you have a MAC with Maverick OS, please use Firefox browser

https://online.bentley.edu:443/GA/main/00000120d6b70000014237ca452f85b1

· You will be using VoIP audio so please have a headset or microphone available to test your audio.

· PLEASE use earphones/ear buds, instead of open computer speakers as this will minimize audio feedback.

· You will come to a page that will ask you to enter an e-mail address.

· You will be given two options, “Launch on Desktop” or “Attend in Browser.” Please use the “Launch on Desktop” to enter the session. The browser version is not full featured and there is no video window to see the professor/room, etc. The desktop option will ask you to download software.

· If you are using a PC and asked to install/ run the software and/or allow security- please select yes. If you are asked to allow a plugin (java) select yes.

****This online event is currently open so you can follow the above instructions to attend and get the software downloaded at your convenience and make sure you enter the event.

Please contact us immediately if you experience any problems or if you have never used this software before we recommend you have an online technology orientation to make sure your connectivity is good and that your audio is working properly.

Please e-mail us at [email protected] or call our helpline at 781-891-3487 between 1PM and 9:30PM Eastern time, Monday through Thursday.

**FIREWALL INFORMATION:
Centra uses a proprietary port 1709 which may be blocked by your company’s firewall. To unblock this port, tell your IT staff that you need a “Direct TCP connection to the Centra servers (141.133.239.178, 141.133.239.179, and 141.133.239.180) on port 1709 outbound”. Port 443 can be used as a backup.

Amrita Aviyente is the founder, CEO and UX lead of Date My Wardrobe (think of it as the AirBnB for wardrobe items). The idea for her company emerged while vacationing in India. She really needed a pair of shoes for a party, but ended up buying a new pair, which she hasn’t worn since then. This idea was taken to the next level during Boston Service Jam in March 2013 as a peer-to-peer (P2P) shoe share service for women. Using user research methods from the Field Methods course, she realized that her idea can be expanded to a P2P wardrobe share service for all genders and founded her company in August 2013. Recently, Date My Wardrobe has been selected as one of the top 5 finalists in the Lean Startup Challenge.

Amrita is passionate about Lean Startup, Agile, UX and Entrepreneurship. This interest led her to quitting her job as a software engineer and joining the MSHFID program. After coming across Amrita’s blog, Campus Party Europe invited her to speak in London about Lean UX in September 2013.

Amrita has a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India and a Master of Science in Information Technology from Bentley University. Her interests include tennis, cricket, traveling, painting and reading.

Connect with Amrita:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Email

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Do you know any candidates for a Student Spotlight? Contact Kathy Dang to nominate yourself or someone you know.

The UX Portfolio is a key requirement for getting the job you want post-graduation.

This event has 2 parts:

1) UX Portfolio Skillshare  is now only $5 to sign up.  After you sign up on my.bentley.edu, forward your receipt to [email protected], and we will send you a registration code to sign up on Skillshare.

• You’ll be free to walk through the material at your own pace.  The materials will be available on October 7.
• To purchase your ticket, go to my.bentley.edu > Student Self-Services > Student Services > Register for Events.

2) There will be a culminating in-person session led by Eva on Thursday, December 7, IF we get enough people who are interested.  We will post a separate event for this later.

HFIDO welcomes distinguished HFID alumni panelists to share their experiences and answer any questions you might have about how to approach a career in UX. Our panelists have a vast array of experience.  They’ve worked as interaction designers, usability experts, information architects, and designers; at agencies, big corporations, big tech companies like Yahoo and eBay, and started their own businesses.  They have backgrounds in engineering, tech writing, business and sales. They are now leaders in their field. Our distinguished panelists include:

• Kris Engdahl, athenahealth

• Neeta Golpani, digitas

• Colin Hynes, independent consultant

• Anne Mamaghani, eBay

• James McElroy, Perkin Elmer

Moderator: Mike Fritz

This panel is for:

• Students who are a bit fuzzy on what exactly they’ll do after they graduate. (What kind of job?  Where?  How?)

• Students who want to learn from highly successful UX’ers.

• Alumni who would like insight on how to advance in their careers.

When: Thursday, October 24;  Snacks @ 7PM; Panel @ 7:30PM - 9:00PM ET

Where: Smith 122 and online (There will be snacks for those who attend in-person. Bring your questions!)

  —

PARKING:

If you no longer have a student pass, print out this parking permit, and put it in your car window.

http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8924146/Park.Permit.2013.doc

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ONLINE Instructions

For your remote participation in the HFIDO Alumni Panel on October 24th, you will be using Saba Centra 7 Web conferencing Software. Please follow the directions below.

ATTEND USING A GUEST LINK

If not live, copy and paste the link (for each day) below into a Browser. We recommend Chrome for the PC and Safari or Firefox for the MAC.

NOTE: This program works with Java. Please make sure it is installed and enabled on the browser you are using. If you have Windows 8, you may have difficulty installing this program. Please contact us for assistance.

https://online.bentley.edu:443/GA/main/000000e426a3000001408794fedd901d

You will be using VoIP audio so please have a headset or microphone available to test your audio. (We ask that you use earphones/ear buds, instead of open computer speakers as this will minimize audio feedback.)
You will come to a page that will ask you to enter an e-mail address.
You will be given two options, “Launch on Desktop” or “Attend in Browser.” Please use the “Launch on Desktop” to enter the session. The browser version is not full featured and there is no video window to see the presenter/room, etc. The desktop option will ask you to download software.
If you are using a PC and asked to install/ run the software and/or allow security- please select yes. If you are asked to allow a plugin (java) select yes.
This online event is currently open so you can follow the above instructions to attend and get the software downloaded at your convenience.
Please contact us immediately if you experience any problems or if you have never used this software before we recommend you have an online technology orientation to make sure your connectivity is good and that your audio is working properly.

Please e-mail us at [email protected] or call our helpline at 781-891-3487 between 1PM and 9:30PM Eastern time, Monday through Thursday.

**FIREWALL INFORMATION:
Centra uses a proprietary port 1709 which may be blocked by your company’s firewall. To unblock this port, tell your IT staff that you need a “Direct TCP connection to the Centra servers (141.133.239.178, 141.133.239.179, and 141.133.239.180) on port 1709 outbound”. Port 443 can be used as a backup.

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Do you blog or update Facebook whenever you find a bad user interface? Consider posting on the HFIDO blog! This is a great way to share your thoughts with the greater HFIDO, Bentley and UX communities. Also, we want to show that HFIDers know a thing or two about UX

We are looking for students to post about:

• Interesting insights on interfaces you experienced or worked on
• UX book reviews
• Experiences with events like conferences, hackathons, design jams, and etc.
• Anything you want to share with HFIDO!

Also, we are still looking for student accomplishments for our Student Spotlight posts. Accomplishments can include publications, presentations, book reviews, awards, and other significant contributions.

Please contact Kathy Dang to post for the blog or to nominate someone for a Student Spotlight.

Update 9/13: Added link to recording.

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Last night, Oscar Yépez taught a great introduction to Axure! We downloaded our own copy of Axure onto our laptops and learned how to create an interactive wireframe of an iPhone app. This included how to add objects, images, and actions to make the wireframe come alive. Also, Oscar showed how to effectively create wireframes through the use of master objects and dynamic panels.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, here is the link to the recording!

If you attended the workshop, we are looking for feedback for those who participated. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog or the Facebook page on what you thought of the workshop!

Special thanks to Oscar for providing HFIDers with a new UX skill!

If you are in the Boston area, check out some of these UX events:

• 9/14: UXPA Sketching Workshop - There are only 6 student tickets left!
• 9/20 - 9/22: HACKFit Startup Weekend Hackathon
• 9/24: Monthly UXPA Meeting

Feel free to comment and share other events!

Are you interested in being an HFID mentor or mentee? Read the following and contact Roland Hübscher to be part of the HFID Mentoring Program!

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Update (9/10):

* The room has been changed to Smith 223

* For local students, there will be mixed sandwiches, cheese, fruit.

* Remote students: Here is the Centra link: https://online.bentley.edu:443/GA/main/000000e426a3000001408794fedd82e8
(Instructions: You need Centra installed on your computer and will be asked for an e-mail address and profile information - to log in. You should still choose “launch on desktop” as with the classes in order to see a video window. )

* Everyone will need to install Axure on their laptops BEFORE the session (or look on with somebody else). If you want to get the free student version, it might take a day or two for them to verify your student status before giving you a license key.

* You can also just download the 30 day trial.

* It is useful if you open up Axure and look around before the session (but not required).
- Here is some background info about prototyping in Axure: http://mobile.smashingmagazine.com/2012/08/17/mobile-prototyping-axure-rp/

Update (9/4): Please note that the workshop has been rescheduled for September 12 @ 7:30PM EDT.

—————

HFID graduate Oscar Yépez, who “lives and dies in Axure” at his UX designer job at Intralinks, will lead a 2-hour beginner workshop on essential skills with Axure. Axure is one wireframing tool widely used in the UX field and the MSHFID program.

Note: If you are a student with at least a 3.0 GPA, you can get a free Axure RP Pro license!

• Date: September 12, 2013
• Time: 7:30PM - 9:30PM EDT
• Place: Smith 223 and Centra

HFIDO is made up of very talented and accomplished members and the HFIDO board wants to recognize YOU on our blog! We are looking for portfolios, publications, book reviews, experiences with hackathons, startup weekend projects you’d like to share, or interesting insights you’ve gained in the UX field, etc.

Please contact Kathy Dang to nominate yourself or someone you know.

Update (9/3): There are not enough people signed up for the event. We will reschedule for another day and time.

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Join HFIDO for a night at The Pub! Meet fellow HFIDers, enjoy a drink, and play a UX trivia game for a chance to win prizes! Appetizers will be provided and drinks can be purchased at The Pub.

• Date: September 5, 2013
• Time: 7:30PM EDT
• Place: Harry’s a.k.a. The Pub (Inside the Bentley Student Center)

Please RSVP through Facebook or Eventbrite.

Bentley GSA is showcasing all of its sister organizations during its annual Fall Expo! Stop by the HFIDO booth and get your official HFIDO coffee mug!

• Date: August 27, 2013
• Time: 5:00PM - 6:30PM EDT
• Place: LaCava Center (Bentley University)

The HFIDO Board is gearing up for the upcoming fall semester based on user research we gathered over the summer! Currently, we are planning a variety of events and updating our blog and Facebook page.

Make sure to follow us for exciting updates we have planned for the semester!

• HFIDO Blog:
  • Articles on HFID news, student highlights, recaps on previous HFIDO events, and more
  • Register for the blog in order to get email notifications on new posts
• Facebook Page:
  • Announcements on HFIDO events and news
  • Like our official page to get HFIDO updates on Facebook
  • There is also an unofficial Facebook group that HFIDers participate in. Contact Robin Bobo to join.
• LinkedIn Group:
  • Professional network of MSHFID students, alumni, and faculty
  • Join the group on LinkedIn
• Yahoo Group:
  • Longest lived network of MSHFID students and alumni (no faculty)
  • Resource for job postings and discussions on HFID classes
  • Contact Bill Gribbons to join the group

“As UX professionals, we generally have an abundant breadth of experience across different industries and businesses. Our clients, on the other hand, have great depth of knowledge in their own domain. However, only users themselves can intimately appreciate their own needs, and user experience is the only field that considers the user’s perspective at every stage of a project.” View the entire story at UXmatters.

“We all know basic tenets of user-centered design. We recognize different research methods, the prototyping stage, as well as the process of documenting techniques in our rich methodological environment. The question you probably often ask yourself, though, is how it all works in practice?” Read the entire article on Smashing Magazine.

“Mobile versions of sites aren’t wrong, per se. But they often force us to make decisions about content based on assumption, rather than knowledge. Assumptions like “mobile users are on the go,” something countless couch-lounging couples ending a debate via Wikipedia would heartily disagree with.” See more from Sara Wachter-Boettcher.

“When users land on your website, they typically read the content available. Then, the next thing that they will do is to try and familiarize themselves with your website. Most of the time this involves looking for navigation.” Read the full story on Smashing Magazine.