This years Technical Communicator’s Association (TCANZ) Conference
http://www.tcanz.org.nz/Events/Conference/Conference2007/Programme2007.pdf includes some great usability presentations and a tutorial by ex-UPA president Whitney Quesenbery. The tutorial on “Choosing the right usability technique” will appeal to both experienced and newer usability practitioners. http://www.tcanz.org.nz/Events/workshops/usability2007.htm

Designing Xero

Philip Fierlinger, Xero
Philip Fierlinger is the Lead Interaction Designer for Xero (xero.com), the online accounting software company that listed on the NZX earlier this year. He will describe the interaction design process used to create Xero, sharing his insights into the different design techniques used to build such a complex online application quickly yet effectively. He will also discuss how those techniques are evolving as the company and the software grows.

UPA 2008 Conference Brain Dump

Trent Mankelow, Optimal Usability
The recent UPA conference attracted around 800 of the brightest minds in our field to Austin, Texas for 5 days of workshops, tutorials and conference presentations. Trent was lucky enough to attend and will be giving a rambling download of what he learnt, including the conference highlights and what it was like to present a workshop.

Continue reading ‘UPANZ Wellington | August Meeting’

UPA Auckland have three events coming up in the next two months:

• Tuesday 31st July - Accessibility with Neil Jarvis and Darren Wood
• Thursday 9th August - Lou Carbone on Compelling Experiences (at Microsoft, note this is a Thursday session)
• Tuesday 28th August - Interaction Design with Phil Fierlinger from Xero.

All events start at 6pm for drinks and nibbles, and finish around 8pm. Cost: $10 cash at the door - to cover drinks & nibbles! Please read on for venue and registration details.

Continue reading ‘Three UPA Auckland events - Accessibility, Lou Carbone and Phil Fierlinger’

We’ll talk about learnings from the UPA conference in Austin, Texas this month including skills, trends and predictions for the future.

Miriam will also bring along the CD proceedings and a copy of the schedule to help you decide if you want to order a copy.

The UPA meetings cover a wide range of topics and we try to have something for those who are new and those with experience in usability. For a list of previous topics see http://www.upa.org.nz/category/auckland/

* RSVP: Please RSVP to auckland@upa.org.nz by 5pm Monday 25th June
* Time: 6pm onwards for drinks and nibbles.
* Talks start at 6.30pm. Finishes at approximately 8pm
* Cost: $10 cash at the door. Please bring correct change.
* Location: Bank of New Zealand, 3rd floor, 125 Queen Street, Auckland
* Late entry: Call Don Gibbons on 029 241 3804 if you have difficulty getting in or arrive after 6.30pm

Usability Professionals Association of New Zealand, Auckland cluster Auckland’s UPA meetings are usually held on the last Tuesday of each month.

Joining the UPA
This meeting is part of the Auckland cluster of the NZ Chapter of the Usability Professionals Association (UPA). Information about UPA can be found at: http://www.upassoc.org/ If you have attended 3 or more sessions we strongly encourage you to join the UPA as a professional member or student. UPA membership helps you build your skills in usability and will identify you as someone with usability interests and skills in the wider professional community. UPA membership is available from www.upassoc.org . Please bring your UPA membership number to our meeting if you have one.

We look forward to seeing you,
Miriam Walker 021484492
Auckland UPA coordinator and UPA New Zealand President

Ever wondered why so many usability professionals have studied psychology?

Dr Vanessa Lim from the University of Auckland’s Psychology Department is going to provide you with a psychology 101 level toolkit of knowledge about human memory, cognition and attention. During her talk we’re going to discuss how human vision, attention and memory work and how this knowledge can be applied to design of software and websites. Vanessa will also talk about experimental methods briefly, while recognising that few people in our industries conduct rigorous, tightly controlled experiments.

Continue reading ‘UPA Auckland 1st May - the human brain 101′