REMINDER: NH UPA January Meeting - Jared Spool

**Apologies to those that have received this announcement more than once**
 
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This is a reminder that the January NH UPA meeting is next Thursday,
the 24th! Please RSVP to [email protected] if you plan on attending.
 
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Join us for the Inaugural NH UPA Meeting with speaker, Jared Spool!

For our first official UPA chapter meeting we will kick off the New
Year with special guest Jared Spool, an internationally renowned
authority on usability, to discuss what makes a design seem intuitive.

When:
Thursday, January 24th
Refreshments & Networking: 6-7:00 PM – Food & beverages will be provided.
Meeting: 7:00 PM – 8ish

Where:
University of New Hampshire (UNH)
Kingsbury Hall, Room N101
33 College Road
Durham, NH

Campus Map: http://www.unh.edu/map/UNHCampusMapcrop.pdf

Directions: http://www.unh.edu/transportation/visitor/directions.htm

Parking Directions: Park in Lot B – See Parking Details below. 

Topic:

What Makes a Design Seem Intuitive?

Everyone wants an "intuitive" interface: the users, the designers, and
the content publishers. But building them is hard. User Interface
Engineering's recent research has given insight into why it's hard and
how to get past major obstacles.

To build an "intuitive" interface, a designer has to do two things:
(1) Take complete advantage of what the user already knows, so what
they see is completely familiar to them and (2) make the act of
learning anything new completely imperceptible to the user. It turns
out, if the interface requires the user to realize they are learning
something, the "intuitive" label disappears instantly.

In this talk, Jared will show:
+ How users need both tool knowledge and domain knowledge to complete
their tasks
+ How simple problems with designs can cause big problems for users
+ What successful teams are doing to create experiences that delight

Jared will show examples from Microsoft Word, MSN, Google Talk,
Flickr, Avis, and many more.

About Jared Spool:
Jared Spool is the founding principal of User Interface Engineering
(UIE), a leading research, training, and consulting firm specializing
in website and product usability.

If you've seen Jared speak about usability, you know that he's one of
the most effective, knowledgeable communicators on the subject today.
He's been working in the field of usability and design since 1978,
before the term "usability" was ever associated with computers.

Jared spends his time working with the research teams at the company,
helps clients understand how to solve their design problems, explains
to reporters and industry analysts what the current state of design is
all about, and is a top-rated speaker at more than 20 conferences
every year. He is also the conference chair and keynote speaker at the
User Interface Conference, is on the faculty of the Tufts University
Gordon Institute, and is the author of the book, "Web Usability: A
Designer's Guide".

RSVP: 
Seats are limited. You must RSVP to attend, so don't delay in
reserving your spot! Send RSVPs to [email protected]. You will receive an
email confirmation once your name has been added to the list of attendees.

NH UPA meetings are open to anyone who is interested in attending.
Membership to the UPA is NOT required.

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR:
The UNH Department of Computer Science is well-known for sending
skilled, adaptable students into the workforce. Part of the College of
Engineering and Physical Sciences, our undergraduate and graduate
curricula encourage students to apply computer science in a broad set
of areas, including bioinformatics. Many of our undergraduate and
graduate students end up landing internships and jobs at local
businesses; while others venture to places like e-Bay in California
and Microsoft in Washington State.  Our faculty members have
wide-ranging interests and research projects, with concentrations in
artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, computer graphics and
scientific visualization, database and knowledge base systems,
operating systems and computer networks, parallel computing and
compiler design, and theoretical computer science.

+  +  +

Stay informed about NH UPA meetings and events by joining the NH UPA
Yahoo! group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nh-upa/. 

+  +  +

Parking Details:
Attendees will be parking in B Lot, which is normally closed to the
public until 6 p.m., but they're going to stop ticketing at 5:30 for
the purposes of this event. 

To get to B Lot follow 155A, or Main Street, up a hill past the
Whittemore Center. Stay straight at the stop light. Shortly after you
pass Thompson Hall (building with the clock tower) on the right, Main
Street will turn into a one-way street. Once it does, take your first
right onto Mill Road. You'll pass a small shopping plaza on the left
and almost immediately after, there will be a parking lot on the
right. This is C Lot, but go beyond that lot and take your second
right onto McDaniel Drive. Shortly thereafter, B lot will be on your
right. Park on the opposite end of the parking lot, closest to College
Road. Walk towards College Road and take a left. You'll pass McConnell
Hall on the left, then Parsons Hall, then you'll come to Kingsbury.

Parking Map: http://unh.edu/transportation/visitor/map.pdf

Hope to see you there!

Best,

Kyle

--
Kyle Pero Soucy
Founding Principal, Lead Consultant
Usable Interface 
Usability and Interface Design Consulting

Phone: (603) 205-0315
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.usableinterface.com