PhillyCHI June Meeting: Kyle Soucy - Trends in Usability Testing, June 24, 2009

* Apologies for cross posting *

Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm (social/networking from 6:00-6:30pm)
Location: Wharton School of Business, John M. Huntsman Hall, Room F30
Address: 3730 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104
Directions: http://tinyurl.com/av96yb
Parking Info: http://www.facilities.upenn.edu/mapsBldgs/view_map.php3?id=419
RSVP: [email protected]

About the Presentation
Over the years, there have been some exciting developments in the way usability tests are facilitated. During this session we will take a closer look at the trends in the tools and techniques used in usability testing and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each.
 
Some of the topics that will be covered include:
 
•	Current Think Aloud (CTA) vs. Retrospective Think Aloud (RTA) Technique
•	Pros and Cons
•	How to moderate using RTA
•	When to use RTA
•	Remote Testing
•	Pros and Cons
•	Tips for proper facilitation
•	Testing paper and low-fidelity prototypes remotely
•	Overview of different remote testing tools
•	Automated Testing (unmoderated remote testing)
•	What you can and can't learn
•	When it should be used
•	Overview of different automated testing tools
•	Interview-based Tasks vs. Pre-defined Tasks
•	Pros and cons
•	Tips for proper facilitation
•	Observer Debriefing
•	Tips for proper facilitation
•	Overview of different debriefing techniques

Videos and live demos of these trends will be included, which should make for an entertaining hands-on learning experience!
 
About the Presenter
Kyle Soucy is the founding principal of Usable Interface (www.usableinterface.com), an independent consulting company specializing in product usability and user-centered design. Her clients have ranged in industries from pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer to publishing powerhouses like McGraw-Hill. She has created intuitive interfaces for a variety of different products, everything from web sites to touch screen devices.

Kyle is the Founder and Past President of the New Hampshire Chapter of the Usability Professionals' Association (NH UPA), she has served as the Chair of PhillyCHI, the Philadelphia Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI), and she is the local UXnet Ambassador for New Hampshire. She is very passionate about the continued growth of the usability and user experience design community.

About the Sponsor
Named after the Greek word for "open," the purpose of Anikto LLC is to explore barrier-free design in a variety of digital contexts. The consultancy operates as a firm evangelist for universal design principles, endorsing the creation of highly utile media that benefits users and meets stakeholder objectives. Recent investigations include the adaptation of virtual technologies to social media initiatives and government-funded accessibility projects. Visit http://anikto.com or follow on Twitter @anikto.

About PhillyCHI
PhillyCHI is the Philadelphia region's chapter of the ACM SIGCHI, an interdisciplinary academic and professional group interested in Human-Computer Interaction, User Experience, Usability, and other related disciplines. PhillyCHI holds monthly meetings and socials to network and discuss current topics in HCI. Learn more at http://phillychi.acm.org/.

About the Wharton School of Business
With its unmatched faculty and academic programs, Wharton is the most comprehensive source of business knowledge in the world. The first collegiate school of business in 1881, we continue our heritage of innovation today in an exciting environment that generates the ideas and knowledge that transform global business. Learn more at http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/.