Usability is a hot topic of conversation among Web designers and developers these days. Many of us have spent countless hours designing a Web site that looks great only to receive complaints from site visitors who have difficulty navigating the site. In the end, we learned that designing without the user in mind results in a less-than usable site. In 2005, the Usability Professionals' Association created World Usability Day to raise awareness of user centered design across disciplines. Building on the success of last year's program, UPA is gearing up for the second annual World Usability Day on November 14, 2006.
Several universities participated in the 2005 events, and we've been discussing the possibility of organizing a 2006 World Usability Day slate of events here at Mizzou. We would like to get your feedback on this idea. Would you be interested in participating and what topics would you like to see covered?
Some ideas include:
- Keynote lecture by Sanda Erdelez, associate professor of information science and learning technologies
- Usability do's and don'ts for the Web
- Usability evaluations of campus Web sites (as submitted by campus developers)
- Low-cost usability testing options for campus developers
- Round-table discussion about current usability issues and how folks have addressed them in their own work
- Tours of the Information Experience Lab (usability lab) in the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies
- Accessibility evaluations of campus Web sites using assistive technology software (JAWS, Naturally Speaking, etc.)
Let us know whether you'd be interested in participating and what other topics you'd like to suggest by commenting to this post!
