Tutorials (June 2, 2005, AV Williams Building)
Registration will begin at 8:30am in the AV Williams Bldg lobby.

An Introduction to Usability Testing, AV Williams 3165 - Bill Killam
Contact bkillam@user-centereddesign.com for more information
This is an introductory tutorial on the topic of usability testing so we will be
discussing what usability testing is (and isn't), what makes a product usable, the origins of usability testing, the relationship of usability testing to the broader area of Human Factors Engineering. We will also discuss the
different protocols that can be used for performing a usability test (both user-based and non-user-based) and what data can be obtained using the different protocols. We will discuss the timing of usability testing, how to plan for them in the design and development process, and what ROI there is for usability testing. Finally, we'll be discussing the test tasks, test length, participant selection and recruiting, and data collection. Finally, we will be discussing testing with special populations such as accessibility testing, testing with older populations, testing with kids. The audience for this tutorial is usually a mixture of practitioners (designers, content writers, information architects, etc.), novice usability practitioners looking to expand their skills, and management staff that may be considering incorporating more formal usability into their organization.

Workshops (June 2, 2005, AV Williams Building)
Registration will begin at 8:30am in the AV Williams Bldg lobby.

Email Archive Visualization, AV Williams 2168 - Ben Shneiderman, Doug Oard, Adam Perer
Contact adamp@cs.umd.edu or visit http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/emailviz/workshop/ for more information This Workshop is Full
The growth of email archives presents challenges and opportunities to librarians, scholars, historians, forensics experts, and intelligence analysts. To respond to the growing need, software tools are being developed by human-computer interaction researchers, computer scientists, and information systems designers. To encourage innovation and exchange strategies, we will hold a one-day workshop of leading researchers on visualization and analysis techniques for large email archives. Issues for which these techniques may contribute to solutions
include: gaining access while protecting privacy, understanding temporal patterns, recognizing relationships by social network analysis, integrating with other information sources, discovering stories and nuggets, and identifying gaps. To apply please contact Adam Perer with a brief description of your background and reason for interest in the workshop.

HCI in Biodiversity Informatics, Surge Building 3118 – Cynthia Parr
Contact csparr@umd.edu or visit http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/biodiversity/workshop for more information
How can we design better ways of visualizing and interacting with biodiversity information?   As networked, data intensive, highly integrative projects move from promise to reality (e.g. NCEAS, NESCENT, NEON, NBII, GBIF) the need for effective software is critical.  This workshop, covering both evolutionary and ecological approaches to biological diversity, will include presentations by researchers actively working in this area.  It will be followed by a panel discussion and an informal demonstration session. To apply, please contact Cynthia Parr with a brief description of your background and reason for interest in the workshop. Sponsored by NBII (http://www.nbii.gov). Please see this list of confirmed participants.

Exploratory Search Interfaces: Categorization, Clustering and Beyond, AV Williams 3258 - Bill Kules, Ryen White, Ben Bederson, This Workshop is Full
Contact wmk@cs.umd.edu or visit http://www.umiacs.umd.edu/~ryen/xsi/ for more information
The World Wide Web creates tantalizing opportunities for learning and research, not only for students and researchers, but also for journalists, attorneys, and practitioners in many fields. Search engines, bibliographic databases and digital libraries provide adequate support for users whose information needs are well-defined. However, when information needs are vague or evolving, searchers may benefit from interfaces that provide additional support, for example by enabling grouping of results and/or guided discovery processes. Since evaluation of exploratory interfaces is particularly challenging, research methods will be a focus. To apply, please contact Bill Kules with a brief description of your background and reason for interest in the workshop. 

Computer Rage for Dummies and Techies, AV Williams 4185 - Kent Norman
Contact kent_norman@lap.umd.edu for more information or visit http://lap.umd.edu/computer_rage
No matter who you are or the extent of your knowledge of computers, you have no doubt experienced frustration with them, sometimes even to point of rage. After years of research and development on human/computer interaction, user testing, and user satisfaction, users are still frustrated.  Will will discuss the levels and reasons for this frustration, the incidence of rage against and damage of computer equipment, and the results of an online survey of over 2100 respondents from around the world. Dealing with frustration and rage against computers will become more and more important. We will talk about a number of positive techniques for dealing with computer rage. The workshop will include computer rage demonstrations and a hands-on session allowing participants to vent suppressed frustration on obsolete equipment in a safe way. To apply, please contact Kent Norman with a brief description of your background and reason for interest in the workshop.