Tutorials

• T1: Introduction to Usability Testing
    (10:30-5pm)
• T2: Interfaces from the Top down and Ground up: How theory and experiment inform design
    (1-5pm)

Workshops

• W1: Visualization of Electronic Health Record Data
    (10:30-5pm)
• W2: Hack Education!: Designing learning futures
    (10:30-5pm)
• W3: Mobile Interface Design and Storytelling
    (1-5pm)

T1: Introduction to Usability Testing
10:30-5pm
Bill Killam
Contact: Bill Killam for more information

This is an introductory tutorial on the topic of usability testing. This tutorial is intended for usability practitioners looking to expand their skills, other practitioners (designers, developers, testers, etc.) who may have usability testing interests or responsibilities, and management staff that may be considering incorporating usability into their organization. In the tutorial we will cover both management issues and practical issues of usability testing and discuss what usability testing is (and isn't).

In the module on management issues, we will focus on usability as it related to the organization. We will discuss what makes a product usable, the origins of usability testing, and the relationship of usability testing to the broader areas of Human Factors Engineering and other disciplines (e.g., marketing, design, development, and other types of testing). We will discuss product development models that incorporate usability and discuss such topics as the timing of usability testing in the design and development cycle, how to plan for them, and what ROI there is for usability testing.

In the practical module, we will focus the mechanics doing usability testing. We will discuss the different types of testing (formative versus summative) as well as different protocols that can be used for usability tests (both user-based and non-user-based). We will discuss how to develop a test including the test tasks, test length, participant selection and recruiting, data collection, and analysis. We will discuss ethical issues associated with conducting tests with human subjects. We will discuss what empirical data can be derived from usability testing and what cannot. Finally, we will practice the skills and principles involved in facilitating a user-based test.

T2: Interfaces from the Top down and Ground up: How theory and experiment inform design
1-5pm
Contact: Tim Clausner for more information

Human computer interface research aims to improve information displays and control devices. The purpose of a display is for people to comprehend its meaning, for a visualization to make sense, for a manual gesture to yield an expected outcome. Achieving enhanced interfaces is a research problem situated in the intersection of computer science, psychology, linguistics, and physics (at least). This tutorial will explore the role of theory and experiment as they apply to problems of interface design, performance measurement, and interpretation of results. Carefully designed experiments can tell us more than whether one interface is better than another. Experiments can tell us about perceptual, cognitive, and neural processes which enable people to make sense of interfaces. We will consider two design approaches. Top down approaches begin with an extant design and aim to enhance it. Ground up approaches aim to design an interface from first principles. These approaches can yield practical improvements in interface design and performance, as well as yield contributions to theory.

W1: Visualization of Electronic Health Record Data
10:30-5pm
Catherine Plaisant, Ben Shneiderman
Contact: Catherine Plaisant or visit the workshop webpage for more information.

W2: Hack Education!: Designing learning Futures
10:30-5pm
June Ahn, Tamara Clegg, Michael Gubbels, Elizabeth Bonsignore
Contact: June Ahn for more information

There will be funding to support registration for a limited number of participants in the Hackathon. Please see the website for more information and application detailsVisit the workshop webpage.

Abstract: Recent developments in technology have reignited our imagination about how new computational tools and platforms could enhance the way in which people teach and learn from one another. Some examples include (but are not limited to) MOOCs, social media, analytics, and video game-based learning. In this workshop, we invite anyone who wants to scratch their creative itch and brainstorm ways that we can design technology to make a positive impact in education as it occurs within their lives, not just school. We will run a one-day hackathon during which everyone will come up with and pitch their ideas, form teams, and build prototype tools to think about and help invent the future of educational tools. The hackathon will conclude with a show and tell about the prototypes built throughout the day. The hackathon will be facilitated by researchers and students from the Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) and College of Education. Additionally, the Terrapin Hackers student organization will be invited to participate in the hackathon and join teams to help formulate ideas and prototype education technologies. We invite teachers, librarians, educators, parents, children, entrepreneurs, and anyone who is psyched to spend a day at the HCIL to hack, network, make connections with others, and dream about the future of education!

W3: Mobile Interface Design and Storytelling
1-5pm
Jason Farman, Elizabeth Bonsignore, Alex Quinn
Contact: Jason Farman for more information.

Mobile design is increasingly concerned with ways to convey stories to users, either through narrating the relationship between meaningful content or to have users tell their stories through applications. This workshop explores a range of storytelling methods for mobile design, bringing together people who have experiences with mobile storytelling and those seeking to expand their platforms to be more narrative-based.

We welcome participants who are interested in mobile storytelling and narration within a wide range of contexts including (but not limited to) storytelling for children's apps, storytelling and mobile gaming, the uses of narrative in educational apps, narrative for app instructions/tutorials, and storytelling for locative media (e.g. the stories of historical and cultural sites, museums, and landmarks).

The workshop will include talks and hands-on explorations of mobile story design in the contexts of children's apps and location-based storytelling.

To Present Your Work: We encourage you to present your own work in this area, both in final products and in nascent projects that are just getting off the ground. If you would like to workshop your project (either by presenting a final work and demonstrating storytelling choices/obstacles faced) or to present current challenges for an emerging project, please contact Jason Farman via email with a letter of interest. Submit a letter of interest as soon as you like, but no later than May 1, 2014.

To Participate: The workshop is open to all (space permitting, so register early).