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Internet User Experience 2009

Spotlighting methods for dramatically improving today's user experience

March 30 - April 2, 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Program : Keynotes

Get Inspired!

Wednesday is full of inspirational and informational talks by noted speakers and authors. These talks will be of interest to most attendees, and to foster discussions and networking. They are offered as a single track session on Wednesday, April 1st.


Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D. | Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click

Susan Weinschenk
Why does someone decide to buy a product online or register at a website? Psychologists have known for years about the nonconscious forces that persuade people to take action. Dr. Susan Weinschenk applies the research on persuasion and decision making to the design of websites. Susan presented at IUE on this topic last year, but since then she has written a book on the topic, and at our conference this year she will cover all new research, more principles, and new examples.

Find out the answers to questions like: Does the order in which you provide choices have an unconscious effect on which one is chosen? If you are providing free info as an incentive to have someone fill out a form should you provide the free info first or the form first? And much, much more.

About the Speaker

Dr. Susan Weinschenk is Chief of Technical Staff at Human Factors International. She manages and mentors the HFI USA consulting staff, and oversees all training and consulting services in the USA. She has been an industry leader in the field of usability and user experience for over 30 years. Dr. Weinschenk has a Ph.D. in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University. She is an international speaker and author, and writes a blog called What Makes Them Click. Her most recent book, Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click is published by Pearson/Peachpit.

Lisa Mullinaux and Rich Briggs | Lessons Learned from the World of Game Design

Rich Briggs
For web sites, the user experience is quite important, but for games, the user experience is the most important element. The speakers will borrow examples from the development and user testing of games, ranging from the light and fun pogo.com site with games like "Word Whomp" to the intense and captivating survival box video game "DeadSpace", to provide you with methods and techniques that may be effectively applied to your web presence.

About the Speakers

Rich Briggs is a Producer on the Dead Space team at EA Redwood Shores. Rich is responsible for the execution and quality of the scripted events, video logs, and audio logs throughout the game. Rich also manages and reports findings from all internal and external focus groups, which are used to evaluate the overall experience and test various features.

Rich has been with EA for almost 5 years, previously working as Senior Product Manager in the Marketing department on a number of successful franchises including The Sims, Battlefield, and The Simpsons Game. An avid gamer since the age of 5, Rich can often be found saving the world at 2am after his family is asleep.

Lisa Mullinaux is the User Experience Director for pogo.com, a web site that offers free and "for pay" games that may be played online.

Linda Girard | Bringing the Left Brain and Right Brain Together Online: Branding + Optimization

Photo of Linda Girard
Your brand image is vital, and your website shouldn't stray from it. Simultaneously, you want your site prominent in search-engine results.

You don't have to sacrifice pretty pictures for a top spot in search results, and you don't have to ignore the allure of the algorithms to enjoy a consistent tone of voice. A well-branded website can be search-engine friendly. Creativity and logic can co-exist. Linda Girard, visionary and co-founder of Pure Visibility in Ann Arbor, will tell you how.

Your brand image is vital, and your website shouldn't stray from it. Simultaneously, you want your site prominent in search-engine results. Linda will talk about how to create a well-optimized, engaging site, touching on coding best practices, usability principles, and social media.

About the Speaker

Linda Girard, Co-Founder & Visionary of Pure Visibility, is responsible for leading the aggressive growth and business direction of the company. Her unparalleled experience in Internet marketing includes over a decade's work in aligning client goals with search marketing strategies that deliver meaningful, measurable results. Linda's expertise has resulted in numerous awards, including recognition by the National Association of Women Business Owners as one of the "Top 10 Women in Business in Michigan." Linda is a frequent speaker, author and widely recognized expert on Internet marketing. She currently serves as education chair of the Ann Arbor Ad Club and an advisory board member of the Eastern Michigan University CIS program. She is also on the board of directors for the Arbor Chamber of Commerce as well as Michigan Innovators, and serves as a judge for the annual international WebAward competition for web site development. Linda earned a bachelors of science degree in Telecommunications and Psychology, Eastern Michigan University.

Edward Vielmetti | Anatomy of a Bus Map

Presenter Name
Ever find a bus stop sign confusing, hard to read, or inaccurate? How about the printed materials? As you begin to reflect (and complain) that these two traditional methods of conveying information have not been "fixed" after all these years, along come web based services for providing this information...services that, as deployed, may be inscrutable to all but the seasoned rider.

The value proposition is obvious, but the critical success lies in the design of the user experience. Ed Vielmetti will provide practical examples of how to organize and improve community information systems using mobile and Internet technology for public transportation, and how these efforts can include libraries, civic associations, and professional groups in identifying opportunities for building small solutions for specific problems that can grow and scale to a city, urban, metropolitan and regional level. These examples will translate well as you consider how to leverage mobile and Internet technologies for your business needs.

About the Speaker

Edward Vielmetti is a community organizer who specializes in the application of mobile and Internet technology to address the needs of library, transportation, civic and professional associations. He has been involved in the development of the Internet since 1985, and was the subject of a 1993 Forbes Magazine article on the commercialization of the net. His weblog "Superpatron" earned him a feature in the American Libraries magazine in 2006, and now he's trying to figure out which obscure public transportation trade journal to get his picture in.

Ed is a graduate of the University of Michigan (AB Econ '88) and rides the AATA Route 5, which arrives at his stop on the quarter hour. He took the bus to this event.

Marta Strickland | How to Do Social Media Right in 2009

Marta Strickland
There are 150 million active users on Facebook. 346 million people read blogs. 1 billion messages have been sent on Twitter. If social media is such an important part of our online culture, why is it so difficult for marketers to use it effectively? This presentation will shine a light on how real brands are doing great things with social media and how you can too. Learn what you can do right now and how emerging technologies such as the semantic web (Web 3.0) are going to make things even easier.

Marta will touch most of these topics in her talk:

  • The state of social media in 2009
  • Common challenges brands are facing
  • Three case studies showing why it's worth it
  • How did they do it?
  • Best Practices
  • Launching a program
  • Sustaining a program
  • How this is going to get easier (Web 3.0)
  • What is Web 3.0?
  • Better matchmaking, getting the community to you
  • Better measurement, understanding your community
  • The future of social media

About the Speaker

Marta Strickland is the Manager of Social Media Strategy at Organic Detroit. She joined Organic over a year ago, and has since worked on a variety of brands including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Bank of America, and Geek Squad. In her role, she has made it her mission to define best practices on emerging technology trends and discover new ways to leverage social media to connect with consumers. She frequently voices her mind and evangelizes the power of social media as Editor-In-Chief of the Organic blog, ThreeMinds.

Prior to joining Organic, Marta was Interactive Strategist for Q LTD, a strategic design consultancy in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There, she played a leading role, managing diverse interactive teams for several clients, including University of Michigan and SIGGRAPH.

The rest of Marta's story can be pieced together from her growing digital lifestream, 5000 Flickr photos, 1000 delicious bookmarks, 600 Twitter updates. She began her life on the sandy dunes of Lake Michigan, where she returns every summer. Her passions include the world of wine, the web, and whatever comes in between. And she claims the unofficial title of "Organic Strategist with the largest collection of 'so bad, they're good' 80s horror movies."