Chinwag Live: Real World Usability

Event Info

Tue 22 Apr, 2008 from 5:30pm - 7:30pm
The Slug & Lettuce (Downstairs)
80-82 Wardour Street
London, W1F 0TG, UK (Map)
Cost: £25+VAT early-bird, £40+VAT standard

Description

UPDATE: Pictures and podcast for this event are now available.

 Usability is at a crossroads - are we looking at "Back to Basics" or "Brave New World"?

Will the harsher economic climate mean that usability experts focus back on the core issues of performance and efficiency, or will an increasingly sophisticated and demanding marketplace force us to push the boundaries?

Usability experts at Chinwag Live will discuss the issues confonting the industry. How can user centred design fit with agile development or the 'permanent beta'? Are today's usability experts ready for rich applications and the death the the Web page metaphor? Is user testing becoming commoditised - and can testing firms survive that?

We expect a wide ranging discussion covering everything from the problems of rich prototypes, the implications of low cost and remote usability testing, privacy, mobile and the death of the web page interface.

Join us and debate the future of usability...

Where Are The Pictures?

Photographic evidence from the event, if you've got photos you'd like to add, let us know.

www.flickr.com

Speakers

Andy Budd - Creative Director, Clearleft
Andy Budd is an interaction designer and web standards developer from Brighton, England. As the user experience lead at Clearleft, Andy spends his time helping clients improve their customers online experience. Andy is a regular speaker at events such as SXSW, and helped organise d.Construct, the first "web apps" conference in the UK. Andy wrote the best selling book, CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions and blogs at andybudd.com. Never happier than when he's diving some remote tropical atoll, Andy is a qualified PADI dive instructor and retired shark wrangler.

Paul Dawson - Head of Interactive Media, Conchango
Conchango has been rated by Forrester in the 'leaders' pack of European digital design agencies, the last two years, mainly for their user-centred approach to usable design. Paul does interactive design and branding, customer experience and digital strategy for clients, leading a team of experts on everything from brand and customer experience, from product to kiosk design and from ergonomics to cognitive psychology. Paul spent much of his time in 2007 developing advanced design concepts with new rich interface technologies, creating everything from immersive experiences to new approaches to finding flights.

Udy Ravid - User Experience Research Manager, eBay UK
Udy has a varied professional background, from Air Traffic Control to journalism and sales management. After completing an MSc in HCI he joined Amberlight Partners and was a senior UX consultant, specialising in mobile platforms, bespoke software and touch-screen interfaces. At his current role in eBay UK he is leading UX efforts to improve vertical (category based) buy and sell experiences, from both research and design perspectives. Udy is personally interested in the relationship between brand and user experience and the effects that they have on each other.

Niqui Merret - Flash developer/Accessibility Consultant
Niqui’s focus in Flash development is accessibility for audiences with special needs. For the past few years she has researched user requirements, with the aim of reaching a better understanding of how users with different needs interact with computers and the Internet. Her background as a trainer, designer, and developer in the Adobe creative product range has provided her with a solid foundation for this specialisation. Niqui believes in giving back to the community. She is a speaker at conferences on her topic of accessibility and Flash and maintains a blog at niquimerret.com

Bryan Rieger - Creative Director, Future Platforms
Bryan is a designer with a background in theatre and classical animation. He has spent the past 12+ years designing digital experiences for clients such as Nokia, Apple and Microsoft along with many more modestly sized, yet equally interesting companies that you've probably never heard of. Bryan became obsessed with all things mobile while on sabbatical wandering around South East Asia watching people do simply amazing and unexpected things with their mobile devices. Originally from Toronto, Canada Bryan moved to Brighton in 2007, where he now heads up design at Future Platforms and spends his days creating delightful mobile experiences.

CHAIR: Giles Colborne, Managing Director, cxpartners
Giles Colborne has worked in user centred design since 1991 at British Aerospace, Institute of Physics Publishing and Euro RSCG. In 2004 he co-founded cxpartners, a research and design agency which continues to grow rapidly, winning clients including Nokia, Marriott and Royal Bank of Scotland. From 2002-2007 he was President of the UK Usability Professionals' Association and he sat on the editorial committee of PAS-78, the British Standards Association's accessibility guidance documentation. He is a frequent speaker on usability and design at conferences around the world and writes for Revolution on usability.

Event produced by Deirdre Molloy.

Cost: £25+VAT (limited tickets available), £40+VAT thereafter.

Timings: Doors open 6pm for complimentary drinks, snacks and networking; discussion starts 6.30pm sharp until approx 8.15pm. Networking and drinks continue until late.

BOOK NOW to get our early-bird discount (limited tickets available) and have your say in this key debate for the industry in 2008 and beyond...


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Podcast

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We do our best to put microphones under the noses of our panelists, for your aural pleasure. The podcasts are available in iTunes flavour, old school RSS listen using the player below or download.

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Organiser

Chinwag
Email / +44 20 7183 2923