January 2023: Mastering Collaboration, with Gretchen Anderson

We’re thrilled that past Fluxible speaker Gretchen Anderson is joining us for our first session of 2023.

In Mastering Collaboration, Gretchen outlines how collaboration works, what gets in the way, and how you can adapt your team’s practices to make working together more fun, and more productive. In this session, Gretchen will lay out some of the basics of working together better and will give some specific suggestions for teams. Then there will be a healthy amount of time for attendees to ask specific questions and share what’s challenging and what works. So get your questions ready and join us!

Please register for this free event

January 19, 2023
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

November 2022: Designing with Emotional Intelligence

This month, we’re thrilled to welcome past Fluxible speaker Pamela Pavliscak to our UWaterloo session, and she’ll share insights into designing with emotional intelligence.

The spectrum of emotions we feel when we use technology is vast—a brief thrill when our post receives a lot of attention, low-grade anxiety scanning a news site, a wash of shame when we see ourselves reflected back in recommendations, a strange sense of community with a bunch of strangers over the latest viral trend. And yet, the range of emotions we explicitly design for is quite small. In this talk, we’ll look at how to move past design for delight and start to address fears, give outrage an outlet, and build trust by keeping emotions at the center of design.

Please register for this free event

November 17, 2022
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

October 2022: Fireside Chat with author Abby Covert

This month we are joined by information architect and author, Abby Covert. Abby is currently on a mission to rid the world of bad diagrams, one diagrammer at a time. 

Abby recently published her second book, STUCK? Diagrams Help., a much anticipated follow-on to her wildly popular debut title How to Make Sense of Any Mess, in which she demystifies the practice of information architecture. 

She is excited to join our online uxWaterloo community to answer audience questions about practicing information architecture, parenting during the pandemic but especially about … you guessed it, diagramming.

About Abby Covert

Abby Covert is an information architect, writer and community organizer with two decades of experience helping people make sense of messes. In addition to being an active mentor to those new to sensemaking, she has also served the design community as President of the Information Architecture Institute, co-chair of Information Architecture Summit, and Executive Producer of the I.D.E.A Conference. 

Abby is a founding faculty member of School of Visual Arts’ Products of Design graduate program. She also managed the team that helped Rosenfeld Media to start both the Design Operations Summit and Advancing Research Conference. Her most proud achievement is having come up with the idea for World Information Architecture Day, bringing accessibly priced education to thousands in their local communities annually. 

Every November Abby hosts Makesensemess, an annual sensemaker party where she gives new voices a platform to share their sensemaking stories of messes made clear in each year. 

Abby spends her time making things that help you to make the unclear, clear, many of which she makes available for free on her website abbycovert.com or at accessible price points in her popular Etsy shop AbbytheIA. Her books are available wherever books are sold (or loaned!) but she always appreciates when people buy them right from her.

Abby lives and writes from Melbourne, Florida where her most important job title is ‘Mom’.

Please register for this free event

October 20, 2022
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

June 2022: Interpreting urban change through a critical visual analysis

When looking at old pictures of cities, it is clear that urban, economic, and social geographies have changed dramatically over the generations. Historic photos of Toronto’s streetcar network offer a unique opportunity to examine how Canada’s largest city has been transformed from a provincial, industrial place into one of North America’s largest and most diverse regions.

This talk is based around the book Streetcars and the Shifting Geographies of Toronto, which studies the city’s urban transformations through an analysis of photographs taken by streetcar enthusiasts, beginning in the 1960s. These photographers did not intend to record the urban form, function, or social geographies of Toronto; they were “accidental archivists” whose main goal was to photograph the streetcars themselves. But today, their images render visible the ordinary, day-to-day life in the city in a way that no others did. These historic photographs show a Toronto before gentrification, globalization, and deindustrialization. Each image has been re-photographed to provide fresh insights into a city that is in a constant state of flux.

This critical visual analysis helps to interpret and explain how the major forces shaping cities affect its form, functions, neighbourhoods, and public spaces.

About our speakers

Brian Doucet is a Canada Research Chair and Associate Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo
Michael Doucet is an Emeritus Professor of Geography at Toronto Metropolitan University

More info about Streetcars and the Shifting Geographies of Toronto can be found here

Please register for this free event

June 16, 2022
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

May 2022: Design for digital wellbeing and mental health

Corina Sas is joining us for this timely session:

“This talk outlines part of my work on technologies for wellbeing and mental health, with an emphasis on their ethical underpinnings. It outlines award winning research described in TOCHI and JMIR journals, CHI and DIS publications targeting emotion and memory processes for digital wellbeing, depression, stress and dementia. The talk covers several prototypes developed and evaluated with my research group involving smart material interfaces, wearable biofeedback interfaces, 3D food printing technologies or large displays, as well as novel tools supporting their design. The talk articulates the value of this body of work for novel design implications for wellbeing and mental health technologies and their ethics.”

About Corina Sas

Corina Sas is Professor in Human-Computer Interaction and Digital Health with the School of Computing and Communications, and Assistant Dean for Research Enhancement with the Faculty of Science and Technology at Lancaster University, UK. Her research is in the area of technologies for wellbeing and health. She published over 200 papers, and her work received extensive media coverage as well as 5 Best Paper and Honourable Mention Awards. She has been investigator on competitively awarded grants totalling over £15.1 million and is part of the Editorial Boards of the ACM Transactions in Human-Computer Interaction, and Taylor & Francis Human Computer Interaction journals. This academic year she is in sabbatical leave visiting University of California at Santa Cruz, University of California at Irvine, and Stanford University.

Please register for this free event

May 19, 2022
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

January 2022: Thought Leadership – a conversation with Margot Bloomstein

We’re bringing back a favourite uxWaterloo and Fluxible speaker!

Some of you might wonder what it takes to share your ideas and expertise with the world. If you want your thought leadership to have more permanence, serve as a reference to colleagues in the industry, or help establish your brand with a broader audience, it might be time to think about a talk, a book, or some other vehicle to help your ideas stick.

In a discussion with Margot Bloomstein, author of Trustworthy, we’ll talk about how to determine the right platform for your ideas, approach the proposal process, traditional vs. hybrid publishing models, and working with a developmental editor to polish your ideas. Bring your questions!

You may know Margot Bloomstein from content strategy or design conferences, where she’s taught workshops and keynoted events for more than a decade. A working content strategist for more than 20 years, she’s consulted with clients in a range of industries, from software-as-a-service to sex toy retailers and footwear technology to 401(k)s. She’s the author of the industry mainstay Content Strategy at Work and the new Trustworthy: How the Smartest Brands Beat Cynicism and Bridge the Trust Gap. Margot teaches in the content strategy graduate program at FH Joanneum University in Graz, Austria, lectures around the world about brand-driven content strategy and designing for trust, and tweets prolifically at @mbloomstein.

Please register for this free event

January 19 2022
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

November 2021: UX research and design in an age of remote work

Over the course of the COVID pandemic the way we work has changed dramatically. For many of us, collaboration, usability research, and co-design were all in-person activities pre-pandemic. At this point we’ve adjusted, at least to some extent, to the reality of working remotely for an extended period, and have found tools, new and old, that allow us to do so effectively. Join us this month as we come together to discuss the tools and methods that we are now using for design, research, communication, and beyond! We’ll be using Remo, which will let everyone sit at virtual tables to discuss in small groups. We will switch up tables a few times throughout the event, and will also come together to share our learnings across groups. Please come ready to share, learn, and have conversations with other UXers!

Please register for this free event

November 18 2021
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

September 2021: Guarding against UX Theatre, with Tanya Snook

In the age of immediacy, as we’re being rushed to deliver more with less, the users sometimes get left behind in the design process. It’s not enough to think from a user perspective and role-play with post-its to generate designs. Are you performing UX theatre and just acting user-centered? Tanya Snook is going to help you learn to recognize the signs of UX theatre.

Tanya Snook is a user experience designer who builds citizen and employee experiences in the Government of Canada. Tanya is a founder and co-chair of CanUX, Canada’s longest running user experience conference. Tanya writes about user experience and design leadership at spydergrrl.com or you can find her on Twitter as @spydergrrl.

Please register for this free event

September 16 2021
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

Job: User Experience Specialist at University of Waterloo

The University of Waterloo Library seeks a creative, dynamic User Experience Specialist to take on a key leadership role in establishing strategic initiatives and directions related to the users’ experience of the Library. The incumbent will provide the leadership, management and coordination of user experience assessment. The Specialist collaborates on the development of programs and initiatives that shape an engaging and supportive learning and development experience and plays a key role in leading and managing change associated with a vibrant and evolving student, faculty and campus staff experience in the Library. This includes developing and leading the implementation of new cross-departmental strategies and initiatives designed to support success in the use of library resources and services.

The UX Specialist leads investigations into user behavior, experience and needs, and analyzes results to make recommendations on the evolution of the Library’s physical help service points, the built environment, virtual help services and the users’ web experience. The Specialist champions a user- focused culture, service excellence and is a collaborator in ensuring that all services and spaces are accessible.

The Library supports many campus priorities including student wellness, sustainability, and the development of Indigenous initiatives, recognizing the responsibility of truth and reconciliation as outlined in the 94 Calls To Action.
The University of Waterloo Library is a member of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI). The Library is transitioning towards enhanced collaboration on a shared library platform through the OCUL Collaborative Futures project.

Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in a relevant field, with an emphasis or specialization in areas such as Human Factors Design or User Experience design. An ALA-accredited Master’s degree in Library/Information Science is an asset
• Strategic planning and priority setting experience
• Demonstrated experience working and leading in collaborative team settings
• Project management experience
• Commitment to fostering positive working relationships & building partnerships
• Experience with user centred design and knowledge of accessibility standards and legislation
• Supervisory experience an asset
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership in implementing outcomes of research into user behavior
• Proven excellent facilitation and communication skills, including oral, written, and active listening
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with user experience methods, tools, software, and techniques for gathering feedback from service areas, programs and directly from users in a library or university setting
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data, visualize results, synthesize recommendations and communicate findings for diverse audiences
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage change
• Proven ability to work effectively in a service-oriented environment, which values collaboration and collegiality
• Microsoft Office skills:  MS Word – Intermediate, Excel – High, PowerPoint – Intermediate
• Web usability software; focus group protocols development; etc.
• Work beyond normal business hours may be required

Compensation

The salary for this position will be commensurate with experience qualifications within the USG 11 salary level. Hiring range: $75,030-$93,788 based on 2021/2022 salary scales.

For more about this job and to apply: https://careers-uwaterloo.icims.com/jobs/6719/user-experience-specialist/job

We welcome interested candidates to connect directly with Victoria Chu, Associate University Librarian: Learning, Research, and User Services to learn more about this exciting position. Victoria can be reached by email at v7chu@uwaterloo.ca.

Deadlines for applications: For assured consideration, applications should be received by 27 August 2021.
Job openings are posted until the position has been filled. Due to the number of applications received, only applicants who are selected for an interview will be contacted.

The University of Waterloo is committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.  As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit/Inuk, Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.

About the University of Waterloo

Waterloo has spawned thousands of commercial and social enterprises, is home to the world’s largest co-operative education program and boasts a uniquely entrepreneurial culture that encourages experimentation and risk-taking.  The result is an outstanding learning and research experience for more than 36,000 undergraduate and graduate students in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada — the anchor of Canada’s innovation corridor.

University of Waterloo — Canada’s top innovation university — is a research powerhouse and the engine of one of the world’s leading startup ecosystems. Offering world-class scholarship and research, combined with unparalleled experience-based education, Waterloo builds a better future for Canada and the world by championing innovation and collaboration to create solutions relevant to the needs of today and tomorrow.

For more information about Waterloo, please visit uwaterloo.ca.

Job: Lead UX Researcher at SciEx

As a global leader in mass spectrometry, SCIEX delivers solutions for precision detection and quantification of molecules to help protect and advance the wellness and safety of all. Because of our 50 years of groundbreaking innovation, our customers can quickly respond to environmental hazards, better understand biomarkers relevant to disease, improve patient care in the clinic, bring relevant drugs to market faster, and keep food healthier and safer. At SCIEX, you’ll find a rewarding role that amplifies your impact on the world and helps you realize life’s potential.

SCIEX is proud to work alongside a community of nine fellow Danaher Life Sciences companies. Together, we’re pioneering the future of science and medicine, developing products that enable researchers in the fight to save lives.

Position Summary

This is an exciting time as we are in the process of building a UX Team at Sciex. Be the first person to hold a Lead UX Researcher role at Sciex, and have a big say in how UX is done at our company.
You will be part of a small team, including a Jr. UX Researcher, who you will have the opportunity to mentor, as well as a UX Designer, and an existing UX Architect who can help situate you in our context and provide high level mentorship.
Over the first year, you can expect to work on the following:

• Establish a process and framework for making connections with internal and external users, as well as mining existing data systems, to determine where we have critical knowledge gaps with respect to understanding our users’ experiences
• Create a program to feed user insights to our development teams as they work on various projects, while coaching them on user-centric design
• Help determine the strategy to develop our UX competency within and outside the newly created team.
• Plan and structure research projects involving participant identification, scheduling, & lab preparation – in conjunction with our Customer Insights group
• Work with other key partners to get alignment and support for the new UX team and processes. We’ll need to find a find a way to communicate user-centric issues without having formal authority. For this role, support will come from your manager, the new team, and several senior leaders to help!

Requirements

• Bring us your examples of how you helped an organization establish UX practices, overcome the major hurdles, and are ready to translate that experience to help lead the way for UX at Sciex.
• BA/BS degree (or higher) in Psychology, Human Factors, Anthropology, HCI, Industrial Design, or equivalent practical experience
• While R&D is primarily located in Concord, Ontario (Canada), our R&D hub, this role has some flexibility to be remote part time. Time spent either at our Concord site, and/or to other locations to conduct Research will be required (approx. 25-50% combined).

Competencies

It would be useful to have had Life Sciences industry experience, so we know you can ramp up more quickly in a familiar environment.

It is also a big asset if you had experience working with complex systems, involving multi-functional teams (hardware, software, service, product management, documentation, etc.)

When you join us, you’ll also be joining Danaher’s global organization, where 69,000 people wake up every day determined to help our customers win. As an associate, you’ll try new things, work hard, and advance your skills with guidance from dedicated leaders, all with the support of powerful Danaher Business System tools and the stability of a tested organization.

Danaher Corporation and all Danaher Companies are committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other characteristics protected by law. We value diversity and the existence of similarities and differences, both visible and not, found in our workforce, workplace and throughout the markets we serve. Our associates, customers and shareholders contribute unique and different perspectives as a result of these diverse attributes.

The EEO posters are available here.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at 202.419.7762 or applyassistance@danaher.com to request accommodation.

If you’ve ever wondered what’s within you, there’s no better time to find out.

Apply here.