May 2013: Design workshop

We’ve done design workshops in the past, and they’ve proven to be popular events where our uxWaterloo community has been able to design solutions for real-world problems in a highly collaborative hands-on session.

For our May event, we have another great project lined up for the design workshop treatment.

How can a physician or pharmacist know whether a patient understands the directions provided for taking their medicine? The question is even more challenging when the patient is a senior citizen. Kelly Grindrod, of the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, thinks that a tablet app would be a great tool in answering that question. But what should the app look like? How should it behave? We’ll work in groups to generate ideas that explore possible solutions. We’ll even have some real-world users on-hand to work with on the design!

Bring your creativity and your curiosity!

Please note that this event is at the School of Pharmacy at King and Victoria in downtown Kitchener!

Register for the uxWaterloo May meeting. Hope to see you there!

Where and when

Tuesday May 21, 2013
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Room 7004, School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo
10 Victoria Street South (at King Street)
Kitchener, ON N2G 2B2

Sign up now to join the fun!

April 2013: Sound design for user experience

Designers continue to push the limits of mobile display while hardware manufacturers continue to expand the size of their devices’ screens. As hardware manufacturers reach the limits of what constitutes a mobile device, interaction designers need to start thinking outside the screen by exploring alternative sensory pathways.

Anyone who has experienced the intrusion of music or sound effects on a website understands the drawbacks of audio interface objects. From a user’s perspective, sounds in websites and applications are an unexpected and unwelcomed intrusion that, in most cases, offer no additional information or value. For most UX designers, the emotional impact of audio makes the risk of turning away customers is too high to justify wading into the highly complex and technical domain of audio design. Many have simply accepted the old adage ‘silence is golden’ and abandoned audio altogether.

Patrick Noonan, of Akendi, will present audio design recommendations that target the limitations of mobile GUI’s. These recommendations will highlight the suitability of audio features on the mobile platform and illustrate how when the same user-centered design process traditionally applied to visual elements is applied to audio elements, the result is rich, immersive mobile experiences that can save your next mobile interface design.

Register for the uxWaterloo April meeting. Hope to see you there!

Where and when

Thursday April 18, 2013
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Communitech Hub, P2P Room
151 Charles St. W.
Kitchener, ON N2G 1H6

Sign up now to join the fun!

Job: Usability Specialist

Job: Usability Specialist

Company: Desire2Learn

Location: Kitchener, Ontario

Industry: E-Learning

What would I be doing in this role at Desire2Learn?

The Usability Specialist will work across product teams to define and implement user experience standards and best practices. They will provide research support at all phases of the design process.  To drive integration of research findings, the Usability Specialist will develop written summaries and concept designs.

The Usability Specialist will also promote inclusive design by researching, specifying, designing and advocating for accessibility-oriented features and functionality.  Additionally, they will act as an ambassador for Desire2Learn user experience both internally and within the larger user community.

What would my main duties be?

• Conduct research into ergonomics and human-computer interaction (HCI)
• Ensure overall consistency and ease of use of the product suite
• Conduct design reviews
• Responsible for accessibility reviews and evangelism
• Conduct remote and in-person user research
• Facilitate user-centered design practices throughout the Product Design function
• Create and maintain all necessary patterns and design guides

What is Desire2Learn looking for from me?

• Strong analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Experience planning and facilitating usability testing, focus groups, and customer interviews
• Experience with software development life cycles including Agile or other project methodologies is an asset
• An exceptional understanding of fundamental design principles and graphical design fundamentals
• Knowledge of eLearning and/or Learning Management Systems is an asset

Education Recommendations

• Post-secondary degree in human factors or interaction design (or equivalent professional experience)

Company Description

Be part of the excitement as Desire2Learn continues to grow and expand! Founded in 1999, Desire2Learn is a stable and growing company that is transforming the way people teach and learn. Desire2Learn is a leader in providing innovative eLearning solutions to academic and other leading organizations around the world. We have a proven track record of client success. Our outstanding service and support has made us the partner of choice for leading organizations around the globe. We take great pride in providing our clients with the best learning environment possible. As our name suggests, we’re passionate about creating solutions that can ignite the desire to learn in anyone. With a focus on user experience, accessibility, mobility, platform security and reliability we deliver systems that our clients and their learners can count on anywhere, anytime.

To support our unique and thriving culture, Desire2learn’s highly skilled employees are encouraged to drive innovation and excellence in a dynamic environment which promotes collaboration, continual self-improvement, and effective communication. We look for people who want to make an impact and be a part of something big. We are seeking superstars who demonstrate a strong entrepreneurial drive, an enthusiastic and dedicated mindset and a thirst for challenge. The ability to think on your feet and work successfully both in independent and team-settings is essential. You will grow professionally as you help us grow as a leader in providing eLearning solutions!

Visit www.desire2learn.com/careers to learn more about our exciting career opportunities and the amazing employee experience offered by Desire2Learn! Or, apply for this job here.

Reality was indeed augmented at our last meeting

Daniel Iaboni delivered a wonderful intro to designing for augmented reality last week at our February meeting at Felt Lab. Thanks again to Daniel for traveling from Toronto to generously share his knowledge with us. Thanks, too, to REAP for hosting us at Felt Lab, a perfect venue for this particular event.

Daniel has made his slides available on slideshare for those of you who want to able to review them, or who missed the event.

See you next month!

Job: User Experience Designer

Job: User Experience Designer

Company: Innosphere Systems

Location: Guelph, Ontario

Innosphere Systems, a Guelph-based software and information technology company, is looking for a User Experience Designer. All the details can be found in the position description on their website.

February 2013: Intro to Augmented Reality with Daniel Iaboni

The last few years have seen augmented reality finally breaking into the mainstream. Designers have an exciting opportunity to create augmented reality interfaces. To do so, they need to consider not only the context of use, but also the environment in which the information is presented.

Daniel Iaboni is dedicated to creating and improving designs to provide an exceptional interaction among users, their environment and their tools. To do so, he draws upon extensive knowledge from the fields of engineering, computer science, psychology and anthropology. In this session he’ll walk us through important concepts in designing for augmented reality, including input and display technologies, current interaction techniques, and approaches to prototyping.

Daniel is currently Lead User Experience Specialist at Akendi, where he works on projects for a variety of clients.

Thursday February 21, 2013
5:30 to 7:00 pm
FELT Lab at Quarry Integrated Communications
1440 King Street North, St. Jacobs, Ontario
[Map]
Sign up now, as space is limited!

Job: UI/UX Developer

Job: UI/UX Developer

Company: Axonify

Location: Kitchener, Ontario

Immediate Opportunity for an Interactive Designer for Multiple Projects.

Axonify is revolutionizing the way organizations think about and deliver corporate learning. Our highly skilled and cohesive team of developers is building the next generation eLearning platform utilizing the hottest development technologies available, including the latest HTML5 patterns for Web and Mobile Web applications and the most recent Javascript and CoffeeScript frameworks. Everything from source control to production databases are hosted in the Cloud.

Axonify is looking for developers who want to leverage and grow their HTML5 skills, while building world-class applications. We are looking for a gifted UI/UX developer who is interested in creating a fun and engaging user experience for our corporate clients.

Skills/Experience

• Web Design
• UI/UX Design
• Graphics Design
• CSS3
• HTML5
• Game Design
• Ability to collaboratively in a team environment
• Ability to translate requirements into an elegant cross browser user interface
• Ability to create rapid prototypes using CSS and HTML
• Experience using Photoshop, Illustrator and wireframing tools like Balsmiqu

Does this sound like you? If you’re looking for a new challenge, we want to hear from you. Send us an email at: hr@axonify.com.

December 2012 event: UX product potluck

For our December meetings we’ve featured a product potluck event in past years, and we’re resurrecting the beloved format for this month.

Our meeting on Tuesday December 18 will extend the potluck tradition with a relaxing and, almost certainly, enriching evening of conversation and bonhommie. Please join us for a potluck with a twist: instead of food, we’re asking you to bring a product. Make it a product that you either love or hate, because we’ll be sharing stories with each other about these products.

Here’s what to expect:

• You’ll have a few minutes to introduce your product and describe what you love or hate about it. If the product you want to share isn’t something you can physically demonstrate at the event (like a particle accelerator, a Wankel rotary engine, or a table saw), then bring something that helps you talk about the product.
• If you’d like to share software or a website, a laptop would be best, but a printed screenshot will do the job if technology is scarce.

If you’re hoping to attend, please register for the event. This will help us make an appropriate reservation, as we’ll be meeting at a local pub or restaurant. Thanks! Everyone’s invited, so spread the word.

Tuesday Dec 18, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
McMullans On King
56 King Street North, Waterloo

Job: Interactive Designer (Contract) in Waterloo

Location: Waterloo, Ontario

• Industry: Professional Services
• Status: Contract
• Contract Pay Rate: $25.00 to $27.00 / Hour

Immediate Opportunity for an Interactive Designer for Multiple Projects.

Located in Kitchener-Waterloo, our client requires the immediate services of an Interactive Designer to be responsible for executing a wide range of interactive, mixed media design projects for a variety top tier clients (for example retail, travel, manufacturing) and diverse applications. The projects that the Interactive Designer will be involved with are to include eLearning modules, instructional video and interactive Flash presentations with SCORM compliant comprehension testing.

The Interactive Designer will create website designs and other web-based communication devices such as ad banners and Flash video / animation interfaces. He/she will use a wide range of applications including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Presenter and Soundbooth.

Reporting to the Creative Director, the Interactive Designer will work with a team on some high profile clients in various industries such as retail, tourism and professional services and will collaborate closely with a team of Graphic Designers, Writers and Program Managers. He/she will assist in the creation and delivery of projects on a tight timeline and will be expected to make creative decisions regarding the editing of projects based on written scripts or input from the Creative Director. This is to ensure quality control and consistency of the final product. The Interactive Designer will perform technical editorial functions including audio recording and editing, colour correction, graphic design and integration.

Qualifications

The Interactive Designer is to have 3 or more years of proven work experience in graphic / web design and will have a post-secondary Diploma/Degree in Graphic, Web and/or Multimedia Design. The successful candidate will have moderate knowledge of Actionscript; any experience with video (Adobe Premier or Final Cut) is an asset (but not required).

The Interactive Designer must be fluent in the use of Adobe Media Encoder for video encoding solutions and compression. He/she will be required to demonstrate an understanding of branding and marketing strategies and implementation. He/she must also be an eager collaborator and an active contributor to the creative team, someone who is creative, highly organized self starter who works well independently. He/she must have a keen eye for detail and strong work ethic complemented with the ability to handle multiple assignments and the determination to get the job done.

To Apply

To register and apply with us today, please go to:

http://www.thecreativegroup.com/JobBoardApply?specificJob=42532295

Similarly, you can forward your resume to The Creative Group at toronto@creativegroup.com quoting the job title Interactive Designer in the subject line of your e-mail.

About Us

The Creative Group, a division of Robert Half International, specializes in placing highly skilled marketing, advertising, creative, web and public relations professionals on a project and full-time basis with advertising and public relations agencies, Fortune 500 companies and small to mid-sized firms. We are faster at finding you work because of our strong network – we reach out to over 12,000 creative and marketing hiring managers each week. In addition to our free job search services, we provide our candidates with access to competitive skills training, benefits and compensation packages. Our company again was named to FORTUNE® magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list, ranking #1 in our industry (March 19, 2012).

The Creative Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To learn more, contact your local office at 1-888-846-1668 or visit us online at http://www.creativegroup.com.

November 2012 event: UX on agile teams

Our November event is special, in that we’re teaming up with Waterloo Agile Lean to explore how UX works in an agile environment. Working together, we’ll share our collective experiences and insights in wide-ranging discussion. Amongst the questions we hope to address:

• Are their alternatives to UX designers working an iteration ahead of developers?
• How can Agile cross-functional teams think more about user experience using tools like personas?
• How can can designers, developers and technical writer/content designer work as an integrated team?

We’re sure that you’ll have many of your own questions, and bring your own answers to the discussion. Don’t miss this great opportunity for UX stakeholders and development stakeholders to share ideas, stories from the trenches, and useful tips and strategies.

Note that once again we’re meeting on a Tuesday this month, rather than a Thursday.

Where and when

Tuesday November 27, 2012
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Accelerator Centre
295 Hagey Blvd., Waterloo

Sign up now to join the fun!