November 2010 meeting: User Experience at Research In Motion

We have a special treat for November.

Joey Benedek, RIM’s Director of UX Research, will discuss how RIM approaches designing the Blackberry user experience. Joey will discuss the importance of the UX to the Blackberry development process, basic outline of the process and the key disciplines that play a role. Come hear how the UX process was applied to the development of Blackberry6 with specific examples from the recent release.

Joey joined Research in Motion as Director if UX Research in the summer of 2009, just in time to kick off the Blackberry6 development effort. Prior to RIM, Joey spent 9 years at Microsoft spending most of his time in the User Experience organization for Windows finishing his career there as the UX Research manager for Windows 7. Originally from Canada, RIM has provided a homecoming for Joey who completed his graduate work at Carleton’s HCI lab.

Time/location details:
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Accelerator Centre
Meeting Room #2
295 Hagey Blvd., Waterloo
[Map]

(January 2010) Is user experience becoming a commodity?

Monday January 18, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Accelerator Centre
Meeting Room #2
295 Hagey Blvd., Waterloo
[Map]

In November, Kem-Laurin Kramer of Research in Motion (RIM) wrote a provocative article for JohnnyHolland magazine that opened with these words:

After 10 years in the field, I woke up one day to realise that my service as a UX practitioner had become a commodity. Usability had become the “in thing” and everyone could do it and show that their products were better than the competition. Usability as a buzzword, populated Product Lifecycle processes in many organizations. So it comes as no suprise when the general attitude of stakeholders these days is one of a shopper saying: “One McUser Experience with usability fries please.”

On January 18, Kem will lead us into a deep dive on this question of whether our practice has become commoditized. Are we producing goods or services that lack differentiation? Is it a problem that user experience is concerned with aesthetics? Can anyone do our job?

Hope you can join us for what’s sure to be a lively, perhaps even heated, UX Group get-together!

RSVPs requested

If you’re hoping to attend, please help us anticipate numbers by RSVP’ing to Wanda Eby at Communitech. Thanks!

(April 2008) Usability Lab Tour & Discussion at Research In Motion

Thursday April 17, 2008
5:00 to 6:30 pm
Research In Motion (RIM)
Usability Lab, first floor, RIM 1 building
175 Columbia Street (southwest corner of Columbia and Phillip)
Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 5Z5
[Map]

Parking at RIM

Although parking at RIM can sometimes be a challenge, it shouldn’t be a problem at this time of day. Security knows that we’ll be descending on the usability lab, so feel free to park in any available spot — even outside the designated visitor parking.

Event Description

Join us for a tour and demonstration of RIM’s usability lab. While snacking on coffee and cookies, we’ll hear about some of RIM’s work on testing their Blackberry devices and talk with each other about current methods in usability testing.

RSVP

To help us estimate numbers, please RSVP to the UX group coordinators if you’re hoping to attend. (Note: No need to RSVP again if you’re a Communitech member and have already done so via Wanda Eby.)