August 24, 2006
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Last night I headed over to the offices of Molecular (one of our consultants at PKI) with Adam and Hans to attend a seminar by usability guru Jared Spool of User Interface Engineering. The seminar was put on by the Usability Professionals Association of Boston
I was not familiar with Mr. Spool before attending the meeting, but his presentation "We Are Not Alone: Usability Practitioners' Role in the Optimal Design Team" was phenominal. As a geek, usability fan (but far from a professional) and just a thinking, breathing human being the subject of usability is a fascinating one.
Just the idea that someone put time and thought into a product, website, or process design is such a cool one. Even more interesting is when people clearly DON'T think about the user in designing their companies products. Jared's experience, ecclectic personality and wit make for a compelling presentation and an overwhelmingly enjoyable time.
Also to note, it has been some time since I had gone to a meeting full of geeks. Deep references, in-jokes, and calling out in the middle of a presentation akin to talking in the movies is commonplace and comforting.
Check out some of the links above. There is a "Usability Day" taking place in Boston sometime in November at the Museum of Science which sounds really interesting and both groups above offer free newsletters for fans and professionals alike.
Comments
Hi Dave,
I'm glad you had a good time and enjoyed my presentation. It was a fun group.