Sneak preview of the Usability and Information Design Stem at the 51st Annual STC Conference

This article was originally posted in the January 2004 issue (Vol 10, No. 3)

About the Author

Caroline Jarrett is the Usability and Information Design Stem Manager, and can be found on the web at Effortmark

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STC Usability SIG Newsletter
Usability Interface

Sneak preview of the Usability and Information Design Stem at the 51st Annual STC Conference

By Caroline Jarrett, Usability and Information Design Stem Manager

STC will soon be mailing the advance program for STC conference. But it's too exciting to wait that long. Here is a sneak preview of the Usability and Information Design (UID) stem. You can also find the full stem conveniently in a spreadsheet that you can download (Excel format).

Note: This spreadsheet is not the official program, which can be found on the STC Conference web site. It is provided as a convenience to help you plan your conference week.

A new structure to the program

I want to mention some innovations for this year in the structure of the program. We have 54 sessions in UID, a great choice but a maybe a little overwhelming. I've identified each session in one or more of these threads. I hate to single out just a few sessions when there are so many, but I've chosen some of my personal highlights.

Accessibility	As technical communicators, we want to include the widest possible audiences for our products. And you may be required by law to make your communications accessible. Highlights in this thread include: a panel on 'reaching any user' with Steve Krug, Karen Shriver and Ginny Redish a fun session on designing for left-handers a fascinating panel on designing for multimedia using digital storytelling
Advanced	Have you got several years experience in usability and information design? Do you write on or teach these subjects? If so, the 'advanced' thread is aimed at you. Anyone is welcome to attend but the speakers will assume that you know the basics, and they will dive straight into the tougher issues. Highlights in this thread include: "Bringing brand alive in the design of Web sites" Carolyn Snyder, author of Paper Prototyping, on the strengths and limitations of the technique 'Magical Numbers': Jean-Luc Doumont challenges the myth of 'seven plus or minus two'
Getting started	Many of us are new to usability and want to learn about how to get started, and what pitfalls there may be. This thread is where you will learn from experts and from other beginners. Highlights in this thread include: "Starting a customer contact program" "Helping people to use PC hardware" "Information Architecture- what's in it for me?"
Testing	OK, so usability and information design isn't all about testing. But some of it is, and his thread is the place to learn about it. There are sessions on testing at all levels from beginner to advanced. Highlights in this thread include: "Web site usability testing demystified" A live usability test And you can spend most of Tuesday going through the different stages of a test: planning, running the test and then persuading people to listen to the results
Handheld and mobile	How many of us now totally rely on our mobiles, PDAs or other small devices? This thread brings together four sessions: Using a variety of techniques, including handheld devices, to engage online learners Designing information for mobile users Usability testing handheld devices Usability testing a Pocket PC
Requirements	If you're into requirements, then there is a real treat for you at conference this year: four sessions on requirements, starting on Monday afternoon and continuing through most of the day on Tuesday. Learn about the importance of good requirements and then about how to gather and trace them through development.
Information Design	At the heart of the Usability and Information Design stem, we have a superb selection of sessions on Information Design - practical ideas for solving our technical communication problems. Highlights in this thread include: Strategies and tools for information architecture 'Tips-based help', moving away from HTML-help Developing online tools to help customers make buying decisions. The latest thinking on designing web applications
Practical research	The conference is a unique opportunity to get the hot results from academics and researchers. Many of these sessions will have the first publication of this data, or are an opportunity to ask world leaders in our field about their latest findings. Highlights in this thread include: Understanding how blind and low-vision users work with Web sites Techniques for teaching usability and information design "Are design standards any use for improving designs"? And a fun session on lessons learned from the theatre.

Innovation in Progressions

If you have ever been to STC conference, you will know about its unique "progression" format. The progression brings together a selection of speakers on a theme; each speaker hosts a table that seats up to 10 people. You join the table of the topic of your choice, and you can easily discuss and question the speaker—without the formality of the larger set-piece sessions.

This year, we have four wonderful progressions. And, here is your chance to get to the conference as a speaker: each of them still has a few places available. They are:

UID 5U "Willing and able, how technical communicators with disabilities succeed in their profession." This one is the best choice if you want to talk about how you, a friend, family member or colleague has overcome or interacted with challenges caused by contextual, temporary or permanent impairments.
UID 7B "Section 508 for Dummies." This one is the best choice if you can contribute thoughts on how to comply with section 508. It's not necessary to be an expert, just to have tried in some way.
UID 3B "Getting started in usability and information design." This is targeted for people who are probably experienced technical communicators but who are new to usability and/or information design.
UID 10A "Usability and information design progression: intermediate/advanced." This is intended people who are experienced in usability and/or information design and is a good place to discuss an advanced topic.

If you have a topic that would fit nicely with any of these progressions, contact me (Caroline.Jarrett@Effortmark.co.uk) and I will put you in contact with the moderators.

This year, we also have a new format that has been very popular at UPA conference: the Ideas Market. It's even more informal than the progression. There are ''activators' rather than speakers, and they are there to encourage discussion and interaction. You can wander from group to group, or stay with a single topic: it's up to you.

The must-see top three

It was tough picking out highlights from so much that I’m excited about, but I'm now going to try the impossible and pick one item each day that I think is cannot be missed.

On Monday, it has to be the keynote: Ben Shneiderman. His recent book Leonardo's Laptop has been doing a great job of getting a wider audience interested in usability and information design, building on his many years of work in innovative interfaces and usability. It's also a big plus for usability at our conference that our keynote is in our field.
On Tuesday, there are so many great things but one shines out for me: Ginny Redish on "Applying Research to Practice: What's Relevant for Technical Communicators Today?" Ginny has it all: she is a great speaker, her experience in research and in technical communication is second to none, and she always makes sure that we come away with a wealth of practical insights.
On Wednesday, it is difficult to pick out just one topic. I am excited about the closing keynote: Thomas Haller, whose 'performance piece' will be a new take on information overload. But if you force me to choose, then I have to admit that topic that I'll be queuing up for is "Communicating with older audiences". This is such an important topic and there is so little good-quality recent research about how seniors use the web. I’m thrilled that Amy Lee and Dana Chisnell will be telling us about their work.

And finally… Baltimore

I first went to Baltimore for a conference a couple of years ago in the Hyatt Hotel, one of the conference hotels. The Inner Harbor area is such fun. It is only a couple of blocks from our venue in the Convention Center, and offers all you might want as relaxation from soaking up all those ideas: a world-class aquarium, a huge bookstore, all sorts of interesting shops, and bars and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. If you want to go further afield, the Fells Point area is a good walk or a short taxi ride and offers some great bars, fun shops, and a bohemian atmosphere.

Being practical, Baltimore also has excellent transport connections though BWI airport and local and long-distance trains with a light-rail system that connects them to the Convention Center. For more information about the 51st conference, go to www.stc.org/51stConf/index.asp.

I hope that we'll see you there.