STC Usability SIG Newsletter
Usability Interface

The Pulse of the SIG
Communities of Practice: Dealing with the Changes in the Technical Communication Field

by Karen Bachmann, SIG Manager

As I write this, the annual conference in Baltimore  is only a few weeks away. I hope many of your are planning to attend and to participate in the many quality offerings for usability advocates, from Ben Shneiderman as the opening keynote speaker to many excellent sessions in the Usability and Information Design stem to several valuable workshops on usability topics.

The Usability SIG business meeting on Monday, May 10, at 12:30 PM, provides a great chance for members and volunteers from around the world to meet in person and share ideas about how to improve the SIG for all members.

One of the most significant events at this year’s conference will be leadership day on Sunday. The board will be reporting on the Society transformation efforts that began in Dallas last year. Like so many professional organizations, STC has been challenged by the changing economy and the evolving nature of our work and career development. These challenges have required Society leaders to look carefully into how the STC should change to better serve a diverse and global membership. The transformation committee understands that changes to the Society to adapt to different member needs must build on our existing strengths. The number and variety of SIGs and the significant number of STC members who are also SIG members have focused the transformation committee on defining communities of practice and ways to best support them.

STC recognizes a trend for members to identify less with their geographical communities and more with others sharing common career characteristics, such as the industry they work in, the nature of the deliverables they produce, and of course, their career specializations such as usability. While the value of local interaction has not lessened, the nature of how STC communities are defined at all levels will be changing to reflect what members need most from their Society.

While the transformation committee has been hard at work researching the issues, understanding the needs of a diverse membership, and discovering possible solutions, much still needs to be done. The conference and leadership day on Sunday will be a time to learn not only about the committee’s progress, but also to learn how to get involved with the continuing efforts in the coming year. Consider making Leadership Day part of your conference plans. All members are welcome, as attendance is not restricted to those who have a "title" such as SIG manager or chapter president.

Your Usability SIG leaders will be discussing how the USIG can better grow into a true community of practice at the Monday business meeting. Topics to be discussed include examining our mission statement, benefits of membership, leadership development, and recognition programs. In some ways, the SIG is already a strong community for usability advocates and practitioners within STC, but room for improvement and strengthening the organization exists. The meeting takes place in Room 345 of the Baltimore Convention Center. Please join your usability community as we look for ways to grow our own community and discuss how we can support the Society’s transformation.