STC UUX Community Newsletter
Usability Interface

Editorial

By Sherri Martin-Hutchins, Newsletter Editor

What have I gotten myself into? I am not an editor. Except now I am.

When I saw David Dick call for editorial help more than a year ago, I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this great newsletter. With 10 years of editing Usability Interface under his belt, I knew I could learn so much from him.

I thought maybe he would turn me away, leaving me dejected and down trodden. Or maybe he would give me something to proofread and mark up, as a test. Instead, he responded with a challenge to look for articles for the next issue.

My heart raced. How do I do that? Where do I look? Who do I talk to? I don't know the first thing about article solicitation. Maybe this isn't for me. Except-- it was.

Ready to expand my horizons, I scoured STC chapter sites in search of usability articles. It didn't take long for me to find two promising prospects. I wrote to the authors of those articles, explained that I was helping David with Usability Interface, and asked if they would be willing to write for our newsletter.

And then I waited.

As luck would have it, they both said yes and within a few short weeks I had two original articles to pass along to David. One of those was Usability in 3-D Virtual Worlds by Sean D. Williams, appearing in the January 2008 issue.

A few issues later, David has moved on, though graciously remains completely accessible and willing to help, and I am now tasked with assembling this award-winning newsletter. No pressure.

In case you are wondering what I do when I'm not working on this newsletter, I am currently a self-employed eMedia project manager and technical writer. I have had the extreme pleasure of working with Popular Science's Web site, www.popsci.com, for nearly a year now. I have also worked with Ascend Media on medical trade publication Web sites, and with GS1 US, the organization behind barcodes, data synchronization, and EPC/RFID in the supply chain. I've managed Web builds, written requirements documentation, led employee training sessions, and created public policy educational materials.

I'm also a new wife and stepmother to an amazing 11-year-old boy. I score his baseball games, stand in as videogame sidekick, and make sure those math answers are correct. I live in a small town in New Jersey and work in the big city of New York.

But enough about me. Let's talk about you. This newsletter needs you. We want your ideas. We want to know what you want to read about. We want to know how this publication can best serve you. Email me at sherrimar@gmail.com with any suggestions you may have. Want to learn more about a particular topic? Let us know and we'll get the experts into the mix.

Lastly, this is not a singular effort. If you would like to help out in a more formal capacity, email me. We need people to help bring in good content. We need contributors and copy-editors. Whatever your time and talent, we are happy to have you as part of the team.

Thank you in advance for letting me serve you in this role. I look forward to hearing your suggestions and questions.