CT UPA June 2012 Meeting - NEW DATE!

"The Changing Face of Usability and HCI"

by Dr. Bill Gribbons from Bentley University

Our June meeting will feature a presentation by Dr. Bill Gribbons from Bentley University. The meeting will be 6:30pm on Thursday, June 21st (NOTE THE NEW DATE!) at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut.

Special thanks to Mad*Pow for sponsoring food and drink for our meeting

The Changing Face of Usability and HCI

Bill Gribbons, Director of Bentley’s graduate Human Factors program, will share his perspective on the rapidly evolving fields of usability, HCI and experience design. His unique perspective is based on 27 years in the field and his role as director of one of the largest graduate programs in the world. Bill will share early results from a series of interviews he has conducted with hiring managers around the country and placement feedback from recent graduates. Within this discussion he will highlight the knowledge, skills, and qualities most highly sought after by leading organizations. He will highlight those components of the field that remain constant and those aspects of the field that continue to change based on recent “game changers.” Finally, Bill will share advice he shares with his graduate students on the importance of managing one’s career in times of change and how to maintain your competitive advantage in such a dynamic marketplace.

William Gribbons, PhD

Dr. Gribbons is Director of the graduate Human Factors program at Bentley University, Waltham, Massachusetts. The Human Factors program at Bentley is among the largest and most respected program of this type in the country. In 2002, he was named Distinguished Professor of Human Factors in recognition of his contributions to the university and the profession.

In 1999, Dr. Gribbons founded the Design and Usability Center at Bentley, and continues to hold a senior consulting role. For over twenty-seven years he has provided testing services, UX consulting, and seminars to a diverse range of corporate clients around the world in the software, hardware, services and Web communities. Dr. Gribbons routinely delivers customized seminars on the topics of human factors, usability testing, field-based research, localization, user experience strategy, and interface design.

Dr. Gribbons received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. He is an Associate Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication. He has appeared on, and been quoted by, local and national media including the Associated Press, the Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal, Computerworld, Mass High Tech, The Financial Times, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, the Washington Times, East Bay Business Times, ABC “20-20”, Business 2.0, a nationally syndicated radio show (A Touch of Grey), Investor Business Daily, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. His long-term research interests center on the building of a unified theory defining the user experience and the promotion of user experience as a guiding business strategy.

Directions to Manchester Community College

Directions and campus information are available on the Manchester Community College website.

We will be meeting in the Great Path Academy building ("GPA" on the campus overview map). Come in the main entrance to campus (which is called Great Path) and the closest parking lot to our meeting location will be parking lot “B”. As you can see by the map, either a left or right will circle the campus, so you can’t go wrong.

Once in the Great Path Academy building go to the Great Path Commons conference room on the second floor.

Agenda

6:30pm - Food and networking

7:00pm - Announcements

7:15pm - Presentation