Presented by Ali Arya

Date: Tuesday November 15, 2011
Time: doors open at 6:00 pm; talk begins at 6:30 pm
Place: TheCodeFactory, 246 Queen St., Ottawa, ON, Canada

Abstract:
Using cameras to detect human motion has been a topic of research in computer vision research for decades. This research has resulted in a series of methods for human-computer interaction, which recently received a surge of more attention due to the success of vision-based game control systems, Microsft Kinect for Xbox and Sony Move for Playstation. In particular, Kinect and a couple of other similar 3D cameras have provided HCI researchers with significant new opportunities. This talk will review some of the more traditional computer vision approaches to HCI and also covers the new developments in this area using more recent technologies. Some future possibilities will be discussed based on these new technologies.

Speaker Bio:
Ali Arya received a B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Tehran Polytechnic, Iran, in 1990, and his Ph.D. degree in computer engineering from the Department of Elec. and Computer Eng., University of British Columbia, Canada, in 2004.

He has worked as research engineer, system analyst, and project manager in different research centers and leading companies, including Tehran Cybernetic Arm Project, Iran, and Honeywell, Canada, and also as instructor and post-doctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, both in Vancouver, Canada. Since August 2006, he has been with the School of Information Technology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada where he is an associate professor and coordinator of Interactive Multimedia & Design program. His research interests include interactive multimedia systems, human-computer interaction, social user interfaces, virtual worlds and virtual characters, computer graphics and animation, games and digital art and entertainment. His research project s are funded by NSERC, SSHRC, OCE, and industrial partners.

Ali is a senior member of the IEEE and a member of editorial board and technical committees of various journals and conferences including International Journal of Computer Games Technology, the Open Cybernetics and Systemics Journal, and the Computer Graphics International, EuroMedia, and Cybergames Conferences.

When and Where:
This event will take place on Tuesday, November 15, 6:00 pm at TheCodeFactory, located at 246 Queen Street, between Bank and Kent, (on the second floor) above the Green Papaya Restaurant.

Note: There is no cost for attending this event and prior registration is not required. The doors open at 6:00 pm and the talk begins at 6:30 pm. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. An informal social gathering will follow at a nearby pub.

CapCHI (www.capchi.org) is a social and professional society of people who work as user interface designers, researchers, educators, software developers, web designers, graphic designers and human factors engineers in and around Canada’s National Capital Region. Founded in 1991, CapCHI’s goal is to bring together local professionals interested in how humans and computers interact, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

Date: Saturday, November 5, 2011
Time: 9am – 4pm
Location: University of Ottawa, Lamoureux Building, Room 122

UXCamp Ottawa is returning on November 5, 2011. If you’re interested in User Experience, this might be a great way to spend a Saturday.

A bit about UXCamp: UXCamp Ottawa is for people who want to learn and share about user experience to make things work better for people. We’ll cover topics like design, usability, information architecture, user interfaces, service design, and anything and everything else about creating better products and better experiences.

This year, the conference welcomes Dana Chisnell of UsabilityWorks as the keynote. Her presentation, Democracy is a Design Problem is a story about how a simple change in type size on a commonly used form led to two major wars and a world wide economic crisis. Design matters.

We also welcome a number of other UX speakers including Gabor Vida from Ottawa’s own Teknision speaking on DeviceUXD: From RIM’s Blackberry Playbook Tablet to Kinect-enabled Kiosks. There’s also a new lightning round series: short 7 minute talks on various user experience issues and case studies.

Registration is $40 and is open and the web site is http://ottawa.uxcamp.ca.

Date: Saturday, November 5, 2011
Time: 9am – 4pm
Location: University of Ottawa, Lamoureux Building, Room 122

UXCamp is also on twitter: @uxcampottawa

Presented by Andy Maloney

Date: Tuesday October 18, 2011
Time: doors open at 6:00 pm; talk begins at 6:30 pm
Place: TheCodeFactory, 246 Queen St., Ottawa

Abstract:
“You are not the user” is often presented as a [sometimes not-so-gentle] reminder to designers that usually you are not the one who is going to be using the results of your design. This implies that you need to somehow put yourself into their position to see things from their perspective. If you are dropped into a situation where you have to design and implement software for an expert in a field you know nothing about, how do you do it? How do you go from knowing nothing to becoming a subject matter expert?

In this talk we’ll explore how you might “become the user” to help guide your design decisions and how the in-depth knowledge of another domain can be combined with your expertise to lead to innovation. Andy will draw on his experiences designing and implementing a derivatives-trading system for market-makers and creating a bloodstain pattern analysis tool for crime scene investigators to jump-start a discussion.

This talk is aimed at anyone interested in user-centered design and anyone faced with the “oh no!” moment when you realize you don’t know anything about the field you’re about to work in. Please come prepared with questions and experiences to share!

Speaker Bio:
Andy Maloney has been a software guy since the dawn of the home computer age and likes learning new things. He completed a degree in Computing and Information Science, which turned out to be a Good Thing because it’s only useful when combined with other fields which means there’s a lot of opportunity to learn new stuff. He has worked on hard-core software engineering of banking software, designed and implemented a derivatives trading system in Europe, worked on game engine software for independent game developers, and created a bloodstain pattern analysis tool for crime scene investigators. He also likes coffee.

When and Where:
This event will take place on Tuesday, October 18, 6:00 pm at TheCodeFactory, located at 246 Queen Street, between Bank and Kent, (on the second floor) above the Green Papaya Restaurant.

Note: There is no cost for attending this event and prior registration is not required. The doors open at 6:00 pm and the talk begins at 6:30 pm. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. An informal social gathering will follow at a nearby pub.

CapCHI (www.capchi.org) is a social and professional society of people who work as user interface designers, researchers, educators, software developers, web designers, graphic designers and human factors engineers in and around Canada’s National Capital Region. Founded in 1991, CapCHI’s goal is to bring together local professionals interested in how humans and computers interact, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

Presented by Paul Jackson, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Government of Canada

Date: Tuesday September 20, 2011
Time: 6:00pm
Place: TheCodeFactory, 246 Queen St., Ottawa

Abstract:
The Web Experience Toolkit (WET) is a collection of open source tools and solutions that enable web developers to create and maintain innovative Websites that are accessible, usable, and interoperable. WET is collaboratively developed and maintained by both Government of Canada (GC) departments and external Web communities.

This session will focus on the solutions developed through WET as well as the license model, processes, and collaboration framework that make it all possible. It will also cover how WET helps to improve Web sites by building solutions that address Web Accessibility (WCAG 2.0 AA and WAI-ARIA) and how these solutions are now evolving to address Web usability and Web interoperability.

Speaker Bio:
Paul Jackson (@pjackson28), WET project lead, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Government of Canada

When and Where:
This event will take place on Tuesday, September 20, 6:00pm at TheCodeFactory, located at 246 Queen Street, between Bank and Kent, (on the second floor) above the Green Papaya Restaurant.

Note: There is no cost for attending this event and prior registration is not required. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. An informal social gathering will follow at a nearby pub.

CapCHI (www.capchi.org) is a social and professional society of people who work as user interface designers, researchers, educators, software developers, web designers, graphic designers and human factors engineers in and around Canada’s National Capital Region. Founded in 1991, CapCHI’s goal is to bring together local professionals interested in how humans and computers interact, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

At Follow the UX Leader we believe in learning by doing.  That’s why we’ve created a series of training workshops on advanced web practices that throw out the PowerPoint paradigm and shift the learning back to the way it was when we were kids: Hands on… Interactive… and Fun!

User Experience Design

• Learn paper prototyping for web and mobile
• Recognize the influence of culture when designing for a global audience
• Discover the advantages of remote and moderated user testing
• Debunk UX myths and experience exercises that align people with technology

Information Architecture

• Learn how to transform data into information people can easily find
• Learn why your organizational structure should not mirror your site structure
• Discover methods for designing sustainable site structures for the web and mobile
• Experience how personas can improve labeling and messaging

Writing for the Web

• Learn the principles of User Experience that help in creating engaging content for social media, mobile, and web
• Find out why plain language is more important than marketing speak
• Discover how personas are fundamental to desktop and mobile publishing
• Write “searchable” content using best practices in content marketing

Content Strategy

• Learn how to plan, deliver, and govern web content across mobile, social media, and web channels
• Find out how content analysis can lead to better engagement
• Discover how to manage site-wide content more effectively
• Learn how to avoid and manage content rot

Vancouver October 24^th, 25^th, 27^th, and 28, 2011

Ottawa November 7^th, 8^th, 9^th, and 10^, 2011

Jamaica January 30^th, 31^st, February 2^nd and 3, 2012

Visit www.followtheuxleader.com for more information.

Presented by Amanda Holtstrom, Consultant, non~linear creations

Date: Tuesday June 21, 2011
Time: 6:00pm
Place: TheCodeFactory, 246 Queen St., Ottawa

Abstract:

You’re probably already familiar with design tricks to encourage the user behavior that you want — bigger buttons, color choice, font choice, and so on. There are other strategies, however, that rely on the tools of human psychology to motivate and shape behavior. This session explores tunneling, credibility, motivation, social proof, and more as techniques that you can integrate into your project toolkit. These can be used as part of a more holistic approach to designing for adoption that includes the interface, help, training, and communications strategy.

Speaker:

Amanda Holtstrom, Consultant, non~linear creations.

When and Where:

This event will take place on Tuesday, June 21, 6:00pm at TheCodeFactory, located at 246 Queen Street, between Bank and Kent, (on the second floor) above the Green Papaya Restaurant.

Note: There is no cost for attending this event and prior registration is not required. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. An informal social gathering will follow at a nearby pub.

CapCHI (www.capchi.org) is a social and professional society of people who work as user interface designers, researchers, educators, software developers, web designers, graphic designers and human factors engineers in and around Canada’s National Capital Region. Founded in 1991, CapCHI’s goal is to bring together local professionals interested in how humans and computers interact, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

Presented by Mike Gifford, OpenConcept Consulting Inc

Date: Tuesday May 17, 2011
Time: 6:00pm
Place: TheCodeFactory, 246 Queen St., Ottawa

Abstract:

Rapidly growing in popularity, Drupal is an open source Content Management System (CMS) that is in use within all sectors including government, business, non-profit, and civil society. How does this widely adopted tool for website development support accessibility issues? How has a small core of people within the broader the Drupal community developed a culture of developers who “get it”?

Speaker Bio:

Mike Gifford is the founder of OpenConcept Consulting Inc, which he  started in 1999. He not only specializes in developing and supporting Drupal  websites but is also part of the global community working to improve it. OpenConcept has been a major contributor to the advancement of  accessibility enhancements within Drupal, especially for the new  release of Drupal 7.

When and Where:

This event will take place on Tuesday, May 17, 6:00pm at TheCodeFactory, located at 246 Queen Street, between Bank and Kent, (on the second floor) above the Green Papaya Restaurant.

Note: There is no cost for attending this event and prior registration is not required. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. An informal social gathering will follow at a nearby pub.

CapCHI (www.capchi.org) is a social and professional society of people who work as user interface designers, researchers, educators, software developers, web designers, graphic designers and human factors engineers in and around Canada’s National Capital Region. Founded in 1991, CapCHI’s goal is to bring together local professionals interested in how humans and computers interact, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

Date: Tuesday April 19, 2011
Time: 6:00pm
Place: TheCodeFactory, 246 Queen St., Ottawa

Abstract:
Governments and enterprises are delivering more and more services through non-traditional channels such as Mobile Devices and Social Networks. How will these new channels of service delivery and their accompanying technology changes affect the user experience? What should the user experience approach be? What methodological processes should be used?

Speaker Bio:
Dominira (Dom) Saul is the Director of User Experience for Akendi and has worked both as an interaction designer and a user researcher in a wide variety of market sectors; including telecom, government, finance, health, consumer electronics, eBusiness, eLearning, and network operations. Dom is a strong believer that behind every well-designed product or service there is a thorough understanding of the actual users and their needs. He has lectured at the university level, and delivered many training courses and lectures. Dom has brought a consistent message of excellence in user experience to such groups as Social Media Breakfast Ottawa, Content Strategy Ottawa Meet-Up, UX Montreal and at the Carleton University Computer Science Game Day. Dom as been interviewed on The Customer Experience Show and is a lecturer at Carleton University for the course on Aspects of Product Design Methodology. Dom has a solid academic grounding and is a leading practitioner in his field backed by an MSc. in User Interface Design from London Guildhall University, a BA in Psychology from Carleton University and over 10 years of usability research and interaction design experience in the UK and Canada.

When and Where:
This event will take place on Tuesday, April 19th, 6:00pm at TheCodeFactory, located at 246 Queen Street, between Bank and Kent, (on the second floor) above the Green Papaya Restaurant.

Note: There is no cost for attending this event and prior registration is not required. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. An informal social gathering will follow at a nearby pub.

CapCHI is a social and professional society of people who work as user interface designers, researchers, educators, software developers, web designers, graphic designers and human factors engineers in and around Canada’s National Capital Region. Founded in 1991, CapCHI’s goal is to bring together local professionals interested in how humans and computers interact, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

http://blog.privcom.gc.ca/index.php/2011/03/29/insights-on-privacy-adam-greenfield-and-aza-raskin/

What: Tech innovators Adam Greenfield (@agpublic) and Aza Raskin (@azaaza) will explore opportunities for privacy in the design of intimate devices, like smart phones, that we share our lives with every day, to the sensor-rich landscape that’s upon us. We’ll discuss opportunities for companies to empower individuals with greater choice and control over how their data are used and for greater collaboration within and across industry sectors.

Who: In his 2006 book Everyware, Adam Greenfield argued that we were headed for a world in which keeping the boundaries between different roles in our lives was going to prove untenable. That notion is coming to pass with the current debate over the public/private divide and the blurring of our various roles and reputations online. Adam was Nokia‘s head of design direction for user interface and services from 2008 to 2010 and Lead Information Architect at Razorfish Tokyo. His current projects through Urbanscale focus on improving how users experience technology, such as stored-value cards for public transit and many other “smart-city” initiatives.
Aza Raskin’s passion for improving the way we experience technology recently had him heading up user experience for Mozilla, developer of the popular Firefox browser, where he rethought and simplified conventional approaches to privacy policies. Raskin left Mozilla in late 2010 to launch the start-up Massive Health, with the goal of helping people improve control of their health through innovatively designed technology and the ways we interact with it.

When: Wednesday, April 20, 2011; 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Where: Minto Suites Hotel, 185 Lyon Street North, 2nd Floor, Salon Vanier/Stanley

How: RSVP to knowledge.savoir@priv.gc.ca before April 15, 2011. Space is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Date: May 16^th, 18^th, and 19^th 2011

Time: 9 – 5 pm

Place: The Courtyard Restaurant, 21 George Street, Ottawa

Website: http://www.followtheuxleader.com

Learn cutting edge User Experience principles by doing!

• User Experience Training / Usability Training
• Information Architecture Training
• Web Writing Course

Follow The UX Leader brings together insight, experiences and knowledge from Internet industry leaders in a series of training workshops on advanced web practices you won’t want to miss!

Taught by Ottawa’s foremost experts in User Experience Design and Web Content Strategy, Follow The UX Leader throws out the PowerPoint and shifts learning back to the way it was when we were kids ….hands-on, interactive, and fun!

Chock-full of cutting edge knowledge and resources you can use right away, workshop fees include invaluable give-aways totaling close to $500: books by Rosenfeld Media and Morgan Kaufmann, tools from Loop11, CoMapping, ClickTale, and the Optimal Workshop.

For more information, please contact:

Jeff Parks at jeff@followtheuxleader.com

(613) 850-3218

or

Kristina Mausser at kristina@followtheuxleader.com

(613) 882-8020

When and Where: Workshops are held in the Loft Room at Ottawa’s historic Courtyard Restaurant in the heart of the Byward Market. Its beamed ceilings, gas fireplace, and stone walls serve as the perfect backdrop for a day of inspiration and creativity!

Who: Follow The UX Leader training workshops were created to deliver quality content and instruction on advanced web practices for web designers, web developers, marketing managers, project managers, and communications professionals.

Sponsored By: Information Architecture Institute, FatDUX, ClickTale, the Optimal Workshop, Morgan Kaufmann, Loop11, Rosenfeld Media, Bioniq, CoMapping