Usable Usability - Lean UX Starts Right Here - Eric Reiss - Full Day Workshop

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Workshop by: Eric Reiss

"Usable Usability - The Lean UX Starts Right Here"

We talk a lot these days about responsive design and “mobile first.” But what this really means is responding to the needs of the device and not to the needs of the user. And in a weak economy, “mobile first” can easily become “mobile only” – a discount version of a proper application or website.

I think we need to think in new and innovative ways if we are to make mobile information truly useful. I don’t have the answers – in fact, I’m not even sure the technologies yet exist. But I would like to provide a framework that may prove helpful to designers of mobile applications in the years to come.

Usable Usability Full Day Workshop

If people cannot use something you make, then you have a serious problem. Usability is the science of ensuring that websites, applications, physical products and even offline services, do what they are supposed to do and that people can succeed with whatever tasks your “stuff” has been designed to help them with.

For Eric, usability builds on three E’s – Ease, Elegance, Empathy. This eye-opening full-day workshop will introduce you to an alternative way to cut the usability cake – a method for evaluating and improving products and services in a truly lean and agile way – a way that has proven successful with clients, business students, and seasoned usability professionals alike. It even includes a hands-on technique for individuals within a large organization to carry out guerilla-style usability hacks that show the value of usability to the people in charge of the budgets.

If users shouldn’t be expected to think, we, as designers, need to do the thinking for them! We MUST think! Here’s a quick rundown of the topics we’ll be covering, based on Eric’s best-selling book, Usable Usability, from John Wiley & Sons.

During this full-day workshop, presentation of each of the 10 major topics will be followed by a hands-on period where participants relate what they have learned to a specific project on which they are working. By the end of the day, each participant will leave with a simple, prioritized action plan designed to provide maximum benefits with minimal cost.

9:30 – 11:00

The first part of the workshop will deal with Ease of use – the product does what I want it to do. This deals with physical properties. Hence, the interactive elements should be:

– Functional (the buttons work, the speed is – acceptable)

– Responsive (the application reacts to your input, the application provides cognitive feedback)

– Ergonomic (Fitt’s Law, keyboard shortcuts, field tabbing, etc.)

– Convenient (content and interactive objects are there where I need them and elements that are needed simultaneously are visible simultaneously)

– Foolproof (less risk of error through RAF – Remind, Alert, Force. Less reliance on instructions)

11:00 – 11:15 Coffee break (provided)

11:15 – 13:00

After the break, we will finish off any “ease of use” issues that may remain. We will then start on the second half of the workshop - Elegance and clarity – the product does what I expect it to do. This deals with psychological properties. Hence, interactive elements should be:

– Visible (controls that can’t be seen don’t exist. Cut down the visual noise. Think feng shui)

– Understandable (clear and concise, no unexplained icons, colors and physical groupings for related functions and to improve scent)

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break (not provided)

14:00 – 15:30

We will continue the discussion with the final three of the 10 major points:

– Logical (don’t make me think, build sensible flows)

– Consistent (always the same name for the same function, no reuse of icons for different functions, no behavioral changes as objects open or close)

– Predictable (functions and navigation always in same place, elements don’t suddenly change behavior)

15:30 – 15:45 Coffee break(provided)

15:45 – 17:00

We will work together to formulate individual action plans based on the results of the 10 previous exercises.

About Eric Reiss

Eric Reiss (http://www.amazon.com/wiki/Eric_Reiss/ref=ntt_at_bio_wiki), the celebrated author three books, including the recently published Usable Usability: Simple Steps for Making Stuff Better (http://www.amazon.com/Usable-Usability-Simple-Making-Better/dp/1118185471/ref=la_B0034QAQ0G_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347448818&sr=1-1) -- now available on Amazon. Eric, a world renowned presenter will be sharing his experience of how to understand user’s needs, techniques for exceeding user's expectations, and a host of hard won advice for improving the overall quality of a user’s experience. After the workshop, there will be a book signing and social time.

Eric Reiss has been meddling with service- and product-design projects for longer than he cares to remember. Today, he is CEO of The FatDUX Group, (http://www.fatdux.com/en/Who/EricReiss) an international user-experience design company headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Eric has also lectured on design principles at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, is a former Professor of Usability and Design at the IE Business School in Madrid, and serves on the advisory boards of several universities and institutes in both Europe and the United States. His Web Dogma, a design philosophy that transcends both fashion and technology, has been adopted by 1000s of developers and companies around the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Reiss

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https://twitter.com/elreiss

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Eric's full day workshops are normally priced in the many hundreds of Euros. I was able to persuade Eric to come to Barcelona and share his invaluable breadth of knowledge and help us build an incredible ecosystem for startups at a steep discount for our group. This is an opportunity to engage with one of the leading global experts on usability - one on one, about your startup. I encourage you very strongly to participate and spend a day with world-renowned UX designer Eric Reiss.

What people are saying:

“Eric L. Reiss is like a one man army and is simply the most talented, creative and structured marketing professional that I have ever worked with. I simply lack words for describing how strongly I recommend Eric.”

Michael Seifert, CEO Sitecore A/S

“Many write, but few inspire. Listening to Eric speak, reading his books or his articles, or watching him engage a room full of listless, dull-eyed technologists makes you realize just how special he is. A true thought-leader in information architecture, business communications, and user experience, Eric exudes confidence, competence, and a clarity of purpose hardly anyone comes close to. I would recommend Eric with utterly no reservations.”

Joe Sokohl, HCI, Iconmedialab

“Eric is a brilliant thought leader – he's creative and inspiring, smart and technically savvy – plus he's one of the best presenters around. Eric engages his audience in the same way that he works with his clients – by designing the best possible user experience.

Lisa Colvin, Director, User Experience, Adapt Technologies

“We have had the genuine pleasure of having Eric as a keynote speaker at several conferences, e.g. "Usability Dagene 2005" (Usability Days 2005) and "Usability Dagene 2006". Eric has always received the best score among our keynote speakers, since his contributions are both highly relevant for usability professionals and motivational.

Jes Allersted, Senior Consultant, Danish IT Society / DANSK IT

”Eric Reiss is the Jon Stewart of user experience”

Grace Morgan, London

“Eric is a fabulous presenter, definitely one of the best I have encountered. He can engage his audience and get across a very clear, memorable message with inspiring ease. In addition to his experience with creating thorough and innovative web strategies, he brings valuable marketing insights into user experience and is without doubt a master of the message!”

Priyanka Kakar, Information Architect , Vanguard Financial Services

“Eric is not only one of the most charismatic figures in Information Architecture today, where he is a de facto living bridge between the Americas and Europe, but he is also a brilliant and engaging speaker who can captivate the audience, never lose his pace and goal, and bring the message home. His broad views, deep understanding, personable ways, and long standing professional position encompassing IA, UX, design and the business side of things make Eric a leader you want to work with.”

Andrea Resmini, Chair, Italian IA Summit