The Amazing Place: A TriUPA Communication Game

Note: This event runs September 1, 2010 through November 1, 2010

World Usability Day 2010, on November 11, 2010, will focus on how products and services impact and facilitate communication around the world. Here in North Carolina, the Triangle Usability Professionals Association (TriUPA) and the Carolina Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) are teaming up to sponsor a communication game to encourage more communication among chapter members in addition to the annual World Usability Day celebration.

How do you communicate in everyday life? Put your communication skills to the test with the “Amazing Place” game. We've posted photos of a variety of locations around the Triangle to the TriUPA Facebook page. Your task is to identify these areas by communicating with other people, and the goal is to connect with TriUPA and HFES members and meet new people. To make it interesting, we’ve made it a competition.

The Game: Our game is inspired by the DARPA Network Challenge, envy of The Amazing Race participants, and the WUD 2010 theme of Communication. We've posted photographs of locations around the Triangle. Your mission is to identify the locations we've posted and take a picture of you and your team at each location. Then post your pictures by following the instructions at the TriUPA Facebook page by the deadline of November 1, 2010.

The Rules: A person or team wins the game by accumulating the most points. Accumulate points by identifying the most locations and gathering the most members to participate with you. Ties will be decided by the date of posting. Earlier dates beat later dates.

• Post a photo of yourself at one of our mystery locations = 1 point
• Each additional TriUPA or HFES member in the photo = 2 points
• Each additional non-member in the photo = 1 point
• Electronically inserting your image into our photos = 0 points! (Don't cheat, we'll know!)

You are encouraged to work with other people –that’s the whole point. You could find all the locations yourself but what fun would that be?

Prizes: Prizes will be awarded in several categories:

• First photo posted.
• Person or team with the most points.
• Person or team in the most locations.
• Most connected person.
• Picture with the most people.

The Logistics: We’ll get you started by providing a Facebook group. How you use technology and communication to meet the challenge is up to you and your imagination!

1. Go to the TriUPA Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=14604055007&view=all) to find the photographs of locations. We’ve already started posting photographs on the Facebook page and all of the locations will be posted by September 1. Be sure to check the Facebook page for updates.

2. Connect with other TriUPA and HFES members on Facebook to identify the locations and meet up for photos. You could find all the locations yourself but what fun would that be?

3. Post your photos on the Facebook page.

4. The deadline for uploading photos is November 1. The winner will be announced at our WUD celebration.