Mizzou World Usability Day 2006

The University of Missouri-Columbia will hold its first ever World
Usability Day event on Tuesday, Nov. 14 in Memorial Union. The 2006 program will focus on Web usability and
accessibility and is designed for Web developers, programmers,
designers, writers and anyone else involved in building the Web at
Mizzou. All Mizzou students, faculty and staff are invited to attend. 

Schedule of Events

University Bookstore is sponsoring a book table from 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Stock your Web usability resource library with some of these
recommended books.

8:30 a.m.

Keynote — The Usability of Academic Websites: Challenges and Opportunities

Sanda Erdelez, associate professor and director of MU
Information Experience Lab
School
of Information Science
and Learning Technologies

How can we apply the basic principles of Web usability to
the unique and changing requirements of academic websites? Based on theoretical
insight into information behavior research and practical experience in Web
usability evaluation this keynote will address the challenges and opportunities
for academic Web designers and developers.

Location: Mark Twain Ballroom, N201/202 Memorial Union

10 a.m.

Session 1 — Interaction and Contextual Design

Jim Laffey, professor
School
of Information Science
and Learning Technologies

Human computer interaction and software design are no longer
simply form fill-in, prompts, dropdown menus and mouse clicks. Systems and
interface design must engage users in interactions that are meaningful and
contextually relevant. The presentation will provide an introduction to the
models and methods of contextual design for interaction.

Location: Mark Twain Ballroom, N201/202 Memorial Union

Session 2 — Web Accessibility 

Mike Peplow
Adaptive Computing Technology Center 

This presentation gives a general overview of Web
accessibility along with a few tips to make web pages more user-friendly.  This will be followed by a demonstration of
Web site navigation using Jaws (a program for blind individuals) and Dragon NaturallySpeaking
(a program for individuals with mobility impairments).

Location: Jane Froman Room, N243 Memorial Union

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Information Experience Lab Open House

The Information Experience Laboratory ™, MU’s research and
usability testing facility in the School
of Information Science
and Learning Technologies (SISLT), will be open for tours between 11 a.m. and 1
p.m. 

Location: 105 London
Hall 

1 p.m.

Session 3 — Morae Demo

Borchuluun Yadamsuren
School
of Information Science
and Learning Technologies

This demonstration will show how Morae, an application for
software and Web site usability testing, is used in MU’s Information Experience
Lab.

Location: Mark Twain Ballroom, N201/202 Memorial Union 

2 p.m.

Session 4 — 10 Ways to Make Your Web Site More Usable

Niki Stanley
Office of Web Communications

A few simple changes can have a big impact on the usability
of your Web site. Learn practical, low-cost ways to make your site more usable
so that users leave happy and keep coming back.

Location: Mark Twain Ballroom, N201/202 Memorial Union 

3 p.m.

Session 5 —Web Analytics and Usability Testing

Paul Turner
Instructor/Manager Digital Media Zone
School
of Information Science
and Learning Technologies 

Usability testing helps you figure out the why of your Web
site visitors. Web analytics data can tell you when, where and how your
customers are collectively navigating your site. Used together these methods
can help you get a more complete picture of your Web site user behavior and
experience.

Location: Mark Twain Ballroom, N201/202 Memorial Union

4 p.m.

Session 6 — Round-Table Discussion

All participants are invited to share their experiences in
an open discussion about Web usability issues, challenges and strategies.

Location: Mark Twain Ballroom, N201/202 Memorial Union