Free seminars (State Library of NSW)

Location: Dixson Room, Mitchell Wing,
State Library of NSW

10:30 – 11:00am Opening World Usability Day 2006
Susan Wolfe, Client Services Director, Different Solutions
Susan will open World Usability Day 2006 in Sydney and announce the launch of the Australia UPA Chapter.

11 – 11:30am How well does the web work for people who are blind or have low vision?
David Woodbridge, Senior Adaptive Technology Consultant, Vision Australia
David Woodbridge from Vision Australia will demonstrate how people who are blind use a screen reader to listen to web sites and how people who have low vision use a screen magnifier to make web sites readable. Includes top 10 things you should know to make the web easier for people who are blind or have low vision.

12 – 12:30pm Designing the User Experience for Office 2007
Shane Morris, User Experience Evangelist, Microsoft
Shane will discuss the history and tradeoffs that were made for the new
design of Office 2007, and the process of arriving there. He will also
discussed Microsoft’s User Experience strategy with regard to hiring
100 (eventually) User Experience Evangelists.

1pm – 1:30pm Stand up and speak out when it isn't usable

Daniel Woo, Senior Lecturer, University of NSW
Great products are never created the first time. It typically takes a
number of prototypes to refine a product to the point where it is usable by the
intended audience and still there are subsequent steps to making it an "incredible
user experience".  How do consumers tell designers that products don't work? When should
designers start listening to consumers? Is there a channel to give product feedback?
The challenge is before us: How should designers, consumers and
organisations communicate in order to make highly usable products?

2pm – 2:30pm Mobile phones - people who use them and usability
Oliver Weidlich, Mobile Usability Specialist, Ideal Interfaces
Mobile phones are getting more and more sophisticated, but is that a good or a bad thing? Oliver will look at what people are using their mobile phones for in Australia, the issues they are having, and how the industry can help. He will also look at the latest developments in mobile user interfaces and customer experience and the opportunities for mobile devices in the future.

3pm – 3:30pm NEWS Lab and Other Ways to Be Involved
Dr. Jackie Moyes, Head of Experience Architecture, News Digital Media
Using your users is becoming a crucial way for news sites to not only recruit grass roots journalists but also create products catered specifically for their audience. News Digital Media’s Dr. Jackie Moyes discusses the drivers behind the NEWS Lab and provides an overview of the other ways the Experience Architecture team have been working to involve users in the design of News Digital Media’s network of web sites.

Free activities (State Library of NSW)

10:30 – 4:00pm NEWS.com.au - NEWS Lab launch and interactive demonstrations

Location: Dixson Room, Mitchell Wing,
State Library of NSW

NEWS.com.au will be launching NEWS Lab, their new research and
development section, to coincide with World Usability
Day 2006. Visitors will be able to interact with and see demonstrations of new products,
and provide feedback which will help shape future products. NEWS Lab
will be available from November 14th at http://lab.news.com.au

10:30 – 2:30pm Mobile phone challenge

Location: Outside State Library of NSW, Macquarie Street, Sydney

This is a public event held near the entrance to the State Library (TBC). The challenge will be a race, involving 2 or 3 participants each taking a picture with a mobile camera phone (supplied). The participants will then attempt to send the picture with a message to a nominated contact.

Local sponsors

World Usability Day, Sydney 2006, gratefully acknowledges the support of the following organisations:

CHISIG 

Different

Hiser

PTG Global

NEWS.com.au (online media sponsor)

Weber Shandwick Sydney (local PR support)