Hey Tom, My suggestion would be to avoid lecturing at them as the usability expert. Sounds like you need to be the evangelist first, and their coach second. Start with an interactive - workshop like exercise that demonstrates what it is like to work with or design a product without much insight into the user (as a sighted person, design a handheld interface for the blind for instance). Use this to show the importance of the topic. Then (also using participatory exercises) pull them into the fold of techniques and issues through demonstration. This approach will take more planning, effort and more of their time, but will be much more effective.
Also - I think it helps if you can take them outside of their domain. If they all work on websites.. use something else for your examples and then relate it to what they do. This lets them draw their own conclusions and inferences based upon your carefully guided lessons. This gives them buy in and ownership of the importance of usability in what they do. Mark On Wednesday, January 16, 2008, at 08:50AM, "Tom Dell'Aringa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Hi folks, > >My boss has asked me to do some usability training sessions for our >development team. Obviously this is a good thing, he wants them to be >thinking of the tools available to them and how they can utilize me better. >I would have to present to a group of about 25-40 people. They will be >developers and QA people mostly. > >Can anyone share what they have done in the past in this regard? Certainly I >don't want to bore people or get into the details of how things are built, >but rather how the tools and methods themselves can help make their projects >better (for example, how a persona would benefit their project). > >I do have the one-sheeters I made, I could use those as a starting point I >suppose. I'm just wondering what the best way is to present this material, >open to any and all opinions, or examples if you have them. > >Thanks! > >Tom >________________________________________________________________ >*Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* >February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA >Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ > >________________________________________________________________ >Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! >To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe >List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines >List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > > ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
