We're sending out double-duty email here - August's event, and a (delayed) recap of our last event on Rapid Prototyping.
AUGUST Happy Hour--- Please join us on Wednesday, August 12th for our next Chicago IxDA gathering! Chris Bernard of Microsoft will be hosting the happy hour at the Aon Center. There will also be a demo available for Microsoft Sketchflow, the interaction design tool that's part of the Expression Blend suite (see our recap below for more information - this tool garnered a lot of interest at our July meeting). Time: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Address: Aon Center, 200 E. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL (exact location and time range TBD) Please RSVP by end of day Monday, August 10th. You will get a confirmation message after filling out this RSVP form. See you there! JULY recap----- And now for a delayed recap of our July event. To watch the video of this meeting, see it on UStream here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1813462 Erik Klimczak of Clarity Consulting talked about rapid prototyping. He focused on three methods: Video - Clarity has used video as a way to quickly show the possibilities with a gesture-based solution. Erik showed us a prototype made during the business development process that involved using a greenscreen overlay on a Microsoft Surface table, with a person gesturing in a planned pattern - the basic screens of the Surface table where then mocked up in the video using Adobe After Effects. This allowed for a quick turnaround of a concept (2-3 days) that demonstrated the natural movement and context of a gestural interface in an engaging way without requiring a full Surface prototype. Microsoft Sketchflow - Erik then showed us how Clarity has been using Sketchflow within the Expression Suite to prototype early concepts in a way that shows movement from screen to screen and interactive elements, in a manner that generates usable code. Leveraging design assets in the final project is a goal in order to save effort and cost, especially if paired with an iterative process to ensure feedback. Flash Catalyst - This tool is Adobe's answer to interaction design that lets people familiar with Adobe products build rich experiences / prototypes with photoshop files in lieu of code. It's still in beta mode - you can see it out here: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcatalyst/ JOB OPENINGS--- ------------------------------------------- Position Title: User Experience Architect Department: User Experience Client : Sears Engagement Length: Approximately 9 weeks Location of Position: Chicago, IL POSITION: User Experience Architect JOB SUMMARY: The User Experience team at Sears Holdings Online Services is looking for a senior user experience architect with five plus years of experience and a passion for collaboration, technology, user-centric interaction design, and application design to join our close-knit group of web professionals. Specific requirements we're asking for besides five years of experience- Create compelling interactions and experiences with the target audiences' needs in mind. Work independently and collaboratively in an agile environment. Plan and execute iterative user research and analysis projects, including but not limited to interviews, concept and usability testing and heuristic evaluations. Collaborate to develop scenarios, navigation models and prototypes for demonstration of concepts to stakeholders and project teams. Develop and document detailed information architecture and interaction designs for highly interactive interfaces to support business strategy, marketing strategy and desired user behaviors. Serve as an expert consultant during the detailed design phase by reviewing interaction design, copy and visual design for usability best practices. Work collaboratively on multi-disciplinary teams. And someone who has: A college or university degree in information design, human factors, human-computer interaction or related field (strongly preferred). 5+ years experience in user experience strategy, information architecture and concept development applied to web-based and application design. 2+ years in planning and executing usability research activities, including usability testing and evaluations, with at least one year applying these skills to web-based design. Project experience working with teams on large-scale, long-term projects. Proficiency with design tools including Visio and MS Office Suite. Familiarity with current user experience and usability research, theories, best practices and methodologies. Knowledge of web user-interface technology, excellent analytical and process-oriented skills, strong verbal and written skills. Strong knowledge of user-centered design methods and techniques. Experience working on multiple projects simultaneously. Other required skills include: User research and scenario generation Process flow generation Site structure definition Concept generation and modeling Wireframe design Solution prototyping Audits and evaluations Team leadership Group facilitation Project planning and tracking Mentorship of co-workers, including design inspiration The ability to identify tools, templates and techniques that would evolve the existing approaches of the digital experience and development groups If interested send your resume to: [email protected] ________________________________________________________________ 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
