CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF USABILITY PROFESSIONALS! APRIL 19, 2009

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NEWSLETTEROur April MeetingWe wi! be experimenting with a new concep" that promises to be interesting and fu#.

Our next Chapter meeting will be held Wednesday evening, April 29, 2009 at the Synapse Group in Stamford.

This month we will be experimenting with a new concept that promises to be interesting and fun " we are having a series of very brief 10 minute presentations! The agenda is still being put together, and probably will be right up until Wednesday evening, but it will certainly be something di#erent. Herb Wexler will be moderating, and he has promised to be absolutely unmerciful in strictly enforcing the 10 minute limit. I'm sure it will be a huge challenge for most of us to actually complete anything in 10 minutes. Here are the rules that we will faithfully abide by:

1. Presenters should have no more than 6 slides max.

2. Presenters will be allowed 10 minutes exactly for the presentation. Herb will be keeping track with a timer and provide a warning at 2 minutes to go, 1 minute to go, 30 seconds to go, then at 10 minutes $ you’re done! No going over.

3. Personal introduction limited to no more than 10 seconds!

4. Presenters should avoid condensed or ultra"rapid speech %you may want to practice to get the timing down.&

5. After the 10"minute presentation, there will be 5 minutes for questions. This will be timed, as well, and kept to exactly 5 minutes.

6. Speakers may optionally bring a one"page handout to accompany the presentation. Audience members generally appreciate these.

As mentioned above, the meeting will be held at The Synapse Group, 225 High Ridge Road, East Building, Stamford, CT. Light refreshments will be available at 6:30, with the meeting starting at 7:00.

http://www.ctupa.org

www.ctupa.org

Ride Share ProgramHave you reached out to

another member to ride share to our next meeting? It’s a great way to meet fellow usability professionals "" and cut down on the expense of traveling to our monthly chapter meetings.

If you are interested in learning more about the program "" please send me a note, or introduce yourself to me at the next meeting.

Volunteers ! We Need Your Help!

We will need volunteers to write monthly newsletter articles, present at upcoming meetings and work on the Chapters social network for members. Please contact me to sign"up.

Herb Wexler, Vice President CT UPA

herbwexler@optonline.net

CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF USABILITY PROFESSIONALS! APRIL 19, 2009

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April Meeting location:

Synapse Group, 225 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT.

As is our custom, light refreshments will be available at 6:30, and informal networking will ensue until the meeting commences at 7:00.

http://www.synapsegroupinc.com/

Mad*Pow Rocks in March!

Our March meeting was both well attended and extremely informative. Our deepest thanks to Amy Cueva and Michael Hawley for expertly presenting;

! " Search & Filter: Interface Roundup

! " Turning Your Customer Experience into a Competitive Di#erentiator

! " Social Media for Business

If you are interested in downloading the slide decks " click the link below %Search under Recent Events&

http://www.madpow.net/mad"pow"our"company"events.html

www.madpow.com

CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF USABILITY PROFESSIONALS! APRIL 19, 2009

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INTERFACE TOOL TIPS

Wireframe Tool:

iPlotz O"ers more than Wireframes

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There seems to be a quiet war raging in the software industry " among an array of companies attempting to satisfy the needs of the GUI designer. In my opinion, this war is long over due. The days for supplying GUI designers with tools like Visio and Illustrator to create mockups are over. It’s time to have tools that focus on doing a few things very well, versus jammed packed with features.

iPlotz is both a desktop and web application that is based on three basic principles;

1. Manage

2. Wireframe

3. Preview

The Manage landing page allows the designer to set"up a project and establish timeframes, tasks and accountabilities.

The Wireframe dashboard features a robust array of interface components " that can be dragged and dropped onto a canvas. In addition to a browser & application window, there is a iPhone widget. If you are creating several wireframes, they are easily linked together " providing simple, clickable wireframes.

Finally, you can preview the wireframes in the Preview mode " where it s simple to usability test. As seen in exhibit 3, the wireframes are in a ‘sketch’ mode " which looks hand drawn.

A single license is a#ordable " just '75 for the desktop version. There are several other pricing options available.http://iplotz.com/price.php

Kudos to the developers of iPlotz " they have created a very good wireframing tool.

- Michael Rawlins President CT UPA

muchael.rawlins@gmail.co$

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