[Webpub] CSAIL/HCI: What Users's Want

[Jeff Reed]

The following is open to the MIT Community.  The speaker usually draws a good audience so plan to arrive early.

 
MIT CSAIL Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Seminar Series

http://www.csail.mit.edu/events/eventcalendar/calendar.php?show=series&id=41 <http://www.csail.mit.edu/events/eventcalendar/calendar.php?show=series&id=41> 

Topic: What Users's Want

http://www.csail.mit.edu/events/eventcalendar/calendar.php?show=event&id=807 <http://www.csail.mit.edu/events/eventcalendar/calendar.php?show=event&id=807> 

Speaker: Jared Spool, User Interface Engineering <jspool at uie.com>

Date/Time: Friday, 16-Sep-2005 from 1:30PM to 2:30PM

(Refreshments at 1:15PM)

Location: MIT Room 32-G449, Patil/Kiva, Stata Center, 32 Vassar St.

When users arrive at web sites, they are craving answers to their questions and insights to their problems. Sites are all about giving users the information they need. How do you know if you've answered all their questions? How do you know if you've supplied complete answers?

When people can't find the information they need online, they do what comes naturally: they ask someone. The UIE research team has spent the last year systematically analyzing thousands of questions that users asked each other online. Based on this extensive research, we've produced a framework that explains the content that users are seeking.  You can use this framework to ensure you create a successful web site.

If your site describes your organization's services, provides answers to complicated questions, or helps users make important decisions, you'll find this groundbreaking research invaluable. You'll see how this new framework will help you reduce your organization's support costs and increase your customer loyalty.  Jared will show you to apply the framework, including the different question types users ask. You'll see how different approaches to information architecture, site navigation, layout, and content affect the success of your users. You will learn new techniques for planning, writing, and validating the site's content to assess and ensure its completeness and high user satisfaction.

Bio: Jared Spool has been working in the field of usability and design since 1978.

Jared spends his time working with the research teams at User Interface Engineering and helps clients understand how to solve their design problems. He is the conference chair and keynote speaker at the twice-annual User Interface Conference and is on the faculty of the Tufts University Gordon Institute. His latest work is as co-author of Getting Them to What They Want, a report about the best practices for designing successful navigation to content.

 

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Jeff Reed :: Team Leader - DCAD
Web Communications Services :: Database Development Services
jlreed at mit.edu :: 617-258-0278 :: N42-240d
MIT :: Information Services & Technology