Elections coming / Volunteer Opportunities / Refresh Detroit presents "Putting the User First, Remotely"

[MiUPA]

Elections are coming once again for the MI UPA, and there are many
ways to get involved in your local chapter of the UPA! All of these
ways come with excellent opportunities for networking, shaping chapter
events according to your interests, and the prestige that comes with
taking a leadership role in a professional organization.

Running for the Board
We are not holding elections until October, but it is not too early to
think about running for a position on the board. These positions allow
you to take a leading role in organizing MI UPA meetings and
conferences, interact with other professional organizations, and gain
valuable experience. Although a position on the MI UPA board requires
that you be a member of UPA, the MI UPA will sponsor the membership of
its board members.

If you are interested in running for the MI UPA board, you must be a
member of the UPA (usabilityprofessionals.org) and have a bio and
statement by October 1st. If you're interested in running for the
board and have any questions about it, please contact Mike Beasley at
trea...@miupa.org, or any of the other officers. We'll be happy to
tell you more and help you get your materials together.

Volunteering
There is another great way to test the waters of MI UPA activity,
though. As a volunteer, you can get your feet wet with a smaller chunk
of the Michigan UPA's activities. By joining one of our committees,
you can help the Michigan UPA, gain valuable experience, and network
with other professionals while maintaining a lower level of
commitment. It's also important to note that you do not have to be a
UPA member to become one of our volunteers.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or learning more, please
contact Mike Beasley at trea...@miupa.org, or any of the other
officers. After we complete this year's elections, we'll be looking at
getting our committees organized and ready to go for 2011.

----------

In other news, Refresh Detroit is holding an event that sounds
interesting!

"Putting the User First, Remotely" at Cengage Learning ... and Your
Company
Wednesday, September 22 at Washtenaw Community College

Join us September 22, 2010 as Mark Thompson-Kolar, speaks on remote
user testing.

In today's era of agile methods -- when software is developed quickly
in sprints and ease of use often is crucial for success in a fierce
marketplace -- companies of all sizes benefit from hearing users'
input early and often.

Learn how remote user testing can help guide programming teams. Mark
will discuss how remote user testing was done at Cengage Learning and
offer suggestions about how your company can put these methods to
work.

The meeting will be held at Washtenaw Community College in Room 103 of
the Morris Lawrence building (map).

Mark Thompson-Kolar is a master's student at the University of
Michigan in the School of Information where he is studying information
architecture, interface usability and content strategy. Before his
current studies, he was a newspaper editor, designer and manager for
18 years at daily news media companies in Michigan and Indiana. He has
prior bachelor's and graduate degrees from University of Michigan.


http://guestlistapp.com/events/31467