Author Archives: hcdesta

UX Speaker Series: Cross-Platform Product Design – Rhapsody Case Study

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Please join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) for a 10-week seminar this winter on user experience (UX), as industry experts speak about current issues and research in the field.

Each 40-minute talk will be filmed and will be followed by a Q&A session. Videos of each talk will be posted online afterwards. Members of the University of Washington community and the public are welcome. http://www.hcde.washington.edu/ux

Lecture Speaker: Carol Taylor

Date/Time: Friday, March 15, 2013 11:30–12:20 PM

Location: Loew Hall, Room 216
University of Washington, Seattle campus

Abstract                                                                                                                              Designing a compelling consumer service that delivers streaming music across a wide range of connected devices creates unique and complex UX challenges. Rhapsody has encountered different standards and constraints across mobile phones, tablets, PCs, Web, TVs, xBox and consumer electronics devices running Android, iOS, Windows, and other proprietary operating systems. Learn how we adapted and innovated to move towards a unified music service that compliments the needs and strengths of different contexts of use.

About the Speaker
 Carol A. Taylor is the Director of User Research and Experience at Rhapsody International, a streaming music service. Prior to Rhapsody, she worked at Motricity (mobile data services) and T-Mobile USA and was a partner in both Magi Group Interactive and Sakson & Taylor. She has been researching and designing user experiences for mobile, Web, and PC applications for the past 15 years and is currently focused on cross-platform experience design for mobile, PC, and consumer electronics devices.

UX Speaker Series: Empowering Mobile Computing with New Interaction Dimensions

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Please join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) for a 10-week seminar this winter on user experience (UX), as industry experts speak about current issues and research in the field.

Each 40-minute talk will be filmed and will be followed by a Q&A session. Videos of each talk will be posted online afterwards. Members of the University of Washington community and the public are welcome. http://www.hcde.washington.edu/ux

Lecture Speaker: Yang Li

Date/Time: Friday, March 8, 2013 11:30–12:20 PM

Location: Loew Hall, Room 216
University of Washington, Seattle campus

Abstract                                                                                                                               The ubiquity of mobile devices has fundamentally shifted the landscape of personal computing. However, there is a tension between the ever-growing computing power of these devices and the limited capability they offer for interaction. In this talk, I will focus on three important aspects of mobile interaction research: applications, design fundamentals and tool support. I will give examples of interactive systems that can leverage unique capabilities and interaction context of mobile devices, discuss our efforts in discovering and distilling fundamentals for designing mobile interaction, and demonstrate new methods and tools for creating advanced mobile interaction behaviors.

About the Speaker
 Yang Li is a Senior Research Scientist at Google, and an affiliate faculty member in Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington. He earned a PhD degree in Computer Science from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and then conducted postdoctoral research in EECS at the University of California at Berkeley. Yang is broadly interested in Human-Computer Interaction, especially mobile computing, interaction design tools and gesture-based interaction. His work (Gesture Search and Library) has been used by millions of users.

a16z Design Panel – March 4, 2013

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Monday, March 4th
Sieg Hall, Room 224
5:00PM – 6:00PM

Come join the Andreessen Horowitz team as we discuss how design
is impacting startups. We will have a panel discussion/Q&A with key
designers from our startups followed by an interactive mixer, dinner and
dessert.
Our portfolio companies are changing the way design is incorporated
into the overall product development strategy. Design is no longer just
about making a product aesthetically appealing, it’s also about solving
complex user problems. Join a16z, Julep, Apptio and Zulily to learn about
the convergence of tech and design!

RSVP at: jessica@a16z.com

If you are unable to attend but would like more information please contact Jessica Hansen at jessica@a16z.com

Summer at Highland Info Session – March 11, 2013

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Summer@Highland Info Session
Monday, March 11th
5:30-7:30pm, The Career Center (134 Mary Gates Hall)

Come and learn more about Summer@Highland, a summer startup program built exclusively for student founders. In its sixth year, Summer@Highland is hosted by Highland Capital Partners, a 25-year old, global venture capital firm that has raised over $3 billion in committed capital and backed current technology leaders like 2U, Aereo, Bit9, Leap Motion, LevelUp, Rent The Runway, Rethink Robotics, Violin Memory, and WePay.

Selected teams receive:

  • An $18,000 stipend to cover your expenses.
  • Free workspace in Highland’s Boston or Silicon Valley office.
  • A Highland investor mentor, who will help guide you to grow your company.
  • Access to a network of seasoned mentors through the Summer@Highland Speaker Series

Past teams include Cloudflare, Gemvara, Tivli, and Wildfire. In aggregate, some of the 35 alumni Summer@Highland companies have gone on to raise almost $100 million in venture capital and get acquired by tech giants like Dropbox, Google, and Oracle.

Bring your questions about the program, as well as any specific questions about the application process in advance of the application deadline: (Early) March 3, 2013 at 11:59pm PST and (Regular) April 1, 2013 at 11:59pm PST. Continue reading →

ADGi Sponsored Event: Design and Thinking Screening, March 6th, Seattle Art Museum

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‘Design and Thinking’ Screening and Panel Event, March 6, Seattle Art Museum

Analytic Design Group and OneOak Design is hosting a screening of ‘Design & Thinking’. View this new documentary and join in on the conversation with the post-screening panel discussion and reception as this fascinating topic is further explored and how it’s impact is being felt in Seattle and Beyond.

We have a terrific panel from a broad cross section of design disciplines that includes Jon Winebrenner or One Oak Design, Alysha Naples or TEAGUE, Carl Ledbetter of XBox, and Karyn Zuidinga of Analytic Design Group. We are looking for a lively and informative discussion!

Tickets can be purchased at: http://dandtmovie.eventbrite.com

Here is some information about the film.

Produced by One Time Studio in San Francisco, ‘Design & Thinking’ was funded via a successful Kickstarter campaign and features interviews with a some of the world’s best design minds–including laptop inventor and IDEO cofounder Bill Moggridge; Smart Design cofounder Dan Formosa; and AIGA CEO Richard Grefe.  One Time Studio’s Yang Yu Hsiu says: “From our point of view, design thinking did a good job of bringing forward the value of design to address changes in the world. There have been many backlashes over the topic recently. We want to introduce many voices by form of documentary to look at the topic neutrally. It is important for people to know both the good and bad of design thinking, at the same time.”

Please see the event details page form more information.

UWSFC Student Leadership Opportunity

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Dear HCDE community,

The UW Student Food Co-operative is a group of students hoping to better the UW food system by working to create opportunities for providing affordable, sustainable, and ethical food to the UW community. Currently, we are doing this through a small Bulk Buying Club which we would like to expand, hopefully by connecting with different farms and suppliers in the Seattle area.

We are looking for someone, or a small group of people, to help lead us in our technological ventures! Specifically, we are looking for someone who:

  • Is passionate about sustainable, organic, local food
  • Has experience/is in the process of gaining experience with programming websites
  • Has knowledge about Google domains
  • Would like to take on a leadership role in this area

In exchange for your time and effort, we can provide you with:

  • A support system of peers who are also interested in similar issues
  • The opportunity to create change in the way our campus views food
  • Experience working with our website
  • Leadership and personal development

We are also looking for members who have experience with marketing, experience connecting with farmers, or anyone who loves food!

UWSFC can be reached at info@uwsfc.com.

The UW Student Food Co-operative meets every Monday at 6:30 PM in various locations. E-mail the group at info@uwsfc to find out the room for the upcoming week!

Product Designer Fellowship for Human Centered Design Innovation Lab in Cambodia

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Interested in designing extremely affordable innovations to tackle problems that are of life-and-death importance?

We have launched the first Human-Centered Design Innovation Lab in Cambodia.  We need you to help us grow. iDE is looking for a product designer, with 2-4 years experience in product development, specifically in a human-centered design context.  You will take on a key role within a multi-disciplinary team, based in Ethiopia and Cambodia for a 16-month Fellowship.

This is an opportunity to work on real-world problems alongside a close-knit, diverse, and top-calibre team. You’ll wear many hats, including that of a coach, to grow HCD in Cambodia. You’ll work on designing solutions for the developing world that improve the lives of those who need them most. And at the end of the term, if we see a mutual fit, you’ll be offered an opportunity to stay on as full-time Leader at the innovation-Lab.

The deadline for applications is March 2, 2013.

For full details, including how to apply, download the position description at http://www.ide-cambodia.org/images/human-centered_product_designer_fellowship_-_hcd_i-lab2.pdf

Technology Manager Position Open at VillageReach

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VillageReach is currently hiring for a Technology Manager.  This exciting position will help to develop, manage, and implement logistics and last-mile related information systems, including VillageReach’s work with the OpenLMIS initiative.

VillageReach invites applications for a Technology Manager in the Information Systems Group, based in the Seattle headquarters of VillageReach. The position will be part of the Information Systems Group, but will collaborate closely with the Health Systems Group and Social Business Group on logistics-focused initiatives. The successful candidate will be a person motivated by mission, a highly dynamic and innovative environment, and the understanding that his or her contribution is critical to the success of VillageReach. Read the full job description here.

For more information, visit: www.villagereach.org

Electronic Poster Competition at IPPC 2013

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The IEEE Professional Communication Society (PCS) invites student submissions to the Electronic Poster Competition at the 2013 International Professional Communication Conference (IPCC 2013), which will be hosted by the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (July 15 – 17, 2013).

Conference Theme

Beyond Borders: Communicating Globally. The theme explores how communication technologies shape, alter, and reinvent global communication; how existing and new technologies erode borders between knowledge producers and knowledge consumers; and, how today’s engineers are preparing to communicate in the global workplace.

Electronic posters on other technical communication-related topics will also be considered. Suggested topic areas include, but are not limited to:

  • Cross-cultural communication
  • Engineering communication
  • Managing information and communication systems
  • Information quality
  • Humanitarian aid communication
  • Engineering management
  • Training and consulting
  • Visual/multimedia communication
  • Health/environmental communication
  • Information and communication security
  • Technical and professional communication pedagogy
  • Usability
  • Information design
  • Tools/techniques for collaboration
  • Content management/document technologies
  • Accessibility and Software user assistance

Continue reading →

UX Speaker Series: Designing a Touch-Friendly Search App

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Please join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) for a 10-week seminar this winter on user experience (UX), as industry experts speak about current issues and research in the field.

Each 40-minute talk will be filmed and will be followed by a Q&A session. Videos of each talk will be posted online afterwards. Members of the University of Washington community and the public are welcome. http://www.hcde.washington.edu/ux

Lecture Speaker: Carolyn Wei

Date/Time: Friday, February 22, 2013 11:30–12:20 PM

Location: Loew Hall, Room 216
University of Washington, Seattle campus

Abstract                                                                                                                              This presentation will discuss the user experience research behind the Bing search app for Windows 8, which supports both touch and traditional mouse and keyboard. Some usability research findings about the app will be presented. Methodological issues of testing an app on a brand new OS that runs on tablet and desktop computing form factors will also be discussed.

About the Speaker
 Carolyn Wei is a user researcher at Bing where she works on social search and the search experience for Windows 8. Previously, she worked at Google, leading the user experience research for social and consumer products, such as Google+ Hangouts video chat. She received the first PhD awarded by the University of Washington’s department of Human Centered Design and Engineering in 2007. Her doctoral research, primarily carried out in Bangalore, India, focused on mobile phone use in digitally emergent settings and received international attention.