(July 2011) BrewUX! Free beer, free pizza, and priceless conversation

We’ve got something special on tap for UX Waterloo this summer. In both July and August, we’ll be meeting at the Red Baron Lounge, located on-site at the Brick Brewery in Uptown Waterloo. Our thanks to Brick Brewery for sponsoring this event! It’s a private gathering just for us, in which you can sample just about everything the brewery has to offer.

We’ll have a few brief presentations about UX happenings around town. And plenty of time for meeting new faces, talking shop, and raising a few glasses together.

Where and when

Tuesday July 19, 2011
5:30 to 7:30 pm
Red Baron Lounge at the Brick Brewery
(Entrance at the side of the building near the front)
181 King Street South
Waterloo, ONT
[Map]

RSVP required

You must RSVP to attend, as this is a licensed event. We’ll be checking names at the door. Sign up early before it’s sold out!

Please thank our sponsor!

Many thanks to Brick Brewery for sponsoring UX Waterloo this summer. Please visit Brick on Facebook and “Like” them. Maybe even drop a comment to let them know you appreciate their support!

June recap- Pixels Everywhere with Bob Rushby

In our June event, the uxWaterloo group had Bob Rushby speak about Digital Light.  From the Google office in Kitchener, Bob took us through the concepts that are possible when pixels are everywhere!  Digital Light is a vision of the future, where the entire world becomes a canvas for expression. 

Five years from now, Bob predicts that lighting will be transformed.  Lighting will no longer simply illuminate, but it will be turned into cheap pixels.  Pixels have already been used so you can dial from a keyboard that is projected onto your hand, doctors can see the veins of a patient, and customers can order from menus that look like they are part of the table they are sitting at!  Bob really showed us through his examples that the possibilities are endless and you can let your imagination run wild.  Check out the videos on the Baanto website to see how they have used pixels to allow multiple users interact with the same display and use this interaction with pixels as a social opportunity.

“Twists and Turns” on the Uniqa Tower, Vienna

The Uniqa Tower is a great example of how architecture can be used as art and signage.  Take a look at this video, where it looks like the tower itself is bending and turning.

Find out more about Digital Light!

Thanks again to Bob for sharing his thoughts and ideas with us.  Bob retired from Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc. in February 2011 after an exciting career leading talented teams in the creation of ground-breaking high technology products. Christie is a global leader in projection and electronic display products and has the world’s largest installed base of digital cinema projection systems. Bob is currently involved with several exciting university entrepreneurship initiatives — in particular, the University of Waterloo REAP program and the Ryerson University Digital Media Zone. He is also writing a book on the theme of Digital Light… pixels everywhere.  To find out more, please contact Bob or check out the following sites.

• Bob Rushby- @bobrushby and bob.rushby@pixelizedlight.com
• Blog: http://www.pixelizedlight.com/
• Website: http://www.pixelseverywhere.com/

Job: Web/Flash Producer at Kobo

Location: Kobo Inc., 135 Liberty St. Suite 101, Toronto, Ontario

Kobo is currently searching for a talented and enthusiastic web professional to join our team as a Web/Flash Producer. As part of the Design & User Experience team, you will be responsible for production related tasks, including site updates, email development and delivery, banner ad and microsite builds, converting creative to web format, and more.

Responsibilities

• Work with Merchandising team and HR Department to schedule promotions, rotations and job descriptions, etc., using internal tools.
• Implementation of design changes to website based on requests from UX, Merchandising & Marketing.
• Contest builds, maintenance, scheduling, etc.
• Skinning and layout of microsites (blogs) owned by Marketing.
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of current Internet trends including CSS3, HTML5, Flash Action Script 3, vendors, services, and tools.

Skills & Experience

• University or College degree in one of the following: Computer Science, Interactive Media OR equivalent experience (web development/e-commerce).
• Expert level understanding of CSS, HTML.
• Intermediate knowledge of JavaScript/JQuery.
• Intermediate knowledge of Flash Action Script 2.0 & 3.0.
• Understanding of best practices for coding emails across various email clients.
• Proficient with Photoshop software.
• Proficient with Flash software.
• Web standards & browser compatibility.
• Disciplined, organized & reliable work habits.
• Good communication, written & documentation skills.

To apply, please visit: http://hire.jobvite.com/j/?cj=oHzMVfwH&s=uxWaterloo

Job: Senior Information Architect at Kobo

Location: Kobo Inc., 135 Liberty St. Suite 101, Toronto, Ontario

Work downtown at one of Canada’s most exciting startups and help us design experiences on the web and for smartphones, tablets, desktops and eReaders

The responsibilities of the Information Architect include designing user interfaces, informing functional specifications, performing competitive reviews and creating flows, wireframes and process maps. You will be able to visualize concepts quickly and clearly and will work closely and collaboratively with the User Experience Team.

Key Responsibilities

• Conceive, design and prototype useful, usable, and compelling user experiences and user interfaces (represented by scenarios, paper prototypes, storyboards, wireframes, site maps, screen flows, etc.
• Document user interface requirements
• Apply domain knowledge, user interface design best practices, and knowledge of emerging UX related presentation/gestural technologies.
• Bring strong design, conceptual and problem-solving skills to translate conceptual ideas (business needs and user goals) into simple yet meaningful user interfaces.
• Assess data from multiple sources (product requirements, tech constraints, UX research, web analytics) and synthesize it in order to develop efficient user scenarios, taxonomies, classification schemes, navigation systems, design patterns, etc.
• Create and effectively present UX deliverables (wireframes, workflows, paper prototypes, etc.) to explain and negotiate design solutions to key stakeholders.
• Develop competitive assessments and perform site/application/device reviews.
• Help define, request and incorporate relevant and recent UX research and data from customer feedback to appropriately inform design decisions.
• Help define UX performance metrics.
• Upholding UX guiding principles and style in project execution.
• Create, maintain and share project documentation and UX guidelines after project execution.

Key Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years in interaction design in a product development context.
• Embraces and champions a collaborative approach that brings good resolution decisions to tough design questions and issues.
• Ability to successfully execute multiple projects and tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to quickly visualize concepts through sketching or other rapid prototyping methods.
• Ability to help define site strategy, concept, content, and features.
• Willingness to try alternative approaches to a challenge.
• Experience developing user personas, functional specifications and wireframes.

To apply, please visit: http://hire.jobvite.com/j/?cj=oayLVfw8&s=uxWaterloo

May Recap- Designing for iOS devices at Monolith Interactive

In our May uxWaterloo event, Simon Woodside shared the “single screen” approach that he’s used at Monolith Interactive when building iOS products.  He believes that your users will thank you for using a single screen approach, as they will find it more discoverable and that all objects will be easily related to each other.   Popovers are useful in designs that use a single screen approach.  A popover will allow for the rest of the screen to be used, even while it is open.

During the hands-on workshop portion of this event, we received client specifications for an iPad application.  We worked in groups to come up with a single screen solution that would meet the client’s needs.  When our groups showed our wireframes and talked through our designs, we were impressed by the many different ways each group interpreted the specifications!  Then, seeing how Simon’s team designed their solution truly showed how a single screen approach can work effectively, on both mobile or tablet applications.

Thanks to Simon for sharing with our group and facilitating this fun and informative workshop!

Remember that our June event, “Pixels Everywhere!” by Bob Rushby, has been moved to the Google office.  

Hope to see you there next week!

Next event- Pixels Everywhere– Thursday June 16, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Google Waterloo
151 Charles Street West, Suite 200
Kitchener, ONT

Job: UX/Web Designer at TribeHR

TribeHR is an early stage startup in Waterloo, building a refreshingly simple Human Resources application for small and medium business. If you’re looking to see the fruits of your labor used and loved by customers and if you’re excited by the idea of participating in the creation of a new company, we are the place. Our team hustles, and we’re looking for people who are up for the challenge of keeping pace.

We are looking for a creative UX/UI designer to continue to build the company’s brand online and offline in the field of human resources software. We’re looking for someone who already has experience designing successful web applications. We have a high performing team and if you enjoy the thrill of working with a group that will push you to do the best work you’ve ever done, then you might be the right person.

This person will:

• Maintain existing designs and interfaces
• Help define new experiences, workflows, and architectures for new features
• Conduct user research and testing
• Apply principles of interaction design to designing UI, behaviour, and page layout
• Generate simple, creative solutions to usability problems.
• Write scenarios, sketch storyboards, draw wireframes, and create production-ready design specifications
• Implement new application and website designs

We iterate quickly and this role will have the opportunity to influence the rest of the development team and product direction. The ideal candidate will have:

• A passion for design and user experience.
• Examples of work that demonstrate your abilities in interaction and visual design for the Web.
• Solid understanding of UI design principles and user-centered design methodologies.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Hardworking, flexible, and effective in multi-disciplinary teams.
• Expertise with design tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.
• Fluency in HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Experience designing for mobile apps and web pages will be an asset. Interested? Apply here.

Update: June 2011 event location changed to the Google office

The location for our next event, “Pixels Everywhere!” by Bob Rushby, has been moved to the Google office. If you haven’t yet visited The Hub, here’s your chance to check out this amazing new space!

Thursday June 16, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Google Waterloo
151 Charles Street West, Suite 200
Kitchener, ONT
[Map]

Job: Senior User Experience Designer

Open Text™ (NASDAQ: OTEX; TSX: OTC) is the world’s largest independent provider of Enterprise Content Management software. The company’s solutions manage information for all types of business, compliance and industry requirements in the world’s largest companies, government agencies and professional service firms. Open Text supports approximately 46,000 customers and millions of users in 114 countries and 12 languages. For more information about Open Text, visit www.opentext.com.

User Experience (UX) Designers research, identify, and solve complex software design problems in an innovative, highly collaborative environment. UX Designers work directly with program managers, product managers, architects, and software developers to translate high level product requirements into designs that deliver compelling experiences that solve the business problem. They are responsible for designing the user experience architecture, interaction flow, and UI design of complex enterprise software applications.

Must be self-motivated with ability to work both independently and in conjunction with other UX team members and product groups. Enthusiasm and flexibility to work on a variety of projects are necessary, as well as the ability to rapidly acquire new domain knowledge. Must have the ability to balance business needs and usability / design ideals within a fast-paced, agile software development environment.

Responsibilities

• Support Program and Product Management by performing user research, developing ongoing relationships with customers to capture their stories and build a shared understanding of their problems and needs
• Work with Product Management in helping to create the product backlog and define the user experience vision for the product.
• Conceptualize, design and deliver intuitive and compelling designs for a complex product suite that clearly support business objectives
• Advocate user needs throughout the development lifecycle to inspire the engineering team to develop the right product
• Validate designs with customers and other stakeholders in order to drive iterative improvements throughout the development lifecycle
• Mentor peers, stakeholders, and teammates on customer-centered design principles and methodologies
• Maintain an awareness of current trends in interaction design and competitive software to identify opportunities to enhance the user experience
• Contribute to and help champion User Experience Design team initiatives, such as creation of design guidelines, process enhancements, toolkits, etc., fostering a customer-centered culture

Requirements

Education

Degree in Interaction Design, Psychology, Human Factors, Industrial Engineering or related HCI discipline, or demonstrated proficiency and experience in the field of software user experience / interaction design.

Skills

Minimum of 5 plus years of strong software interaction design experience reflected through portfolio / work samples demonstrating the following skills:

• Demonstrated results-oriented work ethic and consistent record of meeting deadlines
• Excellent listener, facilitator, communicator, and team player
• Self-reliant, used to taking initiative, and great at follow-up
• Creative, with solid understanding of interaction design best practices / principles
• Requirements gathering and analysis
• Creation of user personas
• Task and workflow analysis
• Light prototyping (paper and click-through interactive)
• Heuristic evaluation and expert walk-throughs
• Usability testing and analysis of results and/or working with user researchers/usability engineers to convert test recommendations to design decisions
• Good analytical and organizational skills including the ability to organize and prioritize tasks
• Ability to work both independently and in a highly collaborate environment as part of a global User Experience Design team
• Ability to shift among multiple projects as needed in rapid, agile software development environment
• Goal driven; plans and manages toward achieving goals, anticipates problems and issues and proactively drives their resolution
• Prior experience doing UX within an Agile environment would be an asset
• Experience with a variety of UI design and prototyping tools, e.g. Visio, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Axure, Balsamiq, Flash, etc.
• Web Development (HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript) and Flash experience a plus
• Knowledge of GUI accessibility standards (Section 508, WCAG, etc.) a plus
• Knowledge of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) products would be an asset

Apply Now

June 2011: Bob Rushby explains why pixels will soon be everywhere

Bob Rushby thinks that pixels are about to escape the bounds of their current display devices. As the recently-retired CTO of Christie Digital, he knows something about throwing pixels around, and in this month’s uxWaterloo session he’ll discuss the convergence of lighting and information display and the major effects it will have on architecture, graphic design, communications and how we live and work.

Electric lighting is used everywhere around us. It’s so ubiquitous that we are almost unaware of it. Yet the way we think about lighting is about to fundamentally change. No longer will lighting merely illuminate our desks, our walls and our buildings. Whether at home, in our workplace, or in public spaces, lighting is about to be transformed — it will communicate with us, interact with us, and help us see the world with new eyes. Pixels will be everywhere and this will have profound implications on our lives.

Bob retired from Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc. in February 2011 after an exciting career leading talented teams in the creation of ground-breaking high technology products. Christie is a global leader in projection and electronic display products and has the world’s largest installed base of digital cinema projection systems. Bob is currently involved with several exciting university entrepreneurship initiatives — in particular, the University of Waterloo REAP program and the Ryerson University Digital Media Zone. He is also writing a book on the theme of Digital Light… pixels everywhere.

Thursday June 16, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Google Waterloo
151 Charles Street West, Suite 200
Kitchener, ONT
[Map]

RSVP

(May 2011) Designing for iOS devices at Monolith Interactive

iOS devices like the Apple iPad and iPhone represent a new paradigm for interacting with powerful computers. Designing for them presents a set of exciting challenges that we’re only starting to explore.

Simon Woodside and his company, Monolith Interactive, have been building iOS products for some time now. He believes that a “single screen” approach is a the way to build successful iOS products, and he’ll share his thinking through real-world examples and a hands-on workshop. This is a chance to see and understand how Simon approaches the challenges and to learn about designing for a truly engaging mobile platform.

Thursday May 19, 2010
5:30 to 7:00 pm
Accelerator Centre
295 Hagey Blvd., Waterloo

RSVP