November 2010 Usability Spotlight

Future of Fitness: A Field Study on Usability and Personal Activity Monitors

User Centric recently completed the first longitudinal user research study of personal activity (fitness) monitors. The popularity of this technology prompted User Centric to evaluate the impact usability has on motivation and sustained use of this type of device over time.  How do people really use them outside of a laboratory setting?  How are people using them to 'monitor their health?'  Do people trust these devices to even work?  These are the types of questions this study set about to answer.  Read More

Around the World in 140 Characters

Free Webinar on World Usability Day

TOMORROW!
8:00-9:00AM CST

A UXalliance study analyzes how companies communicate with their consumers in several countries using their official Twitter accounts. Is this communication clear, efficient and adequate?

The use of Twitter by global companies is not uniform, as executives are still trying to figure out the importance and usefulness of this social media platform. Companies face difficulties which relate directly to the user experience, such as the look or branding of the page, the ease of identifying their Twitter profile as an official one, the overall credibility of the messages and the use of several Twitter functionalities.

This scenario motivated the UXalliance, a global network of leading user research companies, to engage almost 40 of their UX professionals from 17 different companies around the world to study the Twitter accounts of 10 global companies. Their goal was to discover which practices would be most efficient for companies to make the most out of their time on Twitter.

Register for the free Webinar at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/824695914

User Centric Updates

The UX Masterclass in Montreal was so well received that the UXalliance is planning two more in 2011!  The 3rd UX Masterclass will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 1st.

User Centric also wants its clients and colleagues to have the opportunity to attend a little closer to home so we will be hosting the 4th UX Masterclass in Chicago this September!  Details coming very soon!

New additions!  User Centric welcomes Director, Rick Omanson, User Experience Specialist Todd Diemer, and User Experience Analysts Jonathan DeVito, Paxton Schwarz, Jane Lea Smith!  They come to User Centric with a variety of user research experience and have been on quite a few projects already. We enjoy having them as part of our dynamic team of consultants.

Celebrate!  We extend warm congratulations to Senior User Experience Specialist, Melinda (McElheny) Jamil on her marriage to Amir Jamil in October.  Congratulations also go to our Administrative Receptionist, Dena Baginski, and her family as they recently celebrated the birth of their daughter, Anita.  The User Centric family continues to grow!

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