Web Manager University – Fall 2009
Class Title: Web Design Prototyping: Practical Tools and Techniques
| Class Format: | One–Day Course | |
| Instructor: | Carolyn Snyder and Cari Wolfson | |
| Date | Thursday, November 5, 2009 | |
| Time: | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm EST | |
| Place: | NEW LOCATION! Bureau of Labor Statistics |
Directions to BLS |
| Fee: | $200 federal, state, or local U.S. government; $300 for non–government participants | |
Course Description
Before you make changes to your web site, wouldn't it be great to know you're on the right track? By prototyping the proposed design and running it by a handful of users, you'll get valuable feedback about what works and what doesn't. Although "prototyping" sounds like it would require technical expertise, there are tools and methods that will let you get started today.
What You'll Learn
During this hands-on workshop, you'll learn:
- The 5 dimensions of a prototype
- How to quickly and inexpensively create a prototype for your Web project
- Choosing the right tool for your needs – when to use a paper prototype vs. a 'clickable' prototype
- Learn how to create a paper prototype – mock up your site using common office supplies. No computer required
- Discover online and web–based tools to help you create a ‘clickable' prototype – without any programming/technical knowledge
- How to test a prototype, even if it's rough, incomplete, or buggy
- When to use remote usability testing
Who Should Attend
Web designers, developers, and managers.
Level of Course
Intermediate. Participants are assumed to be familiar with the basics of usability testing, though not necessarily by direct experience. Participants do not need to be interface designers nor have any particular technical skills.
About the Instructors
Carolyn Snyder is an internationally recognized user experience consultant. She spent the first decade of her career as a software engineer and project manager. For the past 16 years, she has helped designers and developers create user–friendly web sites and applications. She specializes in usability testing and literally wrote the book on Paper Prototyping (Morgan Kaufmann, 2003). Carolyn started her Boston-area company Snyder Consulting in 1999. Carolyn has a BS in Computer Science from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Chicago
Cari A. Wolfson is President of Focus on U!, a user–centered design and usability consulting firm. The firm specializes in analyzing, designing and iteratively testing websites in order to create products that are measurably easier to use, learn and understand. Clients include: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Mint, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of State, Department of Defense, Department of Treasury, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and numerous others.
Prior to founding Focus on U!, Wolfson was a Usability Engineer with the National Cancer Institute (NCI). In this role, she aided in the development of the Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines and www.usability.gov.
Additionally, Wolfson served the Lead Information Architect/User Experience Specialist with a large Internet consulting group where she led the user research, information architecture and usability testing efforts for clients including: AT&T Wireless, Dr. Atkins, M&M Mars and Human Rights Watch.
Wolfson was a Web Project Manager of a company generating in excess of $70 million in annual revenue. In this role, she managed diverse team of content editors, graphic designers, software engineers and usability specialists.
Wolfson has a B.A. in Marketing & Communications from Drake University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
