The Connecticut Chapter of the Usability Professionals Association (CTUPA) is one of the newer chapters of UPA. Our charter was officially ratified in December 2006, and we've had a very productive and very enlightening first couple of years.

1. CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF USABILITY PROFESSIONALS! FEBRUARY 7, 2010
CTUPA.ORG
NEWSLETTER
Our February Meeting 2010 Membership
Three Topics - Three Speakers Drive Continues!
We need you to join us, renew
• Usability and Electronic Medical Records your membership, and
• Mobile Device Testing participate in the excitement.
• Remote Usability Testing Software We’ve made dues payment as
simple as possible. Just access
the PayPal account off the
BLACKBERRY membership tab on
320 X 240
www.ctupa.org - and you can
Page title
https://www.url.com/iphone
remit your 2010 dues through
PayPal [$25.00 for professionals
& $10.00 for students]. What
could be easier?
PayPal web site allows you to
use your Visa, Master Card,
Discover or American Express.
Be assured that the transaction
is secure - PayPal has a spotless
reputation for protecting
customer data and employing
the very strongest encryption
The next Chapter meeting will healthcare costs, yet EMR and data transmission
be held on Thursday, February 25, implementation failure rates remain technology.
2009 at Open Solutions, in high. We'll look at how usability plays
Glastonbury, CT (directions on page into this and review key aspects of a
3). In addition to the regular usable EMR system.". AJ Siegel of
networking session starting at Travelers will share techniques and
6:30pm, we will be exploring three outcomes from usability testing Annual Dues
separate topics, by three speakers. mobile devices - and finally, Michael Only
Chris Shafer, VP of Product Design Rawlins of Open Solutions will share
$25
for MResult, will be sharing "Usability trends and methods to exploit web-
and Electronic Medical Records" based remote usability testing tools.
Electronic Medical Records Prepare yourself for a spirited and
have been identified as a key informative meeting.
component in controlling rising
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2. CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF USABILITY PROFESSIONALS! FEBRUARY 7, 2010
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
2009 was a tremendous growth year for CT Travelers is the interim Vice President. Paul Linton
UPA. Our membership increased by more than 50% & I are thrilled to have these two gentleman as
We have enjoyed meeting dozens of potential fellow officers. They come with great vision, talent
members who have attended meetings along the way. and energy. They have both expressed interest in
Our most well attended meeting was when Mad*Pow running for the new slate of 2010 officers.
Design presented. The meeting drew 60 plus people As we enter March, we will be electing a new
- and yielded several new members last year. This is a slate of officers. I encourage you to consider running
tremendous milestone for our young group - and for an officer slot - because we need the energy and
truly reflects a critical success factor “volunteers are ideas of our talented and diverse membership. If you
our greatest asset”. are interested in a role (and need someone to share
In addition to the countless volunteers that have responsibilities of that role) please do not hesitate to
stepped up to coordinate a meeting (Indira Permalla, contact me. We will be kicking off the election
Pat Bristol, Larry Luckom, Joe Rice, Trina Hare, Ken shortly - I am hoping all of the members participate
Woodhouse, Tamara Rome - just to name a few) - I in the voting process.
want to recognize the chapter officers. Paul Linton Let’s make 2010 a stellar year of networking and
(Treasurer), Herb Wexler (Vice President) and Aneta career growth. Let’s leverage our fellow members to
Hall (Secretary) squeezed time out of their busy become the nations new hotbed of user experience
schedules to guide the program events and talent. Let’s attract great speakers, and continue to
administration in 2009. But truth be told - it seems deliver compelling program events. Let’s partner to
like all of our calendars and increased job refresh our website and establish a tangible,
responsibilities made it difficult (downright unforgettable CT UPA brand. Let’s partner with
challenging) to attend meetings and fulfill leadership other groups (like SNPMI & IIBA) to recruit new
responsibilities. Both Aneta Hall and Herb Wexler members and increase
resigned their officer roles late 2009. They will be awareness. And finally, lets
missed in those roles - however, I am confident that attract new sponsors that will
they will continue to play visible roles in the chapter enable us to grow beyond our
for years to come. imaginations. I’m fired up -
We are very fortunate to have two extremely and I truly look forward to
talented individuals step forward to assume these the challenge!
open officer roles. Brandon Marino, BA/Usability
Analyst from Cigna has assumed the role of
Secretary & AJ Siegel, Usability Manager, from
Michael Rawlins
President CT UPA
michael.rawlins@gmail.com
The 2010 CT UPA Elections
q Make your mark in March!
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3. CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF USABILITY PROFESSIONALS! FEBRUARY 7, 2010
Meeting Information & Location:
Calendar
Starts at 6:30 Thursday February 25th March - Chapter Meeting
- Election - Details
- Website Survey Results
April - Chapter Meeting
- Website Mockups
- Invited Speaker
May - Chapter Meeting
- Design Slam!!!
June Chapter Meeting
Invited Speaker
July Meeting
Three - 30 minute mini talks
Usability Classes
March 31st (2 full days)
Intro to Usability & Design
April 28th (2 full days)
Intermediate Usability
Open Solutions, 455 Winding Brook Drive, Glastonbury, CT.
As is our custom, light refreshments will be available at 6:30, May 7th (2 evenings)
and informal networking will ensue until the meeting Social Media Business Strategy
commences at 7:00.
Instructor: Michael Rawlins
See Credit Free Catalog
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4. CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF USABILITY PROFESSIONALS! FEBRUARY 7, 2010
THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS
(new 2010 sponsor) Our sincere thanks to our corporate
sponsors for their generous support,
donations of refreshments and hosting
of our program events.
RECAP OF OUR JANUARY CHAPTER MEETING
“ALL ABOUT BRAND” - THE DONALDSON GROUP ROCKS!
We had the distinct pleasure of hearing Jaye Donaldson (CEO) and Lenore Mohr
(Interactive Strategist) of the Donaldson Group, discuss the value and importance of brand.
The discussion was extremely audience driven and interactive. The 32 attendees explored
very diverse dimensions of brand - asking questions that brought to light why usability
professionals should understand brand.
Jaye Among the content discussed - Jaye shared research metrics about which companies have
the most recognizable brands. She expertly wove the importance of online brand versus
traditional offline branding. There were threads of discussions about generational
differences, brand value/equity and threats to brand.
Lenore shared the importance of social networking - as a medium that’s in its early
evolution and “not a fad - and not going away...”
The audience was fully engaged - many have requested they return sometime in 2010 for
other topics. Our sincere thanks to The Donaldson Group for a great evening and most
Lenore interesting topic.
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