Call for Participation

Usability Professionals' Association
8th Annual Conference
Workshops and Tutorials June 29 - 30, 1999
Conference July 1 - July 2, 1999

Welcome to UPA 1999
Conference overview

The annual conference of the Usability Professionals' Association (UPA) is a leading forum for the exchange of ideas among practitioners in the field of usability. The UPA seeks your active participation in its 1999 conference.

The theme of the 1999 conference is "Horizons to the Future" - appropriate as we share our experiences as usability professionals and plan for our role in our organizations and industries in the new millennium. The theme also reflects the dramatic natural landscape we will enjoy from high in the Sonoran Desert at the world-renowned Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Phoenician promises to provide us with a comfortable and luxurious setting in the midst of the rugged beauty of the Camelback Mountains.

Reaching out to new members

The UPA continues to actively promote growth in our membership. We want to attract new usability specialists, as well as professionals from the varied disciplines that can benefit from membership in the UPA. Therefore, we again encourage presentations that would be of interest to newcomers and those that showcase tools and techniques that can be used regardless of industry.

Expanded tutorial offerings

Due to the wildly successful response to our tutorial offerings, we have decided to expand our tutorial selection. We encourage a variety of tutorial submissions for 1999.

New for 1999: Business case studies

We are pleased to announce that we will incorporate some business case studies into our conference program for 1999. Business case studies present notable user interface designs with special emphasis on usability engineering issues (task analysis, requirements gathering, prototyping and evaluation). These studies are a unique way of sharing real design experiences and challenges amoung practitioners. If you are interested in submitting a business case study, please contact Daniel Lafreniere at lafrenid@gespro.com.

Audience interaction and participation

All UPA conference sessions must allot one-third to one-half of the total time for audience participation. All submissions must detail how they will support this objective. We encourage submissions that actively and creatively engage the audience.

Continued in 1999: Poster sessions

As introduced at the 1998 conference, we will provide an opportunity for presenting late-breaking results at an interactive poster session. We encourage you to consider this option for presenting new findings in an informal setting.

Exhibits

As in past years, exhibitors will have space at the conference to set up and show their offerings. Contact Dave Mitropoulus-Rundus at Metrorun@aol.com if you are interested in being an exhibitor.

Volunteer opportunities

As always, the UPA depends on volunteers to fill many roles before and during the conference. If you are interested in reviewing submissions, serving on the Conference Planning Committee, or helping out at the conference, please contact your conference co-chairs, Thyra Rauch or Marie Tahir, as listed in the conference contacts.

We will also continue our student volunteer program for 1999, which offers students a substantially discounted conference registration fee in exchange for 8 hours of work during the conference.

Overview | Workshops | Tutorials
Presentations & Panels | Posters | Submission Process
Online Submission | Contacts | Samples