IxDA Portland: Jared Spool May 19, 2010

This month we are pleased to present a lecture from Jared Spool!

When:
Wednesday May 19, 2010

Cost:
Free! You need to register and bring your ticket for admission. There are only 220 seats available!
RSVP: http://spool-amazon.eventbrite.com/

Where:
World Trade Center Portland
121 SW Salmon St, 2WTC, Portland OR 97204
Bridge Level Auditorium
Directions [http://www.wtcpd.com/mapsanddirections.php]
Parking is available below the building for $3.

Time:
6pm-8pm

Topic:
Revealing Design Treasures from The Amazon

On its surface, Amazon.com just seems like a large e-commerce site, albeit a successful one. Its design isn't flashy, nor is it much to write home about. But deep within its pages are hidden secrets -- secrets that every designer should know about.

If one looks closely at what the team at Amazon has built, it's filled with innovative functionality and clever designs, all of which creates a delightful experience for its users and directly produces regular profits for its shareholders. But not all is perfect. Some design changes in the last few years have not been the success that the team had hoped for. Amazon's exceptional qualities and imperfections are critical knowledge for any designer that wants to dig deep into what makes the site tick.

In this entertaining presentation, Jared will share some of UIE's latest research into the hidden treasures of (the) Amazon. You'll learn:

+ The simple Yes/No question that increased revenues by more than $1 billion
+ The elegant subtlety of Amazon's security system
+ Why Amazon's business model is more than meets the eye (and why designers need to care)
+ The wins and losses that Amazon has had with social media functionality

About the speaker

Jared M. Spool, Founding Principal
If you’ve ever seen Jared speak about usability, you know that he’s probably the most effective, knowledgeable communicator on the subject today. What you probably don’t know is that he has guided the research agenda and built User Interface Engineering into the largest research organization of its kind in the world. He’s been working in the field of usability and design since 1978, before the term "usability" was ever associated with computers.

Jared spends his time working with the research teams at the company, helps clients understand how to solve their design problems, explains to reporters and industry analysts what the current state of design is all about, and is a top-rated speaker at more than 20 conferences every year. He is also the conference chair and keynote speaker at the annual User Interface Conference, is on the faculty of the Tufts University Gordon Institute, and manages to squeeze in a fair amount of writing time.

Sponsored by:
PGE, ISITE Design, Aquent, IxDA Portland, and CHIFOO