TechMaine 2008 Annual Conference: All Sessions

Confessions of a former Chief Marketing Officer. How can Usability experts find the "win-win" of doing what's in the customer's best interest while working within the pre-existing marketing model? By understanding what marketing has been tasked with and their approach to doing business. Aileen will share insights from her time on the inside: marketing's modus operandi, key motivators, and organizational metrics; and will facilitate an exploration of frameworks and processes where collaboration will deliver a truly remarkable customer experience both online and offline.

Audio files of this presentation are available for download:

Presentation [mp3 format, 66.2 MB]

Discussion [mp3 format, 23 MB]

IT Workforce:  Recent Trends and Challenges, and what Companies can do to Attract, Retain, and Train Talent Workers

This session will provide an overview of recent and projected IT workforce trends; present experiences from industry professionals on what they are doing to effectively attract, retain, and train IT employees; and what TechMe is working on to assist industry with workforce development.

I.  Introductions & Issue Overview - Jim Damicis, President, PolicyOne Research

II. IT Workforce Trends & Projections – John Dorrer, Director, Center for Workforce Research and Information, Maine Department of Labor

III. Lessons from the Trenches  – attracting, retaining, and training talented IT workers

Small Company Perspective

Large Company Perspective

IV. Workforce Initiatives to help Maine’s Technology Businesses and Workers - Jim Damicis

V. Questions and Answers

Presentation documents are available for download:

Merrill Huhtala's slides [Powerpoint, 276 KB]

This session will be a case study of a user interface redesign project, with before and after pictures, focusing on the processes of identifying user needs, designing and refining the new UI, overcoming resistance to change, and creating visual personality. The example is a touch screen point of sale system for quick serve restaurants, but the issues presented will be completely general. In too many cases, interface redesign is seen as just a cosmetic makeover, and does not include the needed functional analysis and contextual inquiry that really puts the "user" into "user interface." We will explore the role users can have in the design/refine process, and common pitfalls that can get in the way. An interface redesign can dramatically improve system effectiveness, increase user acceptance, and (for commercial products) drive sales.

Among a host of practical, day-to-day issues faced by business IT decision makers is how to manage the risk of collecting, storing and disseminating information. We all know that to do business often requires handling, storing, and using sensitive data. What should we be doing to manage that risk? One of the tools in the toolbox that is gaining worldwide acceptance is ISO/IEC 27001, a standard on IT security techniques. What’s in it, and what techniques should your business be using?

The slides from this presentation are available for download:

Tom Witwicki's Presentation Slides [ppt format, 500 KB]

As the topics of web usability and accessibility gain focus and new web-based technologies emerge, it is becoming more important to understand how individuals with disabilities experience the web. During my session we will have a hands-on look at the web using assistive technologies. I will demonstrate how, as a blind user, I experience the web, and will discuss the various challenges I have faced from a usability standpoint. Ample time will be given for session participants to put forth their own pages to better understand the experience an assistive technology user may have.