Message Sent Out Earlier This Evening

Here’s the email that went out this evening from Eventbrite. Hope you got it, but if not, here it is:

Hi all!
UXCamp Vancouver is now just under a week away. We’ve got a great day in store for you at VFS next Saturday. Read below for some details…

Are you still planning on attending?
As you may already know, we are completely sold out. If you signed up and are no longer able to attend, please let Karen Parker (karen-at-jkparker.ca) know as soon as possible so we can give your spot to someone on the waitlist. When last we checked, there were over 20 people waiting to get in.

Highlights
The detailed UXCamp schedule will be posted at http://www.uxcampvancouver.org (here) later this week. In the meantime, here are some highlights…

Panels and Presentations
In the morning we’ll have a presentation about Remote Usability Testing, and a look at the recent Museum of Vancouver experience redesign. We’ll also have two panels: User Research, which will explore the different ways we seek out information and feedback from our users, and Tools of the Trade, which will cover an array of UX tools (wireframing, testing, etc.). If you’d like to participate as a panelist please e-mail Karen (karen-at-jkparker.ca).

Demos and Breakout Sessions
We’ve got the downstairs area of the VFS Cafe reserved as a space for demos and small breakout sessions throughout the day. If you’ve got some cool work you’d like to show off, or an idea you’d like to brainstorm, please bring it along! There will be power outlets and lots of tables and chairs, but if you need anything else infrastructure-wise please let us know ahead of time and we’ll see what we can do. There will also be a security guard on hand all day in the cafe, so if you’d like to set up a demo and leave it unattended while you watch a session, there will be someone there to keep an eye on it.

Unconference!
If you’re unfamiliar with the unconference format don’t worry, it’s not that scary! It just means that YOU make up the conference program for the afternoon, and we talk about what the participants want to talk about. We’ll have a scheduling jam right after lunch, where everyone who wants to can pitch an idea for an afternoon timeslot. If you want to show some Powerpoint/Keynote slides and then make them available online after Saturday, we can host them at uxcampvancouver.org. Just mail them to Karen Parker (karen-at-jkparker.ca).

Refreshments
Thanks to a couple generous sponsors, we are able to provide both a morning and afternoon coffee break with some caffeinated beverages and treats. However, you’re on your own at lunchtime. We’ll update the website later this week with a list of some nearby restaurants.

What To Bring
You need not bring anything but yourself, but here are a few other things you may want to have with you…

Laptop
There will be wifi available – we’ll provide you with the password when you arrive on Saturday. Also, if you’re planning on doing an unconference presentation, we’ll have two theatre spaces with projectors. If you have a Mac laptop and want to present, make sure you bring your VGA adapter.

Camera
We encourage you to document the day through photo or video, and post things on Flickr, YouTube, etc. We’ve set up a group on Flickr called UXCampVancouver.

Ideas, Work to Demo, Topics to Discuss
We encourage you to arrive at UXCamp with something to share with others. Throughout the day there will be many opportunities to show off your latest work, discuss a UX-related topic, or brainstorm ideas and concepts.

Tags
The tag for the event is #uxcv09 on Twitter, Flickr, and all those other fine places.

Transportation
UXCamp is taking place at the Vancouver Film School Campus at 420 Homer Street. We’ll put signs on the entrances, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding it.

Public Transit
If you’re arriving by Skytrain you’ll want to get off at Waterfront Station, which is just a couple blocks away. The area is also well-served by buses. Visit Translink’s website to plan a route that works for you.

Driving
There are a number of pay lots in the area. Check out the Downtown Vancouver BIA’s parking page for more information.

See you on Saturday, December 5!

- The UXCampVancouver Planning Team

Remote Usability Testing

Next weekend’s UXCamp will include a presentation on remote usability testing:

It is important to learn to be flexible in your work and to learn tools that will empower usability analysts to be more effective in their roles. Also, in an age of diminishing corporate spending and rapid prototyping and testing, remote usability can save companies a lot of time and money.

Elizabeth Snowdon of Sage Software will give attendees an overview of how to conduct remote usability studies, including tools to use and logistical set-up.

MOV: Rethinking Museum Spaces

We’re excited to announce that one of the morning sessions at next week’s UXCamp Vancouver will be about the ongoing experience redesign at the Museum of Vancouver:

Along with our new name and brand has come a rethinking of our spaces. The question: how to physically translate the premise that we’re not a museum of objects, but a museum of ideas?

Amanda Gibbs, MOV’s director of Audience Engagement, will be on hand to talk about the project and engage everyone in a discussion about the challenges faced and the methods used in the museum’s transformation.

UXCampVancouver at 100

…100 attendees that is.  We’ve seen an overwhelming response in the last 2 weeks and all 100 spots at UXCampVancouver are currently full up. Don’t despair, though.

Didn’t get a spot?
If you’d like to attend, please add your name to the waitlist (on EventBrite). As the event date draws closer we expect there to be a few cancellations and we’ll open up spots to people on the waitlist as that happens. We’re also working with VFS to see exactly what our space constraints are and hope to open up additional spots if it’s feasible.

Got a spot but are no longer able to attend?
If you find out between now and December 5th that you can no longer make it, please let us know so we’ll be able to let someone in the waiting list in.

More Sponsors
We hope to be able to confirm some more sponsors – check here. This means there will be sponsored coffee in the morning and afternoon, which is always a good thing.

Filling Up Fast

Wow! We’ve seen an overwhelming response since we opened up Eventbrite registration and sent out a few messages and tweets. In these first couple of days, over 60 of the 100 slots for UXCampVancouver have already been claimed. We’re now expecting that there will be a waiting list, so if you find out between now and December 5th that you can no longer make it, please let us know so we’ll be able to let someone in the waiting list in.

Clearly there is keen interest, and with a great venue and solid support it looks already like it’s going to be a stimulating and inspiring event. If you haven’t already signed up and can definitely make it, don’t put it off, since it’s probably going to sell out.

UXCampVancouver is On!

We’re excited to announce that UXCampVancouver, the first User Experience Un-conference, will take place on December 5, 2009. We are in the process of finalizing the venue, sponsors, and times, so watch this space for more information very soon. If you are interested in attending, sign up at Eventbrite. There will be room for approximately 100 or so attendees, so be sure to reserve your spot.

So What is UXCamp, anyway, and who should attend?

Modelled on the successful UXCamp held in Edmonton this summer, UXcamp Vancouver is an event for UX practitioners, enthusiasts, and anyone else to learn and share ideas on topics such as usability, information architecture, design, and anything else related to user experience.