Touchpoint Talks
Touchpoint Talks are short, synchronous presentations and discussions that will take place from 9:00-9:50am on Tuesday and Thursday of each week. The general focus of these sessions will be
- Tuesday: Instructor presents ideas and information and introduces weekly activities
- Thursday: Participants provide updates on activities, instructor answers questions and discussions connections to class assignments
Recordings of Talks
Touchpoint Talk 1: Overview of Class and Materials (10 Sept. 2020)
This is a recording of the class from Thursday, 10 Sept. 2020 (first day of class). In the recording, we review the focus, structure, and content of the courses as well as materials for the course (i.e., course Moodle site and course website at https://usability-ux.weebly.com/).
Touchpoint Talk 2: Overview of Assignments, Production Processes, and Usability (15 Sept. 2020)
This is a recording of the class from Tuesday, 15 Sept. 2020 (second Touchpoint Talk). In the recording, we review the assignments for the class (their nature, focus, and relationship), the production process as related to usability, and foundational definitions of core concepts.
Touchpoint Talk 3: The Psychology of Usable Designs (17 Sept. 2020)
This recording of the class Touchpoint Talk on 17 Sept. 2020 overviews how psychological factors of space and time (scripts) and of identification (prototypes) can affect usability expectations.
Touchpoint Talk 4: Examining Personas (22 Sept. 2020)
In this recording of the Touchpoint Talk on 22 Sept. 2020, we discuss what personas are (vs. audiences), how to create them, and how they are used to guide product design.
Touchpoint Talk 5: Scripts, Script Maps, and Wireframing (24 Sept. 2020)
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk for 24 Sept. 2020 reviews what the cognitive concept of "scripts" is, how to map (identify the dynamics) the script expectations of users, and how to use script maps and personas to create wireframes of initial designs for testing with users.
Touchpoint Talk 6: User Expectations, Prototypes, Design/Writing, and User Testing/Assessment
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk from Tuesday, 29 Sept. 2020 reviews how limits on working memory prompt the "chunking" information into units (e.g., prototypes) and how these processes affect usability and design expectations.
Touchpoint Talk 7: Memos and Expectations for Persona Entry and Script-Prototype Map Assignment
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk for Thursday, 1 Oct. 2020 overviews the genre of memos (i.e., what they are, how they are used, how to create them) with a focus on creating the cover memo for the Persona Entry and Prototype-Script Map assignment. The Talk also overviews the expectations for the different sections of the Persona Entry and Prototype-Script Map assignment.
Touchpoint Talk 8: Instruction Sets and Meeting User Expectations when Creating Instructions
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk for Tuesday, 6 Oct. 2020 examines the genre of instruction sets --- what the genre is, what its conventions are, and how to craft instructions to meet both genre aspects and user expectations.
Touchpoint Talk 9: Week 6 Homework, Tables, & Images in Instructions
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk on Tuesday, 13 Oct. 2020 provides an overview of the homework for Week 6, examines the design and use of tables in texts, and discusses how to integrate images into instructions.
Touchpoint Talk 10: Troubleshooting Guides and Fundamentals of Focus Groups
This Talk from Thursday, 15 Oct. 2020 overviews the content and formatting for troubleshooting guides and overviews basic dynamics of using focus groups to research user expectations and the usability of products.
Touchpoint Talk 11: Fundamentals of User Testing and Assignment 3
This Talk from Tuesday, 20 Oct. 2020 overviews different factors to consider in user testing processes (e.g., audience, context of use, and completion rates). It also overviews different testing approaches for assessing how well users understand and use items. The talk then concludes with an overview of the third assignment (User Test Report) for the class.
Touchpoint Talk 12: Culture and User Expectations -- User Test Report and Letter
This Talk from Tuesday, 27 Oct. 2020 overviews how culture can shape the cognitive processes associated with usability and how such factors can affect the design of (and usability of) materials in different cultures. The Talk also reviews the content and organization of the User Test Report assignment and the related letter to submit with that assignment.
Touchpoint Talk 13: Overview of Focus Groups, Week 9 Homework, Assignment 4 (Focus Group Report)
This talk from Tuesday, 3 Nov. 2020 overviews the dynamics and process of conducting on-site and online focus groups as well as reviews the Week 9 Homework and the Focus Group Report (Assignment 4) -- both of which involve doing focus group research.
Touchpoint Talk 14: Overview of Assignment 4 -- Focus Group Report and Letter
This talk from 5 Nov. 2020 overviews the process for doing the focus group(s) you will report on in the Focus Group Report assignment. The talk also summarizes the format and content expectations for this Focus Group Report (and related letter) as well as the guidelines for submitting this final assignment.
Touchpoint Talk 15: Usability in Health/Medical Contexts; Resumes & Internships; Extra Credit
This talk from 10 Nov. 2020 summarizes the dynamics of medical usability (contexts of care) to provide a context for the different class assignments and activities this term. The Talk also covers usability-related internships and resources available and concludes with an overview of available extra credit projects for the class.
This is a recording of the class from Thursday, 10 Sept. 2020 (first day of class). In the recording, we review the focus, structure, and content of the courses as well as materials for the course (i.e., course Moodle site and course website at https://usability-ux.weebly.com/).
Touchpoint Talk 2: Overview of Assignments, Production Processes, and Usability (15 Sept. 2020)
This is a recording of the class from Tuesday, 15 Sept. 2020 (second Touchpoint Talk). In the recording, we review the assignments for the class (their nature, focus, and relationship), the production process as related to usability, and foundational definitions of core concepts.
Touchpoint Talk 3: The Psychology of Usable Designs (17 Sept. 2020)
This recording of the class Touchpoint Talk on 17 Sept. 2020 overviews how psychological factors of space and time (scripts) and of identification (prototypes) can affect usability expectations.
Touchpoint Talk 4: Examining Personas (22 Sept. 2020)
In this recording of the Touchpoint Talk on 22 Sept. 2020, we discuss what personas are (vs. audiences), how to create them, and how they are used to guide product design.
Touchpoint Talk 5: Scripts, Script Maps, and Wireframing (24 Sept. 2020)
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk for 24 Sept. 2020 reviews what the cognitive concept of "scripts" is, how to map (identify the dynamics) the script expectations of users, and how to use script maps and personas to create wireframes of initial designs for testing with users.
Touchpoint Talk 6: User Expectations, Prototypes, Design/Writing, and User Testing/Assessment
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk from Tuesday, 29 Sept. 2020 reviews how limits on working memory prompt the "chunking" information into units (e.g., prototypes) and how these processes affect usability and design expectations.
Touchpoint Talk 7: Memos and Expectations for Persona Entry and Script-Prototype Map Assignment
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk for Thursday, 1 Oct. 2020 overviews the genre of memos (i.e., what they are, how they are used, how to create them) with a focus on creating the cover memo for the Persona Entry and Prototype-Script Map assignment. The Talk also overviews the expectations for the different sections of the Persona Entry and Prototype-Script Map assignment.
Touchpoint Talk 8: Instruction Sets and Meeting User Expectations when Creating Instructions
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk for Tuesday, 6 Oct. 2020 examines the genre of instruction sets --- what the genre is, what its conventions are, and how to craft instructions to meet both genre aspects and user expectations.
Touchpoint Talk 9: Week 6 Homework, Tables, & Images in Instructions
This recording of the Touchpoint Talk on Tuesday, 13 Oct. 2020 provides an overview of the homework for Week 6, examines the design and use of tables in texts, and discusses how to integrate images into instructions.
Touchpoint Talk 10: Troubleshooting Guides and Fundamentals of Focus Groups
This Talk from Thursday, 15 Oct. 2020 overviews the content and formatting for troubleshooting guides and overviews basic dynamics of using focus groups to research user expectations and the usability of products.
Touchpoint Talk 11: Fundamentals of User Testing and Assignment 3
This Talk from Tuesday, 20 Oct. 2020 overviews different factors to consider in user testing processes (e.g., audience, context of use, and completion rates). It also overviews different testing approaches for assessing how well users understand and use items. The talk then concludes with an overview of the third assignment (User Test Report) for the class.
Touchpoint Talk 12: Culture and User Expectations -- User Test Report and Letter
This Talk from Tuesday, 27 Oct. 2020 overviews how culture can shape the cognitive processes associated with usability and how such factors can affect the design of (and usability of) materials in different cultures. The Talk also reviews the content and organization of the User Test Report assignment and the related letter to submit with that assignment.
Touchpoint Talk 13: Overview of Focus Groups, Week 9 Homework, Assignment 4 (Focus Group Report)
This talk from Tuesday, 3 Nov. 2020 overviews the dynamics and process of conducting on-site and online focus groups as well as reviews the Week 9 Homework and the Focus Group Report (Assignment 4) -- both of which involve doing focus group research.
Touchpoint Talk 14: Overview of Assignment 4 -- Focus Group Report and Letter
This talk from 5 Nov. 2020 overviews the process for doing the focus group(s) you will report on in the Focus Group Report assignment. The talk also summarizes the format and content expectations for this Focus Group Report (and related letter) as well as the guidelines for submitting this final assignment.
Touchpoint Talk 15: Usability in Health/Medical Contexts; Resumes & Internships; Extra Credit
This talk from 10 Nov. 2020 summarizes the dynamics of medical usability (contexts of care) to provide a context for the different class assignments and activities this term. The Talk also covers usability-related internships and resources available and concludes with an overview of available extra credit projects for the class.