[stcusesig_l] ideas for WUD - World Usability Day

[Chauncey Wilson]

This would be an excellent topic for brainstorming.  Here are some thoughts:

1.  A photo gallery of good and bad signage.
2.  Wayfinding walks where a small team explores a city and examines issues
around wayfinding
3.  Create a  bibliography of interesting issues related to transportation.
4.  Read together the book "Traffic" which dispells some myths about driving
and traffic patterns.
5.  Examine what persuasive principles might work best to encouage public
transporation.
6.  Explore the user experience of your area's bus or train system from the
Web site with information to the experience of riding in rush hour.
7.  Have a colleague who has to get around in a wheelchair narrate what is
it like for him/her to get around the city.

Chauncey

On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 3:05 AM, Karen Mardahl <k.mardahl at gmail.com> wrote:

> World Usability Day is coming up (Nov. 13), and I'd like to hear what
> plans are simmering out there on the back burners of your minds. This
> year's theme is transport.
>
> I live in Denmark, more specifically in Copenhagen, where we have lots
> of public transport - trains, buses, and light-rail. The train station
> near my office is a place frequented by blind people going to and from
> the school for the blind just a stop ahead on the train line. I notice
> how they navigate using the raised pieces of metal that form a trail
> inside the station down to the tracks. I think about the turmoil in
> rush hour and wonder how that is perceived by people with canes,
> wheelchairs, or guide animals. I'd like to do some sort of project for
> WUD. SIGCHI.dk held an all day mini-conference 2 years ago, but they
> are doing nothing this year. Another group, webgrrls.dk, is interested
> in "doing something". I threw the idea out in that group last week. I
> am too fried with deadlines these days to think creatively right now.
> I cannot figure out whether it is enough to have an event on the day,
> or whether the day should be preceded by... something. Perhaps
> something as simple as announcements in the news media? I also think
> we should contact the bodies that run these services: www.dsb.dk
> (trains), www.movia.dk (buses), and www.m.dk (metro). They may provide
> access in ways that "ordinary" people can't, e.g. doing a survey or
> some similar larger project. Even though we got involved with them, I
> don't think commercialism would spoil a collaboration. We could also
> test the tourist angle. Danish is the national language, so signage
> and announcements are in Danish, of course, except for travels toward
> the airport. How do non-Danish speakers feel about the transport
> system. For example, is much of it intuitive? Personally, I'd like an
> accessibility angle, too, because of my involvement in the
> AccessAbility SIG (co-manager).
>
> I thought I would take the opportunity to just ask this group for
> ideas and inspiration. Perhaps others would enjoy a brainstorming
> session on this topic, too?
>
> Read more about WUD at their site: http://www.worldusabilityday.org/
>
> Thanks!
>
> regards, Karen Mardahl
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