Webcast on Usability: Designing for User Success

[David Stern <david.e.stern@YALE.EDU>]

                                     The Yale University Library
                      Service Quality Improvement Council (SQIC)
                                               and the
                                 Integrated Access Council (IAC)

               proudly offer an exciting webcast for group viewing in the
                         Sterling Memorial Library Lecture Hall
                               Thursday, October 28, 2004
                                 3-4:30 p.m. eastern time

                  Webcast on Usability: Designing for User Success

                         Usability: Designing for User Success


About the Webcast
As libraries and organizations strive to improve their websites to better 
serve their users, they are finding usability testing to be a valuable part 
of the redesign process. By focusing on a user-centered design, web 
developers can learn what works, what doesn't, and what their users want. 
While the results are sometimes surprising, usability testing is a key 
ingredient in designing a web site that meets the needs of its users.

In this live, interactive web presentation you will learn more about 
usability and its role in library interfaces and improved library service. 
By providing you with direct access to hands-on experts, this webcast gives 
library staff, campus faculty, and administrators an opportunity to explore 
this topic in a shared learning environment.

Duane Webster, ARL Executive Director, will begin this session with an 
introduction to the webcast. He will be followed by three panelists who 
will share their own experiences and the impact their work has had locally 
in order to highlight the broader issues of: the benefit of
usability testing; how to get started and when to stop; how to select an 
approach; and how to build a culture of usability to support your work. 
During the Q&A at the end of the program you will be able to ask questions 
about the presentation or get advice from the experts on your own usability 
initiatives.

Panelists
* Merrilee Proffitt, RLG Program Officer
* Brenda Reeb, Director, Management Library, University of Rochester
* Jerilyn Veldof, Director of Undergraduate Initiatives, University of 
Minnesota Libraries

Target Audience
* College and University Faculty and Administrators
* Librarians who want to stay current with developments in website 
usability, particularly those who work with website design, maintenance, 
development, or distance learning.

Questions?
For more information, including Useful Resources, Technology Requirements, 
and Frequently Asked Questions, please visit the Usability webcast home at 
http://www.arl.org/training/webcast/usability/ or contact Karen A. Wetzel, 
ARL/OLMS Program Officer for Distance Learning, at karen@arl.org or by 
phone at 202-296-8656.

Please be sure to arrange coverage in your unit in order to attend this 
presentation.



David Stern,  Chair of SQIC, and
Director of Science Libraries and Information Services
Kline Science Library
219 Prospect Street
P.O. Box 208111
New Haven, CT  06520-8111

phone:  203 432-3447
fax:  203 432-3441
email:  david.e.stern@yale.edu