Location: Christchurch
December 5, 2005
ICAT 2005 and MUM 2005
The HIT Lab NZ is organizing the ICAT 2005 and MUM 2005 conferences in the second week of December (Dec 5th - 10th). These are both leading international conferences and allow you the opportunity to see world class research in the field of Virtual Reality, 3D interfaces and mobile multimedia technology.
On December 5th - 8th, there is the International Conference on Augmented Telexistence (ICAT 2005). ICAT 2005 is the oldest conference on Virtual Reality, running for 15 years. In addition to Virtual Reality, papers will be offered on 3D user interfaces, haptic and tacitile input and telepresence. There are a number of outstanding international speakers and tutorials on topics such as projection displays and 3D user interface design. Keynote speechs will be given by Oliver Bimber who is doing some remarkable research on 3D stereo projecton and Adrian Cheok who is an expert on next generation entertainment technology.
More information about ICAT 2005 can be found at http://www.icat2005.org/
On December 8th - 10th, there is the Conference on Mobile Ubiquitous Multimedia (MUM 2005). This is the leading conference on mobile multimedia applications, including games on mobile phones, user interfaces for PDAs and mobile phones, and mobile networking. For people interested in mobile devices this is the ideal conference. The keynote speaker will be Jani Karlsson, the Nokia N-Gage product manager, who will speak about trends in mobile phone gaming.
More information about MUM 2005 can be found at http://www.hitlabnz.org/mum2005/
This is the first time that both conferences have been held in New Zealand, so this is an outstanding opportunity to be exposed to leading research in these fields. A significant discount is also offered for people that register to attend both conferences.
If you would like to more information about the conferences please contact mark.billinghurst [at] hitlabnz [dot] org
November 3, 2005
World Usability Day Kick-Off in Christchurch
Kick off World Usability Day with a breakfast event and the grand opening of New Zealand's first centre devoted to information design and usability. Join dignitaries and special guests to help make the public and business aware of the importance of usability.
World Usability Day in New Zealand will start with a champagne breakfast at 8am making it the first world usability event for the day. New Zealand dignitaries and guests will be invited to open a new usability testing lab. The event will start with a formal Maori welcome (a Powhiri), an opening speech by a public dignitary and then some serious usability testing of champagne and breakfast treats.
Location:
Information Design CentreNZ
Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology
103 High St
Christchurch
Time: 8.00am
Contact:
Alison Reynolds
Alison Reynolds
Phone: 64 3 940 8155
November 3, 2005
Christchurch World Usability Open Day
Join us for a fully caffeinated day of talks, workshops, discussion and demonstrations at the home of New Zealands first fully commercial usability lab opened earlier this year.
The open day is structured with 3 ‘channels’ of events going on during the day. We will be hosting talks and workshops from both practitioners and industry representatives to provide you with an honest 360° view of what usability is about, why it’s important and what it can do for you.
We’ll have industry case studies showing how usability has improved business, discussion about how to implement usability within your organization and strategy, and hands on workshops to give you some tools to start using right away.
Also, throughout the day will be usability testing demonstrations at New Zealand’s first fully commercial usability lab.
A highly caffeinated barister will provide complementary ‘good’ coffee and other light snacks and refreshments will be available. Your welcome to come to the whole day or just to those parts that interest you. Come and go as you please.
Location:
Canterbury Innovation Incubator
Opposite Centenial Swimming Pool
200 Armagh Street
Start time: 8.30am
Contact: Alan Cox
September 7, 2005
TCANZ 2005 - Communicating with Users: Moving Online and to the Web
The Technical Communicators Association of New Zealand presents their 2005 Conference with a focus on the interplay between information design, user interaction and usability.
As for previous TCANZ conferences we have sourced speakers from the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand to give you the latest information on their areas of expertise.
Pre- and post-conference workshops, presented by conference speakers, will be held on Wednesday 7th September and Saturday 10th September.
Website: TCANZ 2005 Conference
July 20, 2005
Hit Lab NZ Open House
Open to all the public to come view the latest research projects which the HIT Lab NZ are working on.
Venue: HIT Lab NZ, Old Maths Building, University of Canterbury
Date: Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Time: 4pm - 7pm
Website: Hit Lab NZ Open House
July 14, 2005
The Fantastic Voyage: Using Design to Get Into the Mind of the Customer
Sales & Marketing Institute
Speaker: Dorenda Britten
Design is a concept based on principles of 'getting it right'. The end goal is to put something in front of the customer that they will desire and purchase and want more of. Design leadership is about incorporating these principles into every aspect of a business to ensure that everything is geared towards creating products and services that are extraordinary, and that are sought after by customers.
Traditional wisdom says 'ask the customer what they want and deliver it to them'. Design says 'don't bother, they don't know'. One of the greatest challenges in design is getting into the mind of the customer, rather than just listening to their voice; figuring out where the customer will be by the time the product or service is ready for market. Design offers a framework and tools through which to achieve this goal.
Dorenda Britten is proactive, collaborative, open-minded and principled. She is deeply committed to raising the trading balance of New Zealand through developing high value products and services, and has a personal dream that design has become an acknowledged element in connecting New Zealand's creative talent to business opportunities. Come on this voyage of discovery with a remarkable woman.
Website: Sales & Marketing Institute