Candidate's Statement: Paul Sherman

Candidate for Member-at-Large

Paul Sherman

Director of User-Centered Design, Sage Software
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Goals for UPA

I have two goals for the UPA:

• support members in their professional growth and development, and
• increase the visibility and awareness of our profession.

During my first term on the UPA Board, I have had the opportunity to meet with many UPA members. What I’ve learned from these conversations is that many join UPA because they feel that it is “their” association. It represents their professional goals and interests. While the tangible benefits of membership – UX Magazine, the Usability Body of Knowledge, the annual conference – are important, I believe our association’s main value proposition is that we enable members to meet, learn from each other, and build strong professional bonds.

I will work to preserve and strengthen these bonds. I will do this by continuing to listen to and be responsive to you, the members. I will represent your concerns and interests to the UPA leadership, as well as in my interactions with other disciplines and organizations. And I will help members develop professionally by seeking more and better opportunities for you to continue learning throughout your career.

My second goal will be to lead our efforts to be “the first and foremost” association that cares about, and strives to improve, people’s experiences with technology. We have progressed quite far in this respect during the past fifteen years. If reelected, I will continue these efforts. I will also work to identify new initiatives that will further establish UPA as the preeminent organization for people who care about the user experience.

Volunteer Experience

In 2000, I helped found the Austin UPA chapter, serving as its first Treasurer. In 2002 I co-founded the Dallas-Ft. Worth chapter, serving as founding President and first elected President. I was elected to the UPA Board in 2004, initially serving as Co-Director of Chapters. I am currently Vice-President and Director of Members and Sponsors. In 2005, I founded and served as the first editor of the e-newsletter UPA Monthly. UPA Monthly is now published in English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

 

Professional Experience and Biographical Details

I am currently Director of User-Centered Design at Sage Software. I earned a PhD in Human Factors Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1997. During the past 11 years I have designed and usability tested a variety of Web sites and software applications. I am also the editor of the upcoming book “Usability Success Stories: How Organizations Improve By Making Easier-To-Use Software And Web Sites”. Finally, I founded and maintain Usabilityblog.com.