Submission Types - Advanced Topics

 Advanced Topic Seminars

A printable version of the Call for Participation, tailored for advanced topics, is available.

Advanced Topics Seminars are forums in which experienced usability professionals can discuss focused topics in more detail than at presentations or panels. These 2-hour seminars will occur during the main conference and will accommodate about 20 people. The leaders of each seminar will present the advanced topic for about 30 minutes and then allow about 1-1/2 hours for discussion and debate.

The Advanced Topics Seminars will require a high degree of interaction. Seminar leaders must capture the results of the seminars and make them available on the UPA website, allowing for sharing and learning following the conference.

Advanced topics should be challenging and geared toward usability professionals with five or more years of experience in the field. Examples of advanced topics might include:

Methods for evaluating speech-based systems
Experimental designs for competitive analysis
Assessing the validity of user interface inspections
Classic human factors evaluation methods that we don’t see used much
Methods for long-term (longitudinal) usability investigations
Using non-parametric statistics with small sample usability tests
Cognitive issues in the design of online surveys
Assessing the severity and likelihood of usability problems
What can I learn about usability from eye-tracking studies?

 Benefits
Up to two facilitators per Advanced Topic Seminar will receive a 20% discount on conference registration.

 Submission Information
All submissions must include two documents: a description, and background information about the facilitator(s). Please use the UPA-provided templates to prepare these documents. In addition, you will complete forms online with additional information when you submit your seminar. See the section “Submitting Your Proposal” for additional information.

1. Description of the Advanced Topics Seminar (4 pages minimum, 6 pages maximum, 1MB maximum file size) plus key references.

Your Description should include the following:

Title: Include the title of the Advanced Topic Seminar on each page of the Description in the header.

Abstract: Provide a 50-word synopsis of your submission. The abstract will be used in the Advance and Final Programs for accepted submissions.

Description: Provide a description of the Advanced Topic Seminar that contains the following information:

Why is this an advanced topic? What is the relevance/importance to current professional challenges and opportunities?

What are the key points that you will bring up in this Advanced Topic Seminar?

What examples, demonstrations, or other activities will you use to stimulate interaction with your advanced audience?

Key References: All presenters should have a list of key references that pertain to their topic.

Participant selection criteria. Participants are expected to have 5 or more years in the usability field, but you may have other criteria like some background in statistics, experience with the specific topic, or knowledge of the literature in the area.

Desired number of participants (about 20).

Pre-seminar activities for participants, such as submission of a brief position paper or list of references on the topic that could be shared.

Pre-seminar activities for seminar facilitators, such as creating materials to support seminar activities.

How will results be presented at the conference? (e.g. during the Poster Session, at the Idea Market, etc.

Dissemination of results (UPA web site, other forums). At a minimum, results must be posted on the UPA web site. Advanced topic presenters may also and submit a paper to either User Experience or to UPA Voice within three months after the conference.

If you previously have presented the proposed material at UPA or another conference, your UPA proposal should include the number of conferences at which you previously presented the materials and how you have modified your materials for UPA 2004, if applicable.

New for UPA 2004 – New for UPA 2004 for all submission types – Without using names or other clearly identifying information, describe your professional history of working with the material you will be presenting. We realize that this can be difficult, but this section is intended to help reviewers understand the depth and length of your work in the topic of this session.

 Examples:

“The speaker has worked as a usability consultant for 8 years, and has given several presentations on this topic at national and international conferences.”

"The speaker is a graduate student in a Human Factors program. The research described in the presentation is part of the speaker’s thesis."

"The speaker has written a book on the topic which was published in 2002."

2. Your Background
In a separate document, describe in one or two paragraphs the relevant background and experience of each presenter, including presenter names and their affiliated organizations. Background description should not exceed 150 words for each person. This description will be used in all published information about the Advanced Topic Seminar.

To facilitate the blind review process, the background document of your submission will not be sent to the review panel. Some information from the submission process (e.g., keywords, audience, etc.) will also be provided to reviewers. To keep your identity confidential:

Do not include your name, product name (noncommercial products only), or organization on any page of your Description, including headers and footers.

Be sure to remove your name and organization from the Property settings in your document.

During the online submission process, you will fill out a series of forms that ask for additional information. Several of these questions will help UPA classify the audience and subject matter for your seminar. Please be sure to read the section, “Preparing Your Submission” before submitting your seminar proposal.

 Review Questions & Guidelines
The review criteria for the Advanced Topics Seminar proposals include the session’s potential for generating stimulating discussions and useful results, and the expected community interest in the topic. The organizer’s proposal must convince reviewers that the session will be well organized and that the majority of time in the seminar will be spent in group discussion and/or interactive activities. If multiple session proposals are received for the same or similar topics, the organizers might be encouraged to merge them.

Reviewers will evaluate all Advanced Topic Seminar submissions on the basis of these questions:

1. How relevant do you think this topic is for UPA members with at least 5 years of practical experience in usability (i.e., emphasis on advanced topics and issues of concern to experienced association members)?

2. How likely is it that this advanced topics seminar will give experienced usability professionals new and innovative methods, organizational approaches, or ideas for improving products or processes?

3. How likely is it that this advanced topic seminar will produce tangible results that will be useful to attendees after they leave?

4. How likely is it that this advanced seminar format and activities will encourage audience involvement and active participation?

5. Is there a clear and practical statement of the mechanism for dissemination of results following the advanced seminar session (for example, on the UPA web site, an article in a UPA publication)?

6. In what way will the speaker’s background contribute to the quality of presentation? Does the speaker’s background match their chosen topic to speak on? I.e. If this is an advanced topic does the speaker have an advanced degree, have they presented this topic before or have they been practicing usability for a longer period of time? How much experience does the speaker have with the presentation topic?

7. What is your overall recommendation?

As a submitter, you will receive anonymous reviewers’ comments in response to these questions.

 Templates
UPA provides templates both for Advanced Topic Seminar submissions and for biographical information. These templates guide you through the process of building a submission that will describe your material in a way that will help both you and your reviewers to evaluate your submission against the review questions. We strongly urge you to use these templates.

 Download the advanced topic seminar template
 Download the biographical information template

After Your Seminar is Accepted
UPA will notify submitters of the status of their submission by December 22, 2003. If you are accepted, you will be asked to confirm your participation. Once you confirm, you are expected to give your seminar, or arrange for an equivalent substitute presenter.

 Important Dates for Advanced Topic Seminars:
Submissions are due: October 20, 2003
Submitters notified by: December 22, 2003

Although Advanced Topic Seminar facilitators are not required to put materials in the proceedings, slides used in the seminar may be of interest to the UPA membership as a whole. If slides are submitted to the proceedings, they must be provided by April 9, 2004.

After the conference, the results of the seminar must be placed on the UPA web site.

For more information:
Contact Advanced Topic Seminar Co-Chairs:
Chauncey Wilson (chaunsee@aol.com)
Eugenie Bertus (eugenie_bertus@bmc.com)