EPSScentral Whats New 21 Nov 2001

What's New 20 November 2001

BOOKS	This link takes you to the EPSScentral bibliography.
Trellix Web: Web Site Creation Kit.	If you don't already know, Trellix has been around for a while and this book isn't exactly new. But I continue to be amazed that so many people are unaware of Dan Brickland's web development creation. Trellix is a marvelous development environment containing a tremendous amount of performance support for the developer - and for the ultimate performer (i.e., web site user). It's core engine is now being used to power ASP web development services branded by the Trellix Corporation (see the Trellix site). The stand-alone product, Trellix Web is being re-branded by GlobalSCAPE, Inc. (the CuteFTP people). In early December Trellix Web will be released as Cutesite Builder. Contact sales@globalscape.com or call 800-290-5054 for further details.
Management Tools 2001 : An Executive's Guide	Every performance-centered system developer knows that the proper management tools are crucial to project success. This book is therefore extremely useful. It is a compendium that includes guidance, descriptions, methodologies, common uses and selected references for a large number of management tools, including: Activity Based Management, Balanced Scorecard, Benchmarking, Core Competencies, Corporate Venturing, Customer Relationship Management, Customer Satisfaction Measurement, Customer Segmentation, Cycle Time Reduction, Growth Strategies, Knowledge Management, Market Disruption Analysis, Merger Integration Teams, Mission and Vision Statements, One-to-One Marketing, Outsourcing, Pay-for-performance, Real Options Analysis, Reengineering, Scenario Planning, Shareholder Value Analysis, Strategic Alliances, Strategic Planning, Supply Chain Integration, and Total Quality Management.
USABILITY	This link takes you to previous articles on this topic linked from EPSScentral.
Whole lotta thwarting going on	Organizations of every size are attempting to reengineer their content generation, management, and publishing systems through web pages, intranet sites, and electronic communications strategies adopted by organizations, their partners, and customers. Sadly, these initiatives are focused on realizing organizational objectives without sufficient regard for the context, habits, and goals of the people who will actually use the system. Read how to look before you leap and avoid automating misery, from Cooper's Director of Practice.
Three traps	If you have the nagging feeling that there's something not quite right with your product development initiative, it may be because you're falling into one of the three traps discussed in this Cooper Interaction Design article.
In the Beginning was the Command Line	Neal Stephenson is best known for his novel Snow Crash, which blends the themes of computer science, biotechnology, religion, and extreme capitalism into a compelling vision of the web's future as a parallel, virtual reality world. In this essay he argues that most current graphical interfaces abuse the power of metaphor in order to make computers accessible to a larger audience. These interfaces inherently introduce a bias into the computing experience that weakens the ability for users to exploit the computer's real potential, and molds users with cultural influences that are defined by the suppliers of the interface. Since the command line continues to exist as a kind of "brainstem reflex" for the computer, it remains the closest one can reasonably get to the system's core function, which is to manipulate strings of bits. Stephenson has a unique ability to balance interpretations of technology and pop-culture trends, and this piece is an entertaining read, touching on Disney, Microsoft, the Mac-Windows religious wars, BeOS, the Linux phenomenon, and many other topics.
ONLINE LEARNING	This link takes you to previous articles on this topic linked from EPSScentral.
In Defense of Online Learning (and Veggie Burgers)	...the veggie burger comes into its own as a culinary art form when we acknowledge that it is not and will never be a hamburger. What holds for vegetable patties also holds for online learning. If e-learning is ever to come into its own as an educational art form (and I don't think it has yet), then we must first acknowledge that it is not and never will be able to replicate the kind of dynamic that happens in a live classroom. See Michael Feldstein's COLUMN on the home page of eLearning Magazine.
From Both Sides Now: On Being an Online Learner and an Online Professor	Most people have not experienced e-learning yet or have done so in one role; I have experienced e-learning over a long time span and from a diversity of roles: Student, professor, and program director. The insights from each role allowed me to function more effectively in other roles and have led to a unique perspective on what makes online learning successful.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT	This link takes you to previous articles on this topic linked from EPSScentral.
It's time to cultivate growth	Every day that an organisation puts off creating an effective knowledge management (KM) strategy, it throws away more of its greatest asset. A survey by Reuters finds that 90 per cent of companies which deploy a KM solution benefit from better decision making, while 81 per cent say they notice increased productivity. And BT itself found that, while 26 per cent of knowledge in the average organisation is stored on paper and 20 per cent digitally, an astonishing 42 per cent is stored in employees' heads. Here, Steve Lakin, manager of intellectual capital with BT, offers ten top tips for engineering a change in attitude to KM in your organisation.
INTRANETS, PORTALS, AND THE WEB	This link takes you to previous articles on this topic linked from EPSScentral.
Real World Intranets, Part 5	Some corporate intranets grow in small steps-an interactive gadget added here, a searchable database there-and some grow in great leaps. The intranet for Ketchum, a global public relations company, recently experienced just such a leap, one that made the site more an integrated part of employee and customer work lives than before.
David Weinberger's Intranet Buzz: Identity And Self	In an Everyone But Microsoft move, Sun and 32 other companies this fall created The Liberty Alliance. The Alliance is trying to provide an alternative to Microsoft Passport, an insidious plan to make Microsoft the keeper of the information that defines us as individuals on the Internet.
INTERFACE AND ATTRIBUTES	This link takes you to previous articles on this topic linked from EPSScentral.
NeoTrace Visualizes Web Connections	McAfee's NeoTrace is a Windows application that combines traceroute, whois, and ping functions into a single tool with a graphical front end. You can trace any computer on the internet simply by entering an email, IP address or URL. The display shows you the route between you and the remote site, including all intermediate nodes and their registrant information. The trial version can be downloaded free, and a licensed version costs $29.95.
Tilting Navigation Interface	Rock 'n' Scroll is a user input method developed by Compaq for its Itsy handheld computer in which users control applications by tilting the device in different directions. The Itsy hardware specifications and Linux software modifications to enable Rock 'n' Scroll are publicly available, and the design has been written up in IEEE Computer magazine.
CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, PRESENTATIONS, ETC.
CALL FOR PARTICIPATION forUSE 2002 First International Conference on Usage-Centered Design 25-28 August 2002 Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA	A Conference on Usage-Centered, Task-Driven, and Performance-Centered Design for Software and Web Applications Conference Theme: Design that Works Conference Chairperson: Larry Constantine, Constantine & Lockwood, Ltd. Program Chairperson: James Noble, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Industry Liaison: Helmut Windl, Siemens AG, Germany Usage-centered design is coming of age as a proven, scaleable, and flexible approach for designing world-class user interfaces. Interest in this and related systematic techniques for user interface design has been growing rapidly around the world. forUse 2002 will be the first conference of its kind devoted exclusively to usage-centered, task-driven, and performance-centered design for software and web-based applications. The conference will feature keynote and invited presentations by leading figures in usability and user interface design along with a full complement of tutorials and short presentations. In addition to proposals for regular presentations (1.5 hours), we are also seeking proposals for special sessions (also 1.5 hours), such as panels or demonstrations, as well as full-day tutorials (6 hours) on both basic and advanced topics related to the conference focus. Presenters will get free registration for the full conference, publication in the proceedings, and publicity on the conference Web site. In addition, each regular session will earn a stipend of $500, and each all-day tutorial will earn $1500. The emphasis throughout the conference will be on practical application and real-world experiences. We are particularly interested in reports by practicing designers and developers describing actual project experiences and lessons learned but will also consider research reports and conceptual papers that emphasize application in the real world. Presentations should address or be related to one or more of the core topics of the conference. Topics of interest include but are not limited to such things as: * usage-centered and task-oriented design * systematic and model-driven user interface design processes, methods, and techniques * performance-support and performance-centered design * task models and task modeling * use cases, scenarios, task cases, and stories in user interface design * user roles, personas, user profiles, and user modeling * abstract prototypes and user interface content models * innovative visual and interaction designs supporting use and work performance * patterns in user interface design and usability * product usability, utility, and usefulness in real-world practice * user interface design, task efficiency, and user effectiveness * model-driven user interface design * usability and user interface design in agile and lightweight processes * usage-centered design and XP (extreme programming) * integrating usage-centered design with UML and the Unified Process * programming and software engineering of usage-centered designs * cost-justification and ROI in user interface design * making the business case for usability and user interface design * teaching user interface design * usability in embedded, wireless, and special applications * software and paper-based tools for usage-centered design Proposals (by email only, submissions@foruse.com) should include: proposed title type of session (regular, tutorial, panel, demonstration, etc.) 300-500-word abstract 100-200 author biographical sketch full contact information for all presenter(s), including all email addresses Multiple presenters and multiple proposals from the same presenter(s) are acceptable. Preliminary decisions on program content will be made early in 2002; the precise conference planning schedule along with further details will be released in December. Watch for more details at www.forUse.com/2002/ .
MORE CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, AND PRESENTATIONS	Free Webinar: Designing Corporate Collaboration Services Mongoose is offering a free Webinar on designing corporate collaboration services by two experts in communities development. There will be two sessions, one at 10am PDT on Thursday 8 November and one at 10:00am PT on Thursday 15 November. The presenters, John Smith and Tony Christopher, will be discussing an approach to developing collaboration services that can apply to any groups in the organization. During the webinar slide presentation people are encouraged to add comments in the chat window, and after the presentation we will have an open audio dialogue with Q&A and general discussion. Vignettes for Training Implementing the full e-learning development process from prototyping, creating and building courses to web hosting. This three-day blended online and hands-on workshop enables participants to experience how to set-up an e-learning program. At the end of the workshop, participants will have completed their mini-e-learning projects. User Experience Conference Nielsen Norman Group's User Experience 2001-2002 conference offers four exciting days, including: Web Usability Today, a full conference day of enlightening short talks from industry experts; one day of exclusive NN/g seminars; and two days of informative tutorials. Each of these days gives you the chance to Match wits with the sharpest minds in usability theory and practice. Soak up seminars, tutorials, and presentations that will help you build smarter interfaces, save your development dollars, ensure successful user experiences. Protect your budget. Pay for only the days you need. The more days you attend, the deeper the discount. Meet, share tactics, trade cards, munch bagels with UI pros. Our conferences draw experienced UI professionals from all markets. Performance Support Engineering Workshops from Ariel PSE™ Part One Training: Performance Support Mapping® Part Two Training: Performance Centered Design Hands-On™ E-learning in Action Seminar, November 28 - 29, 2001 Santa Clara Convention Center San Jose, Calif. Online Educa, November 28 - 30, 2001 Hotel Inter-Continental Berlin, Germany Award-Winning Corporate Universities, December 2 - 5, 2001 Disneyland Hotel Anaheim, Calif. E-Learning Executive Exchange, December 10 - 11, 2001 Orlando, Fla. IQPC Exchange TechKnowlege 2002, February 4 - 7, 2002 Las Vegas ASTD International Business Education & Technology Conference, February 14 - 19, 2002 Adam's Mark Hotel Clearwater Beach, Fla. Training 2002/Presentations 2002, February 18 - 20, 2002 Georgia World Congress Center Atlanta OnLine Learning 2002 Europe, March 5 - 6, 2002 London ISPI 2002, April 21 - 25, 2002 Adam's Mark Hotel Dallas, Texas U.S.A Centra Summit, April 30 - May 3, 2002 Westin Copley Place Hotel Boston, Mass. World Education Market May 21 - 24, 2002 Liboa Congress Centre Lisbon, Portugal ASTD 2002 June 2 - 6, 2002 New Orleans Hypertext '02 June 11th - 15th, 2002 University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
REPORTS and STUDIES
Notes From E-learning Special Interest Group (SIG) Discussion at CHI 2001	About 80 people participated in the SIG, which was organized and recorded by eLearn magazine's Editor-In-Chief Lisa Neal, Executive Editor Ken Korman, and Managing Editor Marisa Campbell. The event was held as part of ACM's annual CHI 2001 (Computer-Human Interaction) conference. The organizers introduced themselves and described their interest and backgrounds in e-learning. They got a show of hands to see what types of environments participants work in and whether they had ever taken or develop or delivered e-learning. The response was quite varied to both sets of questions, showing the diversity of the group. Lisa and Ken described the format, which was facilitated discussion on "hot topics" related to e-learning, or what issues kept participants up at night. They collected these topics from the participants, starting off with two of their own that they felt especially pertinent for CHI.
Storytelling at a Distance	Storytelling is one of the most effective techniques for conveying information in a compelling and memorable way. The use of stories is more fun for presenters and students than unidimensional exposition. Stories build tension and suspense in anticipation of a resolution, making them entertaining and engaging modes of explication. Good storytelling is an art in the classroom; but, at a distance, storytelling becomes problematic. Currently, neither synchronous nor asynchronous distance-learning technologies capture the wealth of visual cues and expressiveness found in face-to-face classroom experiences. In particular, some of the issues with asynchronous technologies are the lack of spontaneity and the tendency to sanitize stories when capturing them as text, audio, or video. Nevertheless, there are strategies that overcome these delivery technologies' constraints and enable stories' power to be appropriated for successful e-learning solutions. These strategies also encourage students to tell their own stories, thus deepening their educational experience.

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