Usability Conference -- and CNET Story

I've attended a great conference on usability Monday and Tuesday, sponsored
by American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and by Bentley College,
hosted by William Gribbons, head of the Human Factors and Information 
Design program.

The conference invitation:

http://www.bentley.edu/events/agingbydesign2004/welcome.cfm?CFID=479803&CFTOKEN=24468512

I found most appealing that I'd never heard of any of the speakers other 
that William Gribbons!

A great opportunity to stretch my mind --

     A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension
     -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

==== Monday, September 27, 2004 ====

The Business of Design -- Phil Terry, CEO Creative Good

Caregiving and Technology -- John Rother, AARP

Technology and Aging Services: Using it Today and Developing it for Tomorrow
     -- Russell Bodoff, Center for Aging Services Technology

PlaceLab: Researching Everyday Living -- Kent Larson, MIT Placelab

Innovation vs. Research: Getting to the market -- Kenan Sahin, TIAX

Town Hall -- Older Adults and the Web -- Tom Tullis, Ginny Redish, Amy Lee
     (After this session I was interviewed for the article summarized below)

Town Hall -- Aging in Place -- Russ Bodoff, Julie Jacko, Dan Fisk, Diane 
Mahoney

Technology Access: Aging and Visual Dysfunction -- Julie Jacko & Kathlene
Emery, GA Tech

Successful Strategies in Learning -- Peter Crosby, SeniorNet

Gray Matters: Technology and Older Adults -- Walter Bender, MIT Media Lab

Time to Thrive -- Gretchen Addi, IDEO

==== Tuesday, September 28 ====

Keynote: The Politics of Design -- Whitney Quesenbery, President,
     Usability Professionals Association

Technology and Older Adults: Evolution, Myths and Revolution
-- Roger Morrell, GeroTech

Human Factors and the Aware Home -- Arthur Fisk, Georgia Tech

Understanding the Aging Web User: An Overview of Research Conducted
at Fidelity Investments -- Ann Chadwick-Dias, Fidelity Investments

Older, Wiser, Wired: Designing for Adults over 50 -- Amy Lee, AARP

Town Hall -- Health and Caregiving -- Roger Morrell, Lauren Storck,
     Barbara Holt, Roberta Milman

Town Hall -- Learning Later in Life -- Sandy Krasner, Marian Stoltz-Loike,
     Elizabeth Isele

Connecting Technoloigy and Older Adults -- Barbara Holt, GeroTech

Designing e-learning material for mature employees: Blending Innovation in 
Business and Technology -- Marian Stoltz-Loike, SeniorThinking

Web Accessibility -- Mary Theofanos, National Institute for Science and 
Technology [She
     asserted that she was in contact with WAI, though I'm unaware of any 
contribution
     from NIST.]

Making Federal Online Services Usable for Older Users -- Janice Nall, GSA

==== CNET Story ====

The following article seems unfair to the many speakers and panels:
It appears that I co-opted the writer's attention.

After some comments I made in one session, Mike Lee asked if he could
interview me.  Here is a pointer to the results.

http://news.com.com/Internet+fails+to+shine+for+silver+surfers/2100-1046_3-5385220.html?tag=nefd.lede

==== Here's the rest of his email ====
Hey,

You made it into the CNET story and you haven't even left the conference yet!

Extract:

WALTHAM, Mass. -- The problem with Harvey Bingham is that he's not your
typical senior citizen. ... The problem is that he's a septuagenarian 
aberration. ...
"I don't believe it's fair to say that designers have been stupid to 
overlook the
senior market. Short-sighted is probably more accurate." -- Harvey Bingham

==== Mike ====

Mike Lee
Acting Director of Client Services
AARP
mslee@aarp.org
202-434-3527

Received on Wednesday, 29 September 2004 03:31:07 UTC