Usability Professionals' Association conference, Baltimore, MD, 2008
We hear that the Semantic Web is coming--do you realize it's already here? Many sites are now 'semantically-enabled' and new interaction techniques are becoming available. Of course, even with so much new, the old questions remain: Why do it? What do we need to consider? How does this affect user experience? How might users interact with a fully realized Semantic Web? Exploring the new landscape together is the focus of this presentation.
Writers of User Assistance conference, Portland, OR, 2008
"The shortest distance between two points is a relevant keyword." When users need information, the most direct path returns them to their task as quickly as possible with the knowledge needed to be successful. This requires us to design and write with an understanding of the user's context, task, and need. We then reduce seeking time by carefully defining the 'glue' between applications and supporting information. I discuss some 'big picture' ideas for User Assistance practices: understanding the user's context, identifying relevant keywords, and integrating applications and content using techniques from the Semantic Web and Topic Maps.
User Focus, the UPA DC Chapter conference, Washington, D.C., 2007
In the practice of User-Centered Design and Information Architecture, we often need to identify key words and phrases for the subject domain and the content in order to support navigation, search optimization, faceted browsing, and labeling. This paper presents a brief overview of automated tools that can help. Keyword generators, semantic parsers, and concept extraction software do not remove the need for the individual and group design activities, but they can make it quicker to get started by identifying important terms which you can then discuss with subject experts and users.
Semantic Web User Interaction Workshop, International Semantic Web Conference, Athens, GA, 2006
This position paper raises the importance of understanding the users of the Semantic Web and the tasks that will bring them to the Semantic Web. It proposes a high-level framework for categorizing those users and tasks, and provides implications to be considered in end-user interaction design.
XML2004 conference, Washington, D.C., 2004
A new content management and delivery system has been growing over the past years at SSA. From a content perspective, users have been asking for "simple answers, with all supporting information, relevant to my situation." From an organizational perspective, the role of content is increasingly seen as integrated with transactional systems in order to sustain quality service delivery in an increasingly complex business environment. From a technology perspective, the use of emerging tools based on XML and semantic technologies provides opportunities for simpler systems that control content maintenance more effectively, improve integration, provide easier content access, and allow migration as systems evolve over time. This case study shows the application and discusses design considerations.
Usability Professionals' Association conference, Minneapolis, MN, 2004
A tremendous amount of hope -- and hype -- has been attached to Tim Berners-Lee's concept of the Semantic Web, where machine-readable "meaning" enriches the promise of the web. Creating a positive, successful, trust-worthy experience for users is crucial to its success. What does that mean? What is imperative for it to become the "next generation" web? Most importantly, why must the usability community play a leading role to shape the Semantic Web in a positive, user-centered way?
Extreme Markup Conference, Montreal, Canada, 2003
Topic maps provide exciting opportunities not just to make information easier to find, but to increase the usability of software. In order to provide users with the information that applies to their particular situations, in forms that they can use, software must be aware of a user's context (in a broad, multi-dimensional sense). Topic maps can serve as the language for linking information to software applications and for sharing information about context among applications.
Performance Improvement, ISPI, 39(6), July 2000
Much of the current focus on knowledge management is on the acquisition and storage of knowledge resources. Unfortunately, because most knowledge management solutions are developed to stand alone, the context of a person's need for information when using business applications is often left to the individual. This article discusses ways to merge the best practices of knowledge management and performance support, so that knowledge can be integrated more seamlessly within working applications, and applications can be used to solicit knowledge as a by-product of people's work.
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