Submission Types - Posters

 Posters

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

Posters provide a forum in which you can present case studies and ideas to a small group or to individuals. Poster sessions at UPA commonly present:

1. Late breaking results
2. New or incomplete work that suggests promising directions
3. Graphically oriented ideas regarding the world of usability
4. A heavily interactive idea
5. An idea in a more relaxed atmosphere than the rigors of a presentation or tutorial
6. An idea created in a conference workshop

 Benefits

You will have the chance to talk one-on-one with conference participants who are interested in your poster topic.

 Poster format and layout

You will have a 4 foot high by 8 foot wide board on which to mount the poster. You will also have a table for materials you will use in your poster presentation.

 Poster Revolution

Revolution - motion of any figure [or attendee] around a center or axis AND a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something: a change of paradigm.

The UPA Poster Revolution is a set of spark plugs to get your imagine-engine going. At the UPA Poster Revolution, attendees will get an in-depth presentation of the UPA conference posters by the poster presenters, as well as the opportunity to discuss ideas with the presenters.

During this time, attendees will gather into groups around the posters that interest them most. Each presenter will then be given a set amount of time to talk about his or her poster, plus a few minutes of questions and answers. At the end of the timeslot, attendees will be directed to the next poster. After one revolution around the room, attendees may go back to any of the posters that intrigued or infuriated them and discuss with or argue about them with the presenters.

So come to the UPA Poster Revolution to get inspired, get informed, or just to find out what is happening in the mainstream and cutting edge of the usability profession. It will be a time to get much more comprehensive information about each poster than would be possible at the opening reception or the two 15 minute mini-sessions.

Just one revolution and you will definitely not end up where you began, at least as far as knowledge and viewpoint.

The Poster Revolution takes place during one of the Presentation sessions, and is an optional activity for poster presenters.

 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 poster. See the section “Submitting Your Proposal” for additional information.

1. Description of Poster Content (3 pages minimum, 4 pages maximum, 1MB maximum file size)

The Description should cover the following topics:

Title: Include the title of your poster on each page of the Description in the header.

Abstract: Provide a 50-word synopsis of your poster submission. The abstract will appear in the Advance and Final programs for accepted submissions.

Detailed description of the topic the poster will cover, with a rough sketch of how you will lay out the poster content.

Poster Layout: picture or rough sketch of how you will lay out the poster content.

Confirmation of your ability to present the poster at different times during the conference. All accepted posters are presented at the opening night reception (June 8, 2004, starting at 6:30) for 2 hours. Also you will select two 15 minute sessions when you will be available during Wednesday and Thursday of the conference to discuss your poster.

Interest in participating in the Poster Revolution

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.

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."

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 presentation or panel.

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.

 Additional Submission Information

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 poster. Please be sure to read the section, “Preparing Your Submission” before submitting your poster proposal.

 Review Questions & Guidelines

Poster submissions are evaluated for originality, practicality, and relevance to UPA members, and for appropriateness of the poster format for presentation of the proposed topic.

 Reviewers will evaluate all posters on the basis of these questions:

1. System, product, or project focus: Do you agree with the submitter’s system, product, or project focus?
2. Topic category: Do you agree with the submitter’s topic category?
3. Topic keywords: Do you agree with the submitter’s focus keywords?
4. Importance: How important do you think this topic is to the usability field?
5. Practicality: To what extent would this presentation provide practical tips, tricks, and techniques that can be applied in the workplace?
6. Value to attendees: Will the session provide direct benefits that attendees can apply immediately to their jobs?
7. Audience: How effectively does the submitter address the needs of his or her targeted audience? See the section “Target Audiences.”
8. Theme: In your opinion, how well does this topic fit the conference theme (“Connecting Communities”)? While UPA encourages submissions tied to the conference theme, it is not required. This is an “added value” in evaluating submissions.
9. Originality/Novelty: How well does this presentation provide original or new content for returning conference attendees?
10. Interactivity: Will the session be interactive enough to stimulate interest and involvement?
11. Challenging: How well does this presentation challenge UPA mainstream thinking? How well will this presentation stimulate and promote “outside the box” discussion?
12. Poster Revolution: If this poster is selected for the conference, should it be part of the Poster Revolution?
13. Quality: If the poster is based on experimental research, how well does it conform to generally accepted research standards?
14. Speaker’s Background: 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? That is, 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?
15. Overall Assessment

 Templates

UPA provides templates both for Poster 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.

 

 

Some examples of outstanding submissions from past years are available. Reviewing these examples will give you some insight about what makes a strong submission, and what kinds of things that UPA reviewers look for.

poster_camera.proposal.rtf

Poster_zoomable.proposal.rtf

Thank you to Kerrie Green and Regis Magyar for permission to use these examples.

UPA will notify submitters of the status of their submission by March 19, 2004. If you are accepted, you will be asked to confirm your participation. Once you confirm, you are expected to present your poster, or arrange for an equivalent substitute presenter.

If your poster is accepted, you will need to provide the following materials by April 9, 2004:

For the web site and conference program: A brief description and thumbnail picture of your poster. You can see examples from the 2002 conference on the UPA web site in the UPA 2002 Conference section. Go to the Posters section and click on any of the poster titles.

For the Conference Proceedings: A 3-4 page paper describing your poster

 Important Dates for Posters:

1. Submissions are due: January 30, 2004
2. Submitters notified by: March 19, 2004
3. Provide posters materials for proceedings by: April 9, 2004

Sharon Harap (sharon.harap@tns-i.com)
Kathy Baxter (kbaxter@ebay.com)