{"id":590,"date":"2017-12-11T12:35:18","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T20:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maxbronsema.com\/blog\/?p=590"},"modified":"2017-12-11T12:36:14","modified_gmt":"2017-12-11T20:36:14","slug":"highedweb-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maxbronsema.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/11\/highedweb-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"HighEdWeb 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recap<\/h2>\n

HighEdWeb is an interesting conference. It focuses on a niche, web development and management in higher education. I had not attended this conference in the past but had heard good things. Overall it is a worthwhile conference, there is a very strong sense of community and shared struggles. The technical presentations were a mix of solid development practice reminders and a smidge of pushing the boundaries. I tend to like the future focused presentations more but it was hard for me to take issue with anything in the sessions.<\/p>\n

The keynotes were fantastic. Tatjana Dzambazova’s<\/a> presentation was like sitting through a year of the Economist’s technology quarterly issues in one hour. Very exciting stuff. Felicia Day<\/a> closed out the conference and her story was great to hear. She certainly had a very strong fan base in the crowd.<\/p>\n

The most fun technology takeaway from the conference was a newer development tool based on Docker named Lando<\/a> and a 3D printed map tile, Touch Mapper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Presenting at the conference was really great. A super supportive audience, great questions, and engaging discussions throughout the rest of the conference. What follows are the highlights of my notes.<\/p>\n

Talk: Outnumbered by Temporary (Student) Staff \u2013 A Win for Your Institution<\/h2>\n

Slides: http:\/\/slides.com\/maxbronsema\/outnumbered#\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Deborah Frost, a colleague in University Residences, and I really enjoyed presenting at HighEdWeb 2017. I’ll let the slides highlight our main points. If you have questions about employing students in a higher education setting where they deliver incredible value to the institution and learn a lot of valuable skills, please do not be afraid to reach out.<\/p>\n

\"Aggregation<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Talk: Usability Testing is Super Important and Easier Than You Think<\/h2>\n

Victoria Merriman presented a nice overview of usability testing procedures. This was all centered around a loose format. The benefits of usability testing as outlined by Victoria:<\/p>\n

1) Drives conversions
\n2) Fixes issues
\n3) Resolves internal debates
\n4) Create a positive impression and strengthen your brand<\/p>\n

The process:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Write 8-12 tasks
    \n“You are an X in situation Y. You want to do Z.”
    \nMake users dig a little
    \nKeep tasks short
    \nDon’t use the exact words<\/li>\n
  2. Get testers
    \nOffer an incentive
    \n8-10 testers is a good goal or < 0<\/li>\n
  3. Watch testers perform the tasks and gather the following metrics\n
      \n
    1. Completion – 0 to 1<\/li>\n
    2. Time on task<\/li>\n
    3. User rating 0-10<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
    4. Learn from their struggles and successes<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Nevertheless, She Persisted<\/h2>\n

      This was the best hour of HighEdWeb 2017. A panel of women shared their experiences in the industry of web development. It was inspirational and a reminder of all that gets in the way of success. There is a lot more that males in the field can do to move towards equality.<\/p>\n

      Highlights:<\/h3>\n