Amberlight unveils new look offices
Amberlight has revealed their new-look offices including state-of-the-art equipment for viewing and recording tests.
read press releaseProfessional Bodies in HCI
There are several organisations that work to guide the HCI community and promote user-centred methods and best practice within industry.
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) was founded in 1947. It focuses on advancing the skills of information technology professionals and students. With a membership of 75,000 worldwide, the ACM is at the forefront when it comes to publishing papers, setting up special interest groups (SIGs) and organising conferences, and all across a wide range of areas related to computing. The most relevant to usability professionals is the ACM SIG CHI, which holds an annual conference called CHI - the biggest and most prestigious on the circuit. The ACM portal is a key information resource for practitioners and researchers in the field.
The British Computing Society (BCS) is the UK equivalent of the ACM. Formed in 1957, the Society now operates under a Royal Charter granted in 1984. The BCS HCI Group provides a forum for all working or interested in the field of HCI and usability. It hosts an annual conference and a number of day meetings, and produces several publications including the quarterly magazine Interfaces. Their central concern is to improve usability and the effectiveness of any computer-based technology.
The Usability Professionals Association (UPA) is an umbrella organisation for those who work in the industry, those who promote usable products and those who would like to learn more. The UK Chapter of the UPA holds monthly meetings, providing a platform for networking and allowing members to exchange ideas and share knowledge.
The Human Factors & Ergonomics Society was founded in 1957 as the Human Factors Society of America, and changed to its present name in 1992. “The Society's mission is to promote the discovery and exchange of knowledge concerning the characteristics of human beings that are applicable to the design of systems and devices of all kinds.” It encourages education and training for those wishing to join the human factors professions and for those whose work is related to systems design. It serves to further knowledge related to the allocation of function between humans and machines within an interactive system. The society holds a conference-style annual meeting.