The New Heights annual workshop is STC Alberta’s premier educational event. We bring in a noted speaker for a day-long, intensive session on a topic of interest to our broad Alberta audience and provide attendees with materials, lunch and snacks, and a first-class educational experience. You will come away from the workshop with a good appreciation of a tool or concept you always wanted to know more about, or a deeper knowledge of something you already work with.

Event Details

• Date: Friday, June 10, 2011
• Time: Breakfast will start at 8:00 a.m., the workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Location: SAIT Polytechnic, Calgary. 1301-16 Ave NW, Room MA102 in the Heritage Building. Map
• Parking: Download Map (pdf)
• Public transportation: LRT – SAIT/ACAD/Jubilee station, Bus – #4, 5, 10, 19, 89, 119, 404.
• Cost: See table below. All registrants are automatically entered into a draw to win 1 of 4 door prizes, but only Early Bird registrants can win the $75 gift certificate to The King & I restaurant in Calgary (an out-of-town winner will be given a certificate for their locality). Register by the end of May for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Starbucks. All other registrants have a chance to win one of two 1GB USB sticks (with the STC Alberta logo, a key chain, and lanyard).
• Who should attend: Content developers, content managers, and related decision-makers who want to leverage their content more and in better ways, who recognize that content is an extension of the user experience, and want to create a user experience for their content. Also suitable for user experience or technical professionals, such as Web developers, who want to get a better handle on how their work affects the content side of things.
• Prerequisites: None, but beneficial for users who have some knowledge of user-centered design principles.
• What to bring: Although a laptop is not required, you can bring one to get the most from the workshop – templates will be provided for some in-class group work. SAIT provides an ethernet port for each laptop, but you will need to bring your own cable. If you want to use wireless, you must provide your name and telephone number to the New Heights Manager newheights@stc-alberta.org by June 1.
• Important: Please contact the New Heights Manager (newheights@stc-alberta.org), preferably by June 7, if you have any dietary restrictions.
• Register Online

The Topic

The Treasure and the Hunt: Content as an Extension of User Experience

Content is only as smart as the content strategy behind it. What happens in the analysis phase influences how the content behaves in the tactical phases. Content has its own lifecycle, and any misstep early on means that the next iteration of that content will be harder to implement and maintain – and degrade the user experience. This workshop discusses content within the phases of its lifecycle, and illustrates the interdependencies within the user experience. Participants will discover a framework for developing content that aligns with user-centered design, from user research through personas and scenarios, to wireframes and content development.

The Presenter

Rahel Anne Bailie is a content strategist with a skill set encompassing content management, business analysis, information architecture, and communications. She operates Intentional Design, helping clients analyze their business requirements and spectrum of content to get the right fit for their content development and management needs, and facilitates transitions to new business processes, content models, and technology implementations.

Her experience gives her an intimate understanding of end-to-end processes, from requirements-gathering to implementation. She is an STC Fellow, and holds memberships in various associations to stay current in pertinent practice areas. She presents on the topic of content strategy at conferences across North America and Europe, and was recently cited as one of the top ten most influential content strategists.

Cost

Early Registration pricing is now closed.

• Hot tip: The best price level is for Alberta Chapter STC members.
• If you are NOT a member of the Alberta Chapter, but are a member of STC, then you fall into the STC-only members price level. Hot tip: Your price level is $25 more than for Alberta Chapter members. Why not get more mileage out of that $25 and join the Alberta Chapter? If you like that idea, making a membership change has never been easier. We’ve arranged with our headquarters to handle membership changes via email. A real person will quickly set you up and get you going. Just email Jessie at president@stc-alberta.org to learn more.

STC Members:

Non-Members:

* ~50 km radius around Calgary
Contact: Jeanne Gonnason, New Heights Manager newheights@stc-alberta.org.