Résumé
Currently
Research Fellow
UCL Interaction Centre
I have taught the course Human-Computer Interaction and the psychology of design for the last six years, providing lectures and seminars for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Have also taken several of the modules for the postgraduate course Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Designing for Learning, Real World Issues in Psychology and taught both Integrated Studies 1 and 2.
I have recently developed a course for industry (SMEs) that focuses on usability issues and customer experience within the (web) design process. I am currently delivering this course both in-house and on the University campus. (www.casa.susx.ac.uk/courses.html)
Last year, I supervised four Postgraduate student dissertations; Pervasive computing in the home, aiding the user during network breakdowns, the 'maturing generation' and interface design considerations (awarded distinction), and improving the use of networked technologies in the classroom (awarded distinction).
My last academic research project was EPSRC funded for two years and was partnered with University College London and BT. I worked with three computer scientists to inform the design of future networked applications (especially Web). I was the psychologist/usability designer and ethnographer on the team. This involved investigative research, evaluation studies, prototype testing, academic paper publications and presentations.
I have submitted a research grant project proposal that will examine design aspects of eCommerce applications, which is currently being considered. Partners are currently Amazon.uk and Epic Group Plc.
Also, I am preparing a research grant proposal in order to investigate issues surrounding children and networked technologies (with Rose Luckin). This research will contribute to the use of the Internet within schools, aiding children's learning and understanding of the network as well as forming a teacher/parent resource. Careful attention will be being paid to user experience analysis and design techniques and different methodologies evaluated.
Finally, I am working with Andy Smith from Optimum Web and Luton University in order to develop the Indo British Software Usability Partnership (IBSUP), between the British Computer Society and the Indian Computer Society.
Consultancy
I have carried out usability work for a variety of organisations. This includes general design advice, test preparation and moderation, as well as user requirements gathering and analysis. I am experienced in both formal and informal user testing, and have also carried out plenty of ethnographic field work, depth interviews and informant focus groups.
More formal
usability
• Microsoft (UK)
• Sun Microsystems
• BT Openworld
• Epic Group
• Worth Media
• Department of Health
• National Health Service
• Higher Education Funding Council for England
• Berry Brothers and Rudd (bbr.com)
Ethnographic
• American Express
• AMEY
• UK eUniversities (www.ukeu.com)
• Brighton and Hove City Council
• Channel 4
• BT
• LineOne
• British Library
ECommerce
Related
• Amazon (UK)
• HSBC Offshore Banking
• Abbey
• TES - jobs (The Times Educational Supplement)
• Guinness (malts.com)
• Optimun Web
• Buyitback
• Eternalis
• Sigmer
Keynote & Invited
Speaker Sessions
• IESUP IIIT, Hyderabad, India. March 2004. (2)
• IESUP ASCI, Hyderabad, India. March 2004. (1)
• IESUP St. Thomas College of Engineering & Technology, Kolkata, India. March 2004. (1) & (2)
• IESUP Anna University Chennai, India. March 2004. (1) User-centred design - Adapting established approaches for the Indian software industry. (2) HCI: Building the Indian curriculum.
• Hampshire County Council. User-Centred System Design. April 2003.
• IESUP IIIT Mumbai, India. March 2003. (1) & (2)
• IESUP IIIT Delhi, India. March 2003. (1) & (2)
• IESUP Bangalore, India. March 2003. (1) European Case Studies in usability - How organisations in Europe have adopted HCI / usability.
Lessons to be learned. (2) The usability professional - Usability Engineers, Interaction Designers, Information Architects and the rest.
• NHS UK Annual Conference. Aston Villa FC, October 2002. Integrating e-health
information for the public nhs.uk programme.
• 35th Annual Conference for the Institute of Medical Illustrators, Derby,
September 2002. User-centred design techniques.
• Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, March 2002. Thinking Usability.
• South Humber Health Community, Brigg, March 2002. Ensuring Usability.
• Computer Society of India Annual Conference, Kolkata November 2001. Software
Usability and Human-Computer Interaction (on behalf of the British Computer
Society's HCI Group).
• Department of Health Annual Conference, Aston Villa FC October 2001. User-Centred
Design.
• Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, September 2001. The future of usability.
• Sussex New Media Group, Brighton Premier Lodge May 2001. Web usability.
• Epic Group, Brighton, May 2000. Applying usability methods within the design
process.
• Passport Networks, August 1999. Cost effective usability methods.
• Research Business International, London, November 1998. Discourse analysis and
design.
Professional
Affiliations
British Psychological Society (www.bps.org.uk)
Market Research Society (www.mrs.org.uk)
Association for Computing Machinery (www.acm.org)
British Computer Society - Human-Computer Interaction Group (www.bcs-hci.org.uk)
Usability Professionals' Association (www.upauk.org.uk)
PREVIOUS WORK
Ethnographer/Usability
Engineer
Microsoft Corporation, Seattle. Consumer Platforms Division Research. I was
on the project teams for Interactive Television, Web TV, Auto PC, Palm PC and
other future Windows CE products. My role was to design, conduct and analyse
various studies (ethnographic, focus group, surveys and lab based research)
aimed at testing and enhancing products. Additional responsibilities included
working with marketing and product teams in order to set usability goals for
new products.
Ethnographic
work
American Express in Brighton. A four month in-depth study examining and analysing
the working practices of their technologies help desk, in order to improve their
workflow.
Masters
Degree
Human Centred Computer Systems, University of Sussex.
This course demonstrates how to apply techniques from psychology, software engineering
and cognitive science to design, implementation and evaluation of interactive
technology. This course covers areas such as human-computer interaction, introduction
to computer science, methods of system evaluation, developing artificially intelligent
systems, computer supported co-operative work and, software design and evaluation
(which was awarded a distinction and first prize in the Sussex 'Wired County
Initiative'). In addition to this I submitted a 30,000 word ethnographic dissertation
which was awarded a distinction.
Psychology
Degree 2:1
University of Manchester.
This three year degree gave me an 'exhaustive' grounding in the various fields
within psychology. It also introduced me to the psychological aspects of information
technology, from computer mediated communication to teleworking.
Higher Executive
Officer/Executive Officer
Department of Transport (Highways Agency), Eastern Network Management Division,
Bedford.
During my five years with this department, I completed two posts as part of
the Civil Service's Management Development Programme. One of which was within
the Finance section where I was responsible for the integration of two computer
packages within the office. Once introduced I was involved with the in-house
training of staff and the development of software packages to meet the department's
needs.
John Lewis
Partnership
I spent eighteen months with the 'flying squad' at the Milton Keynes branch.
This was in order to gain experience in all parts of the organisation as training
for retail management.
School
A levels in Psychology, English and Economics.
AO level in General Studies.
9 O levels including Mathematics and English Language and Literature.
Other Details
Date of Birth: 17th October
1969
Marital Status: Single
Nationality: British
Driving License: Full and clean.