User-Centred Design
The core activities of the User-Centred Design group involve research into the design and use of interactive systems. Key themes are: examining the role of individual differences, developing systems requirements for widening information access, and user studies around the use of socio-technical systems.
Our primary aim is to make systems easier and more efficient so that we can create a satisfying experience for the end-user. People are at the heart of our research activities that range from the analysis of cognitive processes to understand how the brain translates system information, to how social interactions within the real-world can contribute to the design of current and emerging technologies.
Our project highlights include
- The AGENT project (Alumni Growth and Engagement across New Technologies) in which Dr Jane Coughlan develops an e-mentoring service delivered via social media (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) where current undergraduates are mentored by an alumnus in relation to employability and career development (JISC funded).
- The EU-funded DIADEM project which develops user-centred web technology for people who have reduced cognitive abilities. The project is led by Brunel (PANDI lead is Dr Lorna Lines), with partners from the Norwegian Computing Centre (Oslo), Bluegarden (Norway), More AS (Norway), CSI Piemonte (Italy), Sheffield County Council (UK) and Citta di Torino (Italy).
- Dr Kate Hone’s project on the impact of emotion recognition on user satisfaction which investigates the extent to which affective agents can reduce user frustration. This generated a great deal of publicity and was previewed by New Scientist magazine (EPSRC funded).
- Dr Mark Perry’s research on user requirements, design and deployment of mobile computing and communications devices (EPSRC and Microsoft Research).
- The Millennium Homes Project, on which Drs Kate Hone, Mark Perry and Lorna Lines, collaborated with Prof. Heinz Wolff (Bioengineering) to explore the use of multi-model interfaces for a system designed to support older adults (DTI/EPSRC Foresight-funded).
- Dr Steve Love’s work in interaction design for mobile telephones, investigates the effects of individual differences on the use of mobile phone services (funded by Orange Personal Communication Services Ltd).
- Drs Sherry Chen and George Ghinea’s EU-funded project ‘Broadband Access Satellite Enabled Education’ which explored networked educational technology in collaboration with Brunel’s Centre for Information and Knowledge Management.
