Human Computer Interaction

In spite of the best development processes, users seem to find websites and apps difficult to use. In testing systems with users, we always seem to find the strangest things which users find difficult. In this talk I will discuss some easy and interesting ways in which developers can engage with users to avoid irritating them later, and in so doing create overall best user experiences.

Computers are now universally adopted for both work and leisure. This makes for some very difficult design challenges, both in understanding how people now use computers and in creating solutions which will work for the wide variety of situations of use. As an exemplar situation I will describe the computer-based set up adopted by a group of archaeologists who are excavating at Elizabeth Castle. They use tablet and laptop computers for a range of tasks on the dig in a range of challenging conditions. I will discuss some of the interesting problems that the archaeologists faced with their computers at Elizabeth Castle and how we are trying to design systems that meet their needs more effectively.

Helen Petrie is Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in the Department of Computer Science at the University of York. She has degrees in both psychology and computer science. Her research focuses on the usability and acceptability of new technologies, particularly for people with disabilities and older people. She has been involved in over 30 British and international projects in
this area, has published widely and provided consultancy to government and industry on accessibility and usability of new technologies. She led a team commissioned by the Disability Rights Commission of Great Britain which conducted the largest study in the world of web accessibility for people with disabilities, and emphasized the importance of user testing in this area. She has received a Royal Television Society Technical Innovation Prize (2003), a Social Impact Award from the Association of Computing Machinery (2009), a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal National
Institute for Blind People (2017) and a Usability and Accessibility Pioneer Award from the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).

The Jersey lecture will be at the Pomme D’Or at 8pm and will be preceded by an optional dinner costing £22.50 per person for dinner, starting at 6.30pm. If you wish to attend the dinner please confirm ASAP through Eventbrite events via the link here. Lecture only guests are welcome for an 8pm start with no booking required. If you have any questions, please email chairman.gsy@cigpe.com.