Consultancy

What can I do for you?

My expertise in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is to bridge the domains of Interaction Design (IxD) and Software Engineering (SE).

IxD - When designing interactions, a user-centered approach is essential and many of the methods and techniques used in IxD are focused on user needs. Also, in IxD - as in most design disciplines - creative exploration often drives the process, which may seem unstructured or even inconsistent but in fact invites discovery and innovation.

SE - In Software Engineering, models play a key role and the process of designing software is focused on getting the models right. While user needs are also essential here, most of the concerns of the software engineer are with the requirements for the inner working of the system.

HCI - The key to success in developing interactive systems that truly serve their users and are functionally effective, is to ensure the synergy between these two approaches of creative exploration and structured, model-driven development. This requires an interdisciplinary team that is capable of selecting and applying methods and techniques from both domains and making them work at the right moment in the process. It requires being able to shift between exploration and specification, between conceptualisation and implementation, throughout the creative process.

With 20+ years of experience in academia and industry, I taught and explored many research & development areas that cross the boundaries of design and engineering. Through consultancy I am active in:

• Guiding interdisciplinary teams in finding a synergetic path towards designing and developing interactions that meet requirements from both human and computer;
• Engaging in innovative explorations, accompanying the process of finding user needs and designing systems around them;
• Expert review of interactive systems.