About Ruth
Ruth has a PhD in computer science. Sometimes she is a university lecturer and at other times she is a consultant.-
Recent Posts
Tags
analysis apple artificial intelligence behaviour bill hillier blogging campbell charles pierce cognitive science computers constraints control Design edward tufte feedback football form follows function function future human-computer interaction information visualisation joseph campbell jung life cycle linux Musings online patterns piero review satisfaction semiotics space syntax steve jobs structural monitoring structure support Tech News Technical technology tv usability user experience website WordPressArchives
Links
-
Spam Blocked
Tag Archives: human-computer interaction
Upgrading your embodiment
In 2002, I watched Stelarc at the CHI 2002 conference in Minneapolis, give his keynote speech entitled The body is obsolete. We used to talk a lot about obsolete software. Nowadays we mostly talk about giving software an upgrade. In … Continue reading
Augmented or virtual: Is your reality working or wearing?
Steve Mann, inventor of wearable computing, came to the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in the 1990s when I was PhD student there. He had some difficulty getting on the metro as his head-mounted aerial added several inches to his … Continue reading
Bad design: Fresenius Applix Smart food pump
The Fresenius Kabi Applix Smart food pump is a masterclass in bad design. There is nothing smart about this food pump and its accessories. It has been designed without taking into consideration the context in which it is to be … Continue reading
Posted in Design
Tagged control, Design, fresenius kabi, function, human-computer interaction, life cycle, usability, user experience
1 Comment
Cognitive Science: What makes your users tick
Like many usability consultants I have spent hours locked in rooms with strangers saying: “What do you think about this web page?” It is boring way to earn a living especially as you often know the answers and could tell … Continue reading
Posted in Design
Tagged artificial intelligence, charles pierce, cognitive bias, cognitive science, colour, constancy, depth cues, edward tufte, expectations, george miller, human-computer interaction, jakob nielson, joseph campbell, limitations, memory, patterns, perception, reasoning, superstitious learning, usability
Leave a comment
Security and usability: Don’t let your users get you down
After my first year at university I spent the summer working in a delicatessen in Putney. One morning during my first week, whilst in the middle of carefully carving six slices of Parma ham for some lady’s dinner party, we … Continue reading