1993/1994 Ismail ISMAIL
Date of MSc: 1993/1994
Project Title: Reasoning about Fidelity Requirements in User Interface Simulation: The Case of Human Simulation
Pre-MSc Background: Graduated Computing Science, University of Greenwich in 1993. Took the HCI option in my final year.
Pre-MSc View of HCI/Cognitive Ergonomics:
HCI was more to the user interface design and widgets than anything else, I learnt about research methods, tools and techniques to better understand the human but didn’t really understand how this methodological insight would support better design.
Post-MSc View of HCI/Cognitive Ergonomics:
The MSc Ergonomics was by far the most significant academic milestone in my life (more so than studying for a doctorate). The course blew my mind and my assumptions and introduced me to proper ‘Science’ and all it entails. The highly multidisciplinary nature of the course was particularly important as it introduced me to different branches of psychology and other human sciences (e.g. biomechanics was simply brilliant) and how this insight could be used practically to create better products, tools and techniques.
In reality the MSc was really only scratching the surface of the discipline but my goodness it was an awesome scratch!
Additional Reflections:
John Long’s Foundations lectures were legendary. They elegantly brought together the different facets of the discipline in a framework that helped unify my understanding of it.
Finally, the MSc Ergonomics alumni are all over the world and it gives me great pleasure when I meet someone else that did it.