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Reader in Computing |
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About Shailey
I am a Reader in Computing in the Department of Computing of the Open University, UK. I am a member of the Human-Centred Computing research group in the Centre for Research in Computing at the Open University.
Research and Industrial Collaborations
My research involves understanding users' expectations from technology and designing computer systems for a positive user experience. I focus on eliciting users' requirements not just for the user interface of a computer system but also investigating the various social, organisational and technological factors in the environment of the computer system that influence user experience.
In the last few years, I have been investigating the design and usability of electronic environments in two related domains: (a) Business to Customer (B2C) e-commerce (2D websites and in 3D virtual worlds); and (b) technology-enabled learning (or e-learning) including Web 2.0 (social software) tools and 3D virtual worlds (eg Second Life).
My research has greatly benefited from industrial collaborations, which have led directly to practical impact in the form of process guidance, novel instruments, and easy to use toolkits.
I will be very interested to hear from colleagues in the industry who have interests and requirements which complement my research activities and interests.
Teaching
The courses that I teach relate to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design, Requirements Engineering (RE) and Educational technologies. I also supervise MSc and PhD research projects in these areas.
Consultancy and Training
I provide consultancy on projects involving user-centred requirements gathering, design, and usability evaluations of computer systems for a positive user experience. The systems range from those in workplace settings to B2C e-commerce sites, e-learning (or online training) environments, and spaces in 3D virtual worlds.
I apply a variety of complementary techniques from different disciplines (eg HCI, consumer behaviour, psychology and social sciences). These are some of the techniques that I have expertise in:
- scenario-based requirements gathering, laddering interviews and contextual inquiry
- heuristic evaluations, user-based observations, focus groups or group-interviews, card-sorting, and questionnaires
- applying remote evaluation techniques such as surveys, email probes or interviews, interviews and focus groups in 3D virtual worlds (eg Second Life), diary studies and reflective journals
I also run training workshops and develop customised online training programmes to impart the skills for applying these techniques.