Bob Fields' research page

Research interests - People (PhD students and collaborators) - Publications

Research interests

I am a member of the Interaction Design Centre here in the School of Computing Science. My research interests include:

• Use and usability of Digital Libraries
• Resource based models of interaction and distributed cognition.
• Collaborative work in complex settings such as Air Traffic Control.
• Development of interfaces for safety critical systems.
• Incorporation of theories of human error in the design process.

Digital libraries

I'm interested in the use an usability of Digital Libraries. Lots of work in this area is going on at Middlesex as part of the RIDL group. As part of this research I've working with Suzette Keith and Ann Blandfofd (at UCL) on a project concerned with digital library usability.

Collaborative systems

I'm continuing work in the area of technological, cognitive and social issues in Air Traffic Control and other complex systems in collaboration with Paola Amaldi and William Wong.

AD4: Virtual Airspace Management is a European FP6 STREP project funded under the Aeronautics and Space priority. Working on the Middlesex component are Simone Rozzi and Peter Woodward. The project is looking at how novel visualisation technologies may be applied to help air traffic controllers. The Middlesex input is to conduct studies to better understand how controllers work, and to use this knowledge to inform the definition of an operational concept and subsequent design work.

Past work

I used to work as a Researcher in the Human Computer Interaction Group,in the Department of Computer Science at the University of York.
I was on the  MEFISTO project, an EU funded research project. Before that, I used to work as a part of the BAe Dependable Computing Systems Centre, also at York. I've done research on how people work, and how to design interactive systems them in safety critical settings such as air traffic control rooms and aircraft flight decks.

Some of my papers and stuff are available online.

People

I am involved, either as Director of Studies or as supervisor,  in the supervision of a number of research students:

• Hanna Stelmaszewska - New usability: evaluating user experience
• Veronica Davis-Perkins - Imaging the past: methodologies, effects, and issues arising from digitising historic photograph collections
• Ming Nie - The impacts of culture in distance learning
• Nallini Selvaraj - Collaborative Decision Making in Complex Safety Critical Systems: A Common Information Space Approach
• Saif Rehman - Virtual reality laparoscopic surgery simulations
• John Salisbury - What constitutes an engaging interactive experience?

George Buchanan has recently completed his PhD.

I work with other members and former members of the IDC group and the school on various things, including

• Paola Amaldi
• William Wong
• Elke Duncker
• Simone Rozzi
• Peter Woodward.
  

Contact Information