Tom Stewart receives Key Ergonomics Award

Tom Stewart of System Concepts has received the Fellow Award from the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) in recognition of the outstanding contribution he has made to the field of ergonomics worldwide, particularly his key role in the development of international standards. The award was presented at the opening plenary session of the 15th Triennial Congress of the IEA, which took place in Seoul, Korea, 24-29 August.

Stewart began his career as a founder member of the Human Sciences and Advanced Technology (HUSAT) Research group at Loughborough University, and, in 1986, he became managing director of System Concepts, one of the largest independent ergonomics consultancies in Europe. He has served as an adviser to a number of national and international bodies including the UK Health & Safety Executive and the World Health Organisation.

Since 1983 he has been a key player in British (BSI), International (ISO) and European (EN) ergonomics standards culminating in his work on ISO 13407 Human Centred Design Processes for Interactive Systems launched in 2000.

As project editor for this particular standard, Tom took a lead role in its development. He was also convenor of the Working Group which developed it and chair of the Sub-Committee which is formally responsible for it.

Since its inception, there has been considerable international interest in ISO 13407 and it has been a significant influence behind new guidelines recently published by the UK Cabinet Office to make government websites easier to use: "Quality Framework for UK Government Website Design".

Six Metrics for Managing UI Design
Source: Russell Wilson, 28 August 2008
 
A proposal of six metrics to be used for managing a user interface design department.

Don't Judge a Form by its Cover
Source: Formulate Information Design, 27 August 2008
 
The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" reminds us that looks are deceptive. It turns out that this idiom applies to forms too.

Beijing Olympics - special State of the eNation report
Source: www.abilitynet.org.uk, 26 August 2008
 
In this special report AbilityNet asked disabled users to try out the Beijing Olympics website in our interaction lab.

It's Who You Know (Or Don't)
Source: Stanford Magazine, 23 August 2008
 
Online social networks are powerful and ineffectual all at once.

Winning Considerations for Interactive Content
Source: UXMatters, 22 August 2008
 
Rich options for interactively presenting content also come with a challenge.

Microsoft sees end of Windows era
Source: BBC, 20 August 2008
 
Microsoft has kicked off a research project to create software that will take over when it retires Windows.

News you can Use
Source: Gerry McGovern, 18 August 2008
 
When the homepage is dominated by news you are not necessarily communicating more.

Feeling Through your Computer
Source: Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science, 16 August 2008
 
A newly designed device lets computer users feel the texture and movement of what they are seeing in front of them.

User interviews - A basic Introduction
Source: Webcredible, 15 August 2008
 
It's surprising how few people have a real understanding of who's using their site.

Helping Visitors find Information
Source: UN, 13 August 2008
 
A new report outlines the key findings from surveys that explored factors which influence the quality of online experience.