Giles Colborne, cxpartners

Giles has worked in human-computer interaction for nearly twenty years at Euro RSCG Circle, British Aerospace and Institute of Physics Publishing. In 2004 he set up cxpartners, a user-centred design consultancy which develops user interfaces for clients such as Nokia, eBay and Microsoft.

Giles was President of the UK Usability Professionals Association from 2002-2007. He writes on usability for Revolution magazine and is a frequent speaker on usability at conferences around the world. In 2006 he edited PAS 78, the British Standards Institute?s accessibility guidance for Web site owners and is currently working on a new accessibility and usability standard.

Presentation: "User Interfaces: Meeting the Challenge of Simplicity"

Track: Effective Design

Time: Thursday 14:30 - 15:30

Location: To be announced

Abstract: Time was, software was imposed on users, with training, manuals and procedures to ease the relationship between the user and the system. Times change. The web, ubiquitous computing and consumer electronics mean that modern software is a consumer commodity. Home and business users expect it to 'just work' and software engineers must go further than ever to predicting and meeting users' whims and foibles. This session takes the abstract notion of 'simplicity' and looks at why it is critical in modern user interface design. Why does simplicity matter? How is it different from usability or utility? Is there a meaningful definition of ?simplicity? that will allow software developers to get away from subjective argument? Why do design processes and good intentions undermine simplicity? What processes and techniques can software developers use to create simple, effective user interfaces and interactions?