My research interests focus upon cognition and understanding. My PhD explores the impact of graphical choices on diagram comprehension. I  collaborated with colleagues from Cambridge University on a project entitled ‘Accessible Reasoning with Diagrams’; the project was funded by The Leverhulme Trust. I also collaborated with colleagues from Jadavpur University charting the cognitive processes active when interpreting diagrams. 

My curriculum interests encompass the theories and principles that underpin the discipline of user experience design, teaching on our MSc UXD course. Primarily, this MSc course equips students with the practical skills to work as effective UXD practitioners within the interactive / digital industries. Further, students are encouraged to critically reflect upon and question the effectiveness of contemporary thinking that underpins UXD best practice. I am responsible for developing this course which now boasts two entry points per year, appealing to a largely international cohort, with an intake of over 50 students per year.

As technology evolves, we are experiencing a shift from physical to cognitive effort, for example, the activity of driving. I am presently applying my expertise in human cognition and understanding to examine our relationship with our cars. The demand upon our cognition while driving is ever increasing as more and more technology becomes embedded in our vehicles. I am particularly interested in addressing the question ‘what impact does cognitive load impose upon our ability to drive safely?’.