1. The HCI/E Design Research Exemplar Diagram (see HCI Engineering) references both User Requirements and Design Problems. The question arises as to whether and how these two concepts differ.

User Requirements and Design problems

2. HCI Design Research and HCI Design Practice – What are Their Relations?

I have always argued for the strongest possible relations between HCI research and HCI practice. Here are some suggestions about their possible relations.

HCI Design Research and HCI Design Practice – What are Their Relations?

In 2010, the ‘Festschrift for John Long’ appeared, as a Special Issue of the journal ‘Interacting with Computers’. Hill extends its application to emergency services planning and control. Salter and Wild extend its application to new domains – economic systems and services respectively. Carroll and Dix criticise HCI/E from the standpoint of other approaches. The commentaries on the contributions attempt to clarify the  relations between HCI/E and other approaches further.

Festschrift Introduction

Some celebratory HCI reflections on a celebratory HCI festschrift

Longing for service: Bringing the UCL Conception towards services research

Diagnosing Co-ordination Problems in the Emergency Management Response to Disasters

Applying the conception of HCI engineering to the design of economic systems

Human–computer interaction: A stable discipline, a nascent science, and the growth of the long tail

Conceptualizing a possible discipline of human–computer interaction

These papers provide additional illustration of the HCI/E approach to research.

Cummaford and Long (2010) Engineering Design Principles: Validating Successful HCI Design Knowledge to Support its Re-use

Timmer (2010) A Sketch of the ‘Conversion Funnel’. Can Cognitive Engineering Assist in its Design?

Diaper (2010) A Long Festschrift: To Pass the Torch Which Way? (with Comments by John Long)

Stork and Long (2010) Towards Engineering Principles for Human-Computer Interaction

Denley and Long (2010) Dialectic Approach to Multidisciplinary Practice in Requirements Engineering

A personal view of the origins and survival of Ergonomics at the University of London (1967-2009): An informal interview with Rachel Benedyk, Course Director

Barnard, P.J., Morton, J., Long, J.B. and Ottley, P. (1977) . Planning menus for display: some effects of their structure and content on user performance. In Displays for Man-Machine Systems. IEE Conference Publication No. 150.User Involvement in the design of human-computer interactions: some similarities and differences between design approaches.
Bekker, M. and Long, J. (2000)Expressing research findings to have a practical influence on design.
Buckley, P. (1989) In Cognitive Ergonomics and Human-Computer Interaction, J.B. Long and A.D. Whitefield (Eds). Cambridge University Press. pp 166-190.Using videotext for shopping – a qualitative analysis.
Buckley, P. and Long, J.B. (1990) Using Videotex for shopping: a Qualitative Analysis. In Behaviour and Information Technology, 9, 47-61.Validating effective design knowledge for re-use: HCI Engineering Design Principles.
Cummaford, S. (2000)HCI Engineering Design Principles: acquisition of class-level knowledge.
Cummaford, S.J.O. (2007)Dialectic approach to multidisciplinary practice in requirements engineering.
Denley, I. (1999)A planning aid for Human Factors evaluation practice.
Denley, I. and Long, J.B. (1997)Multidisciplinary practice in requirements engineering: problems and criteria for support.
Denley, I. and Long, J.B. (2001)The discipline of human–computer interaction.
Diaper,D. (1989)Scenarios and task analysis.
Diaper, D. (2002)Human computer interaction models and their roles in the design of interactive systems.
Diaper, D. (2004)Cognitive Engineering and the rationalization of the flight strip.
Dowell, J. (1993)Formulating the cognitive design problem of air traffic management.
Dowell, J. (1998)Human-Computer Interaction Engineering.
Dowell, J. and Long, J. (1988) . In Designing End-User Interfaces, N. Heaton and M. Sinclair (Eds). Oxford: Pergamon InfotechTowards a conception for an engineering discipline of Human Factors.
Dowell, J. and Long, J.B. (1989) Towards a conception for an engineering discipline of human factors. In Ergonomics, 32, 1513-35.A domain analysis of air traffic management work can be used to rationalise interface design issues.
Dowell J., Salter I. and Zekrullahi S., 1994Videotext Technology: an Overview with Special Reference to Transaction Processing as an Interactive Service.
Gilligan, P. and Long, J.B. (1984) Videotex technology: an overview with special reference to transaction processing as an interactive service. Behaviour and Information Technology, 3, 41-71.Diagnosing co-ordination problems by modeling the emergency management response to disasters.
Hill, R. (2005)A model of medical reception – the planning and control of multiple task work.
Hill, B., Long, J. B., Smith, W. and Whitefield, A.D. (1995)A preliminary model of the planning and control of the combined response to disaster
Hill, B. and Long, J. (1996)Human-Computer Interaction: Psychology, Task Analysis and Software Engineering.
Johnson, P. (1992.)The co-ordination mechanism and cooperative work.
Lambie, T., Stork, A. and Long, J. (1998)Engineering CSCW
Lambie, T. and Long, J. (2002)Co-operative systems design: a challenge of the mobility age.
Lambie, T. and Long, J.B. (2002)A Method for (Recruiting) Methods: Facilitating Human Factors Input to System Design.
Lim K.Y. and Long. J.B. (1992)The MUSE Method for Usability Engineering.
Lim, K.Y. and Long, J.B. (1994)Requirements, Research and Strategy for Integrating Human Factors with Structured Analysis and Design Methods: The Case of the Jackson System Development Method.
Lim K.Y., Long J.B., and Silcock N. (1990)Case-Study Illustration of a Structured Method for User Interface Design.
Lim K.Y., Silcock N., and Long J.B. (1991)Integrating Human Factors with System Development: An Illustrated Overview.
Lim K.Y., Long J.B., and Silcock N. (1992)Effects of prior context on two-choice absolute judgements without feedback.
Long, J. (1980) In Attention and Performance VIII, R. S. Nickerson (Ed). Hillsdale N.J.: Erlbaum.Cognitive ergonomics and human computer interaction.
Long, J. (1987) . In Psychology at Work, P. Warr (Ed). England: Penguin.Cognitive Ergonomics and Human Computer Interaction: an Introduction. In Cognitive Ergonomics and Human-Computer Interaction, J.B. Long and A.D. Whitefield (Eds). Cambridge University Press.
Long, J. (1989)Theory in Human‐Computer Interaction
Long, J. (1991)Commemorating Donald Broadbent’s contribution to the field of applied cognitive psychology: a discussion of the special issue papers.
Long, J. (1995)Specifying relations between research and the design of human– computer interactions.
Long, J. (1996)Research and the design of human–computer interactions or ‘whatever happened to validation’?
Long, J. (1997)Specifying relations between research and the practice of solving applied problems: an illustration from the planning and control of multiple task work in medical reception.
Long, J. (1999)Attention and performance IX.
Long, J. and Baddeley, A. (1981) . Hillsdale N.J.: Erlbaum.Cognitive Ergonomics and Human–Computer Interaction.
Long, J.B. and Whitefield, A.D. (1989) Cognitive Ergonomics and Human-Computer Interaction. Cambridge University Press.Cognitive Engineering human computer interactions
Long J.B. and Dowell J. (1996)Design problems for research: what can we learn from ATM-like microworlds.
Long, J., and Timmer, P. (2001)A model of medical reception— the planning and control of multiple task work.
Long, J.B., Smith, W. and Whitefield, A.D. (1995)Interacting with the computer: a framework.
Morton, J., Barnard, P., Hammond, N. and Long, J.B. (1979) In Teleinformatics ’79, E.J. Boutmy and A. Danthine (Eds). Amsterdam: North Holland.A framework for formally defining the syntax of visual languages.
Salter, I. K. (1993)The design of formal languages.
Salter, I. K. (1995)Modeling the relationship between planning, control, perception and execution behaviours in interactive worksystems.
Smith, M.W., Hill, B., Long, J.B. and Whitefield, A.D. (1992)The Planning and Control of Multiple Task Work a Study of Secretarial Office Administration.
Smith, M.W., Hill, B., Long, J.B. and Whitefield, A.D. (1992)A design-oriented framework for modelling the planning and control of multiple task work in Secretarial Office Administration.
Smith, M.W., Hill, B., Long, J.B. and Whitefield, A.D.(1997)A formal description of worksystem behaviours and interactions.
Stork, A. (1992)Towards engineering principles for Human–Computer Interaction (domestic energy planning and control).
Stork, A. (1999)Structured methods for human factors research and development.
Stork, A. and Long, J.B. (1997)Strategies for developing substantive engineering principles.
Stork, A. and Long, J. (1998)Cognitive engineering co-ordination in emergency management training.
Stork, A., Lambie, T. and Long, J. (1998)Expression of operator planning horizons: a cognitive engineering approach.
Timmer, P. (1999)Separating user knowledge of domain and device: a framework
Timmer, P. and Long, J. (1997)Plans versus outcomes: establishing the costs of planning.
Timmer, P. and Long, J. (2000)Integrating Human Factors with System Development.
Walsh, P., Lim, K.Y., Long, J.B. and Carver, M.k. (1988) . Integrating human factors with system development. In Designing End-User Interfaces, N. Heaton and M. Sinclair (Eds). Oxford: Pergamon Infotech.Human computer interaction models and their roles in the design of interactive systems.
Whitefield, A.D. (1990)On distinguishing work tasks and enabling tasks.
Whitefield, A., Esgate, A., Denley, I. and Byerley, P. (1993)

Section Archive

The origins of the ‘John Long Festschrift’ are to be found in a call for papers, announced by Dianne Murray, General Editor of the journal ‘Interacting with Computers’, for a Special Issue to be entitled ‘Festschrift for John Long’. According to the announcement: ‘John Long, Emeritus Professor at UCL (University College London), has made a substantial contribution as one of the founding fathers of British HCI. This Special Issue of Interacting with Computers will celebrate John’s contributions to HCI and showcase strengths of UK HCI research’. The guest editors of the Special Issue were Alistair Sutcliffe and Ann Blandford. It appeared in January 2010, as Volume 22, Issue 1 of Interacting with Computers.The Special Issue contains five papers in all (two by members of the Ergonomics Unit), plus a guest editors’ Introduction and a Postscript, written by myself, at the invitation of the editors. All the Festschrift published contributions appear above, as pre-print (accepted for publication) full-text versions.In my own contribution to the Festschrift (‘Some Celebratory HCI Reflections on a Celebratory HCI Festschrift’), I celebrated ‘the Festschrift papers themselves (both accepted and rejected), their authors and their reviewers’. I also went on to write: ‘My natural instinct is to peer review the papers. Space and my honoured status forbid such a review. However, I hope to do this elsewhere (I owe it to the authors and myself)’. The ‘elsewhere’ is here and the time is ‘now’.However, on reflection, to peer review the Festschrift papers now seems inappropriate. They were peer reviewed before publication and are unlikely to be re-published, at least in their present form. Nevertheless, I would still like to respond to the papers (‘what I owe myself’) and to contribute to the ideas, expressed in them (‘what I owe the authors’). My ‘response’ and ‘contribution’, then take the form of a commentary – a set of comments on the ideas put forward by the authors. The comments are wide-ranging from simple clarifications to complex suggestions as to how the ideas might be developed further. The comments are intended to be constructive, even when critical. They are my way of expressing my thanks to the authors for their contributions to the Festschrift. I hope they find my comments both interesting and useful. The comments, of course,were communicated to the authors before their insertion into the papers.A further five papers, submitted by Ergonomics Unit researchers, but not published in the Festschrift, also appear above. In addition, there appears above a complete listing of all the Ergonomics Unit research papers, referenced by either the published or submitted Festschrift contributions.Taken together, my commentary on the Festschrift published papers, the listing of all Ergonomics Unit papers, referenced by the papers and the Ergonomics Unit papers, submitted, but not published, all constitute additions to and enhancement of the ‘Festschrift for John Long’ publication itself, as claimed in my Introduction to this website.
John Long

1. Timmer applies HCI/E to integrate performance and business context into web design.

A Sketch of the ‘Conversion Funnel’. Can Cognitive Engineering Assist in its Design – Peter Timmer (2010)

2.  Denley and Long propose a multidisciplinary method for Requirements Engineering.

Dialectic Approach to Multidisciplinary Practice in Requirements Engineering – Ian Denley and John Long (2010)

3.  Morton et al propose a combined Science and Applied Science approach to HCI.

Interacting with the Computer: a Framework – John Morton, Phil Barnard, Nick Hammond and John Long (1979)

4.  Blandford offers perspectives on the nature of engineering for interactive systems.

Engineering Works; What is (and is not) “Engineering” for Interactive Computer Systems – Ann Blandford (2013)

5.  Sutcliffe proposes generic task models as a bridge from theory to design practice.

Grand Challenges in HCI: the Quest for Theory-led Design – Alistair Sutcliffe (2005)

6.  Sabetzadeh et al propose Viewpoints as a framework for software development.

Viewpoints – Sabetzadeh, Finkelstein and Goedicke (2009)

7.  Barnard proposes an Applied approach to HCI research and practice.

Bridging between Basic Theories and the Artifacts of Human-Computer Interaction – Phil Barnard (1991)

8.  Benedyk and Woodcock propose a model for the effectiveness of interface interactions.

The Hexagonal-Spindle Model for Ergonomics – Rachel Benedyk and Andree Woodcock (2009)

1. Benedyk offers a perspective on the history of the development of EU/UCL.

A Personal View of the Origins and Survival of Ergonomics at the University of London (1967-2009): an Informal Interview with rachel Benedyk, Course Director. Interviewer: Dominic Furness

2. Rodgers offers reflections on her time as an MSc student at EU/UCL.

Yvonne Rogers and John Long Diablog

1. Long suggests reasons for celebrating HCI as a discipline and as a community.

Some Celebratory HCI Reflections on a Celebratory HCI Festschrift – John Long (2010)

2.  Benedyk offers a personal view on the development of EU/UCL.

A Personal View of the Origins and Survival of Ergonomics at the University of London )1967-2009): an Informal View with Rachel Benedyk, Course Director. Interviewer Dominic Furness 

1. Furness interviews Benedyk on the development of EU/UCL.

A Personal View of the Origins and Survival of Ergonomics at the University of London (1967-2009): an Informal Interview with Rachel Benedyk, Course Director. Interviewer: Dominic Furness

2. Long interviews Bellotti on HCI research and practice.

Victoria Bellotti Interview: HCI Research and Practice – Past, Present and Future

1. Long comments on Wild’s application of HCI/E to service research.

Longing for Service: Bringing the UCL Conception Towards Service Research – Wild (2010)

2. Long reviews Salisbury’s paper with respect to issues raised by the author.

Salisbury: Initial Draft of a paper Entitled ‘Video Engagement as a Process of Seeking Cultural Value’

3. Long reviews Obrist et al’s paper for its potential impact on technology design.

Obrist et al (1) Temporal Affective, and Embodied Characteristics of Taste Experience: a Framework for Design

4. Long reviews Obrist et al’s paper for its potential impact on technology design.

Obrist et al (2) Opportunities for Odor: Experiences with Smell and Implications for Technology

5. Long reviews Golsteijn et al’s paper with respect to issues raised by the research.

Golsteijn et al: Hybrid Crafting: Towards an Integrated Practice of Crafting with Physical and Digital Components

1. Hill’s work was the basis of this question raised in Blog 1.

 ‘Hill (2010)’: What is the relation between user requirements and design problems?

General Conception of HCI Discipline

General Conception of HCI Design Problem

General Conception of HCI Design Knowledge

General Conception of HCI Design Practice

Seminars were the engine room and heart (so to speak) of the intellectual, scientific and social life of the Medical Research Council Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge, before, during and after my time there (1970-79). Of course, they could also be confrontational, intimidating and a theatre for power play. I tried to carry over the ‘engine room and heart’ aspects to the EU/UCL and succeeded beyond my expectations. No guarantee, of course, that some of the less salubrious aspects were not also carried forward. Also, the success, I hasten to add, was due to the evident brightness and enthusiasm of a young and very talented group of researchers.

In seminars, attendees listen and inwardly digest. They also take notes and ask questions of the speaker. After the seminar, they ask more questions, verbally and personally. Typically, the questions and discussion continue up the pub and then over the dinner for the speaker. However, even after all these questions, more may crop up later – the next day/month/year……. and in this case, now.

Annett offers personal reflections on task analysis and much else beside.

‘Reflections on Task Analysis, Psychological Sciences and Clinical Psycholgy’ by John Annett

EU/UCL MSc and PhD Students