UCLIC Seminar: Human Centred Design: a business paradigm for 21st century enterprise

Speaker: Prof. Joseph Giacomin, Human Centred Design Institute (HCDI) of Brunel University
UCL Contact: Ana Tajadura Jimenez (Visitors from outside UCL please email in advance).
Date/Time: 07 Oct 15, 15:00 - 16:00
Venue: Roberts 101

Abstract

The 21st century is characterised by ever growing expectations regarding experiences, quality of life, privacy and ethics. With the growing pressure for human centred products, systems and services, the activity of design has taken centre stage in most customer driven innovation. Having often been described as the "century of the human mind", the current period is rich in new products, systems and services which are characterised by interactivity, emotion and meaning. This seminar will define the paradigm of human centred design, an approach which is being followed by ever greater numbers of businesses. The multidisciplinary paradigm will be defined in comparison to the main competing paradigms of technology-driven design and sustainable design, the business implications will be discussed and application examples will be provided.

Prof. Joseph Giacomin

Professor Joseph Giacomin is the Director of the Human Centred Design Institute (HCDI) of Brunel University.

Human Centred Design integrates multidisciplinary expertise towards enhancing human well-being and empowering people. In its most basic form it leads to products, systems and services which are physically, perceptually, cognitively and emotionally intuitive. In its most advanced form it discovers and unlocks latent needs and desires, supporting the achievement of desired futures for society.

He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate university modules in Human Factors with particular emphasis on matters of perception and emotion, and guest lectures widely at universities, governmental organisations and businesses. He has produced more than 60 professional publications including a recent book of thermal photography titled Thermal: seeing the world through 21st century eyes, and provides consultancy services to the design and manufacturing sectors.

He is a member of the editorial boards of Ergonomics and of the International Journal of Vehicle Noise and Vibration (IJVNV). He is a Fellow of the Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors (FErgS), a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA), a member of the Associazione Per Il Disegno Industriale (ADI) and a member of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS).

Professor Joseph Giacomin has a Ph.D. from Sheffield University in the United Kingdom and has both Master's and Bachelor's degrees from the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. U.S.A.. He has worked for both the American military and the European automobile industry.