Managing the Mess
These pages is a collection of my thinking and work generated during my PhD candidature with the Department of Information Systems at the University of Melbourne. My supervisors are Dr Frank Vetere and Associate Professor Steve Howard. A caveat: the writing contained within may not be overly focussed and often discursive.
My PhD in Human-Computer Interaction focuses upon the field of Interaction Design. Most people are usually lost when I mention Interaction Design. So, here is one explanation as provided by wikipedia.
A recent thought about the design for everyday life.
I was recently invited to be an external assessor for some industrial design students' final projects. To inspire the final design output, students were charged with using cultural probes to 'collect' an understanding about people's everyday quotidian activities. In every presentation, each student expressed (a surprising) dismay at how uneventful, boring and mundane peoples' lives are, with their daily activities blending into another, and with one day folding into another.
It occurred to me then that it is precisely against this sort of malaise that designers of everyday technologies ought to focus upon. Beside the traditional notions of designing for effectiveness and efficiency, we should be designing products, environments or situations that occasionally jolt us out of our habitual routines, be it through teasing, engaging, distracting, refreshing, surprising etc. in order to encourage and foster delightful, discoveries and meaningful discursions that punctuate our everyday living.
About Me
Biodata
full name: Tuck Wah, LEONG
place of birth: Ipoh, Malaysia
arrived in Australia: 1984
Education
Ph.D. in Science (Human-Computer Interaction) The University of Melbourne
- currently writing up
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Immunology: Monash University
Graduate Diploma Education: University of Melbourne
Master of Multimedia: Swinburne University
ARCM: Royal College of Music
LRCM: Royal College of Music
Current (contract) day Job
Associate lecturer
Previous (major) Incarnations
immunology researcher
high school teacher (biology, music, indonesian language)
shoe designer
choral conductor, composer, arranger
Recent activities
I am a member of the Interaction Design Group (IDG) at the Department of Information Systems. Some of the things that I have been involved in include:
- the organising of the IDG seminar series
- giving presentations about User-Experience research to undergraduates from the University of Melbourne as well as to Industrial Design staff and students at RMIT.
- external assessor for Industrial Design students at RMIT
- reviewing journal and conference papers
Current CV
Academic CV pdf version (65kb)
Research CV pdf verions (65kb)
