Chris Khalil’s Musings

I guess I’ve been in the User Experience space for over 10 years now, transitioning from my PhD in HCI to working on the design of complex desktop applications and then RIA’s and websites. Over the course of the years I’ve turned my hand to a number of different practices and methodologies, but always at the heart of my work is producing usable, elegant and engaging user experiences.

Where I’ve worked…

August 2007 - Present: Experience Architect, News Digital Media, Sydney - Australia:
Working on the NDM suite of sites such as news.com.au, truelocal.com.au, carsguide.com.au etc.

June 2005 – 2007: Senior Interaction Designer / Leader Usability, ACUMENTUM, Melbourne - Australia:
My role was to design and work on a range of web and application software from bespoke website solutions to application development. I was also in charge of all usability activities and provided consultancy and usability solutions to clients which included CGU/IAG, BHP Billiton/ANZ, and Local/Federal Government

November 2001 – March 2005: Usability Architect, SCHLUMBERGER, Oxford - UK:
My role was to act, across all our range of new software, to ensure the software produced was intuitive and usable. This involved the full process from user interviews, elicitation of requirements, prototyping, iterative design-redesign of higher fidelity mock-ups, culminating in the final design and code of the application user interface.

October 1998 - January 2001: Research Associate, Department of Computer Science, LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY, Loughborough - UK:
Worked on an pan-European project called AMEBICA, creating a prototype adaptive interface to a complex, process control environment.

1998: Intern at XEROX RESEARCH CENTRE EUROPE (Formally Xerox EuroParc lab), Cambridge - UK:
Worked within a research group to design the user interface and underlying architecture to a multi-function office device.

Where I’ve Studied…

I’ve been really lucky with my training in that I’ve attended 3 institutions deemed world-class for HCI research at Loughborough University, University College London and Xerox EuroParc Lab (from International Review of UK Research in Computer Science).

Doctor Of Philosophy (PhD.), Computer Science, Loughborough University, UK
“The Design of a Multimedia Adaptive Interface for Process Control Using a Multi-Agent Approach”
I was also involved in two pan European research projects AMEBICA (ESPRIT) and PROSPECT (ACTS). This work took me all around Europe and the World.

Research Masters Degree (MRes), Telecommunications, University College London, UK
“A Service Engineering Approach To a Multimedia Recording and Playback Service”
This project involved designing usable Video Conference recording software which could be used in an open services market. This project was awarded with a distinction.

Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (BEng.(Hons)), Electronic Systems Design, Bournemouth University , UK
“The Design and Modelling Of A System of Coupled Oscillators”
This project used the biological phenomenon of firefly flash synchronisation to show that such a system could be applied to clock synchronisation in networks. This project was awarded with a distinction.

Some Achievements…

• I have presented at several conferences (including OZCHI in 2000) and have published numerous papers in the HCI field.
• I was the CHISIG leader for Victoria in 2007.
• I was a member of the workshop panel held on Interfaces at: The Human Error and System Design and Management International Workshop, March 24-26 1999, Clausthal Technical University, Germany.
• I was part of the organising committee for the: 18th European Annual Conference on Human Decision Making and Manual Control, October 25th - 27th 1999.
• I was offered the Marie Curie Fellowship in Rome, awarded by the European Commission.
• I was an invited keynote speaker on Man-Machine Interfaces at the 12th SURGE-Transport Plenary Meeting held in Brussels (SURGE - Transport is a trans-industry New Business and Technology Development Support Group and strategic decision-making process for European Commission’s R&D funding body).