Who we are

Gordon Plant

"I first got interested in usability when I was designing the interface for a touch screen kiosk for an exhibition at The British Library in 1995. When I watched people using the kiosk they did all sort of unexpected things. I watched one family group all try to use the touch screen at once – three hands simultaneously pressing buttons – and I realised that I could have done a much better job if I had see my customers using my designs earlier on in the process.

I have worked on projects for the BBC, The Open University, Oxford University Press, Heinemann and many others. I have tried (not always successfully!) to encourage the adoption of User Centred Design principles in the teams I have worked with.

Working as freelance usability consultant for the last five years has given me a chance to think about the gap between the theory and practice of usability. One of the reasons for starting User Analytics is that it will give me a chance to help others translate theory in to practice too.

I teach the usability module on the post graduate Interactive Multimedia course at Bath Spa University College. My students come from a diverse range of backgrounds and I have learnt a lot from watching them learn how to use websites and software. I also run training courses on Multimedia Project Management at the Publishing Training Centre in London".

We are members of the Usability Professionals Association