Schools and general public

Schools - see information below for free talks

If you're looking for some fun short videos that can help explain ICT concepts such as principles of good design and the types of errors that users make when using devices then have a look at our channel. Below are some examples of the videos we've made or 'faved' to start you off.

You might also like our dedicated "Making medical devices safer" section on the cs4fn website which has games and quizzes http://www.cs4fn.org/chi-med/ - we used some of these at the Brighton Science Festival (held at Hove Upper Park School) in February 2012.

Microwave Racing (2 minutes) raises the issue of users being able to actually use the device. The microwave racers are given the task "Put the microwave on full power for 3½ minutes" - sounds easy, but how long do you think it will take them? This video introduces the idea that if designers haven't made everyday objects like microwaves easy to use can we be confident that life-saving interactive medical devices are any better?

In April 2011 this video won joint third place in the "What is Human Factors?" YouTube video contest organised by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Why buttons go bad (1:41min) highlights the importance of the user in the good design of buttons for interactive devices. There's an engineer who makes the buttons work, a designer who makes buttons look nice - but they also need to think about you the user, the person who'll push the button.

New students taking UCL's MSc in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) with Ergonomics were challenged to make a short film to convey the concept of HCI to a young audience - this was the winner. Read more about the film here.

Human Error, Resilient Strategies & Device Design (3:08min) - Dr Jonathan Back takes us through some of the different types of human error and how people devise strategies to overcome these. You'll never leave your house without your umbrella again but how can these resilient strategies be used to improve the design of medical devices where errors could be fatal?

Sometimes though, interactive device designers will have their work cut out for them - in Press any key (20 seconds) Homer Simpson struggles to start his computer despite clear on-screen instructions.
When technology design provokes errors (37.12min) - Prof Ann Blandford gave this lecture, as part of UCL's Lunch Time Lecture series, on 3 November 2011 to mark World Usability Day.

Start a video below, then double click on it to open it in full-screen. We'd love your feedback.

Man-machine nightmares: Chaos buttons, human error and patient safety

Two of the short videos above (Microwave racing and Human Error, Resilient Strategies & Device Design) are taken from this longer video.

What is this nightmare where simple everyday errors can cause patient harm?
Why isn't it enough to give people more training?
What do we mean when we talk about 'cognitive errors' and the effects of design on patient safety?
and what has microwave racing got to do with anything?

Dr Dominic Furniss shows us how easy it is to make mistakes, what steps we might take to prevent errors and how the design of systems can influence the likelihood of error. Technology is all around us and we don't want it to make life more difficult than it already is...

In April 2011 this video won joint third place in the "What is Human Factors?" YouTube video contest organised by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

School talks and shows - free

We give free talks and shows for schools in the UK on topics related to human error and safer medical device design. Our aim is both to educate about the issues involved but also to enthuse students about the subject, challenging stereotypes and raising awareness about the major role these topics play in our lives.

The topics of the talks (described below) are based around research topics going beyond school
syllabuses so give deeper insight into the subject. As this project is naturally interdisciplinary they also show the interdisciplinary nature of modern science.

The talks and shows are suitable for students at all levels, with the presentations adaptable according to the age and interests of the group. We give the talks to a wide range of audiences, including whole year groups. We want to spread our enthusiasm for the subject to anyone who will listen! We also hope to give the audience an idea of why we personally got hooked.

Talks currently available include:

The Magic of CHI+MED: Safer Medical devices (1hr)
The Magic of CHI+MED: Safer Medical devices (2hr)

Our interactive 1-hour magic show is a real magic show where we not only teach the audience the tricks (after they have tried to work out how they work) but also use them to explain a range of topics that underpin the science of human error and its application in making medical devices safer to use. In the show the magician makes the whole audience make the same mistake at the same time. Designers of technology have to understand and apply the same psychology to prevent mistakes being made. We also show how the same techniques magicians use underpin the way computers are programmed.

The show appeals to a wide audience, and highlights how psychology, computer science, engineering, maths, psychology other social sciences are important if we are to make technology safely work for us.

This show is also available in a longer more challenging 2-hour format for suitable audiences.

Contact schools@eecs.qmul.ac.uk for more information and to book a talk.