Working alongside psychologists and graphic designers in a way that can make a real difference to someone’s life doesn’t sound like an average day in IT. Unless, that is, you work at City University London’s Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design (HCID).

Here Neil Maiden and his team research the relationship between technology and people to create more useful and easier-to-use systems. “Our angle is what we call user diversity,” Maiden says. “There was once a strong focus on users as rather generic 20-year-old, 6ft, fit people. But now there are drivers in the community that force us to think about two substantial groups: the elderly and disabled.” The centre has worked with several UK charities on projects such as speech-based TV guides for the blind. A current project supports the increasing number of older people browsing the internet. “The elderly have taken to social networking in a big way,” he says. “They are able to communicate with like people without having to move, so it’s a godsend.”

Ulrike Pfeil, a PhD student who is investigating how user groups communicate and establish relationships, hopes that her research can help to design online communities to suit older people. The course she did was set up for computer science graduates who “need to have a deeper understanding of the range of users for the work they’re doing”, Maiden says. Those who do the course progress quickly in web development and design companies; others stay within the centre and work on projects as diverse as healthcare, air traffic control and computer gaming. “It’s a great career choice for an IT professional,” Maiden says.

Times Recommends

• Inspirational leadership
• How to get a new job
• The reluctant CEO