I am currently coordinating user research and user evaluation tasks, for the EU FP7 SOCIETIES project. This project is developing a system which will facilitate the discovering, connecting and organising of relevant communities, people, resources and things, by harnessing the potential intelligence offered by merging ubiquitous technologies with social networking.  I have been working in the TSSG, since 2005 and previous roles here include managing the Design and Usability (DU) Group, and designing web and mobile application interfaces as a User Interface Engineer.  My skillset includes a high level of proficiency in  a broad range of tools for creative visual, web and multimedia design.

Prior to joining the TSSG, I worked as a web and multimedia designer for Post Consult International (PCI), and Octagon Technologies. My earlier work experience includes working in a variety of design and editorial roles, which included work with the Irish Times Web Editorial Team, the European Journalism Centre, NCB Stockbrokers, and Amnesty International.

I am primarily interested in how applied use of information and communication technologies (ICT) can support access to information and enhance quality of experiences, in people’s lives.

Recently, I have been focused on integrating User Centred Design (UCD) approaches with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) development processes, for SOCIETIES, a European research project. This project aims to develop technologies which will empower users to harness novel opportunities, for personalised, intelligent and relevant discovery, connection and organisation: of people, communities, things, resources and services, by combining social network services (SNS) with ambient intelligence (AMI) technologies. This work has included co-ordinating user research and user evaluation activities with three distinctive groups: employing approaches such as rapid ethnographic methods, questionnaires,  wizard of oz, storyboards and participatory methods, and editing deliverables for dissemination of research results and analysis.

I am currently reading about emerging Social Media Movements, cognitive surplus, wisdom of the crowd, Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Technology Mediated Social Participation (TMSP), Interaction design in ambient intelligent environments, and user experience evaluation approaches. I am passionate about environmental protection, climate change and energy conservation issues

Author:

• Jennings, E., Madden, E., Roddy, M., Roussaki, I., Participative User Research and Evaluation Methodologies for Pervasive Communities, In Proceedings of Irish Human Computer Interaction (iHCI) 2011 Conference, Integrated Practice Inclusive Design (CIT, September ’11), http://ihci2011.org/.
• Kevin Doolin, Ioanna Roussaki, Mark Roddy, Nikos Kalatzis, Elizabeth Papadopoulou, Nick K. Taylor, Nicolas Liampotis, David McKitterick, Edel Jennings, Pavlos Kosmides: SOCIETIES: Where Pervasive Meets Social. Future Internet Assembly 2012: 30-41 1.
• Ioanna Roussaki, Nikos Kalatzis, Nicolas Liampotis, Pavlos Kosmides, Miltiades E. Anagnostou, Kevin Doolin, Edel Jennings, Yiorgos Bouloudis, Stavros Xynogalas: Context-awareness in wireless and mobile computing revisited to embrace social networking. IEEE Communications Magazine 50(6): 74-81 (2012).
• Jacqueline Floch, Michael Angermann, Edel Jennings, Mark Roddy; Exploring Cooperating Smart Spaces for Efficient Collaboration in Disaster Management; ISCRAM 2012, Vancouver.

Participant:

• De Polo, A., Papanikolaou, N., Clarke, J., Session organisation and report on Putting the user in control of their data and information in the Future Internet (FIA Poznan, Oct. ’11), http://www.future-internet.eu/home/future-internet-assembly/poznan-october-2011/s34-user-in-control.html.

Editor:

• EU FP7 ICT Project, No. 257493, SOCIETIES: Self Orchestrating CommunIty ambiEnT IntelligEnce Spaces (IP), WP2 deliverable: D2.1 Specification of initial scenarios and user requirements, http://www.ict-societies.eu/files/2011/11/SOCIETIES_D21.pdf.
• EU FP7 ICT Project, No. 257493, SOCIETIES: Self Orchestrating CommunIty ambiEnT IntelligEnce Spaces (IP), WP8 deliverable: D8.1 Paper trial evaluation report, http://www.ict-societies.eu/files/2011/11/D8.1_public.pdf.

M.Sc in Multimedia Systems, Computer Science Department, Trinity College Dublin.
B.A in Communication Studies, Dublin City University (first class honours).
Permaculture Design Certificate from UK Permaculture Association.