Liam Bannon is a Professor Emeritus and founder and director of the Interaction Design Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland.
Liam has been a hugely influential thinker writer and researcher since the 1980s, along with various collaborators, in shaping work around technology and design.
Recorded in-person in 2017, he reflects on his interdisciplinary journey and contributions, covering areas such as AI, HCI, CSCW, human-centered design, and collaboration. Liam’s experiences exemplify the challenges and rewards of crafting a unique academic career largely outside the box, grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to improving human-technology interactions, while also highlighting the importance of personal fulfilment and being able to think broadly.
Related Links:
Liam at the Interaction Design Centre, Uni of Limerick
Some of the people & papers he mentions:
George Miller
Zenon Pylyshyn, (1973). What the mind's eye tells the mind's brain: A critique of mental imagery. Psychological Bulletin, 80(1), 1–24.
H. Rudy Ramsey and Michael E Attwood (1979) Human Factors in Computer Systems: A Review of the Literature, Technical Report SAI-79-111DEN
James Jenkins, Uni of Minnesota
Don Norman, Human Centered Design, UCSD. See also https://jnd.org
Kjeld Schmidt
Lucy Suchman
Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics
Susanne Bødker, Aarhus Uni; see also our 2023 podcast conversation
Mike Cooley, Engineer Lucas Aerospace
Terry Winograd and Fernando Flores, Understanding Computers and Cognition, A New Foundation for Design, 1987, Addison-Wesley.
Bannon, L. & Bødker, S. (1991) Beyond the Interface: Encountering Artifacts in Use. Book Chapter in J.M. Carroll (Ed.) (1991) Designing Interaction: Psychology at the Human-Computer Interface, pp.227-253. (New York: Cambridge University Press) (See also an earlier version)
Bud Mehan, UCSD
Pelle Ehn, Morten Kyng and Participatory Design e.g., see this paper
Rank Xerox Cambridge EuroPARC e.g., see overview articles 'What is EuroPARC?' and 'Rank Xerox Cambridge EuroPARC'
Liam J. Bannon (2006) Forgetting as a feature, not a bug: the duality of memory and implications for ubiquitous computing, CoDesign, 2:1, 3-15
Liam J. Bannon (2012) Interactions
Schmidt, K., Bannon, L., Four characters in search of a context
Schmidt, K., Bannon, L. Taking CSCW seriously. Comput Supported Coop Work 1, 7–40 (1992).
The Google Scholar listing of all of Liam’s publications
Lindsay Oades on academic wellbeing, connecting to strengths, meaning and purpose, and not taking the system too seriously
Jan Gulliksen on middle management, leading autists, and building values and trust… with drama
Rowena Murray on writing retreats, academic friendships and dealing with discrimination
Kirsten Ellis on shifting goalposts, motivation, flying & being a working mum with a disabled child
Janet Read on charm bracelets, finish tape & the work to be a complete academic
Kylie Ball on supporting early career researchers, virtual mentorship and wellbeing
Carman Neustaedter on research identity, work tracking surprises, and taking perspective
James Wilsdon on impacts, responsible metrics & evaluation practices
Luigina Ciolfi on giving back, mentoring, and finding your own work-life strategies
Reflections on 2017 & creating kinder better work cultures (solo)
Michael Muller on principled engagements, value tensions, liking people & giving back
Jolanta Burke on burnout, harmonious passion, positive workplaces & helping others
Evan Peck on making choices, accepting trade-offs, and liberal arts as a great middle way
Scott Robertson on missing tenure, persevering, and connecting to mission & community
Margaret Burnett on pioneering, mentoring, changing the world & GenderMag
Amy Ko on being reflectively self-aware, deliberately structured, & amazingly productive
Gloria Mark on service, multitasking, creativity and fun
Chris Frauenberger on post-docs, parental leave & multiple dreams
Ali Black on doing academia differently...caring, connecting & becoming
Anna Cox on family, work & strategies for making the changes we want
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