Technology is becoming increasingly involved in every aspect of our lives, from driving to sleeping, from education to our relationships. In order to ensure that these developments have positive impacts on our lives, we need people with expertise in both human behaviour and technology design. People with skills in Psychology and Computing have a unique insight into the needs and abilities of technology users, and the skills to design, develop and evaluate technology in areas such as education, e-health, mental health, interaction with A.I., and supports for people with disabilities. People with qualified in both Psychology and Computing are well placed to answer questions such as:
Most advances in the design of technology interfaces in the past 50 years – from car dashboards, to airplane cockpits, from computer operating systems, to games controllers, are brought about through the collaboration of psychologists, designers and computer scientists. All of the worlds’ biggest technology companies have large departments staffed with people who are expert in research methods, in perception and cognition, and who carry out studies in order to understand whether their designs are usable and useful. Every day, as you use your smartphones and your social media accounts, you are benefitting from the work of people researching the meeting points of psychology and computing.