Middlesex University London
Middlesex University is based in north London and has six schools: Business, Art & Design, Health & Education, Law, Media & Performing Arts, Science & Technology, and the Institute for Work Based Learning. We have a reputation for the highest quality teaching, research that makes a real difference to people’s lives and a practical, innovative approach to working with businesses to develop staff potential and provide solutions to business issues.
We teach 38,500 students on career-focused courses at our campuses in London, Dubai, Mauritius and Malta with prestigious academic partners and some 1,900 staff across the world.
Dr Mark Springett at Middlesex University is a member of the Interaction Design Centre and the Design for All Research Group. He is a member of the Usability Professionals Association. He has a specialist interest in the evaluation and modelling of factors affecting technology adoption for those with impairments and age-related issues. He is leader of the EU Erasmus project ‘Gameplay for Inspiring Digital Adoption’ investigating the potential of games to improve quality of life and digital engagement of older citizens. He was Vice-Chair of COST Action IC0904 ‘Towards the Integration of Trans-sectorial IT Design and Evaluation’ between 2009 and 2013. He has 30 years’ experience of working in the area of Human-Computer Interaction in academia and industry. His recent published research includes studies of the relationship between affective factors, learnability and technology acceptance.
Gill Whitney, CEng, MIET, MSc, BSc, SFHEA has been employed at Middlesex University for over seventeen years. She is now an Associate Professor. She has worked in the area of Digital Inclusion and of knowledge transfer with respect to European, International and British Technical Standards creation and use. Her research has focused on the use of communication systems by older people and people with disabilities. She has been involved in consumer policy work for over fifteen years. She is an ANEC (The European consumer voice in standardisation) expert in both the areas of The Digital Society and of Accessibility. She has contributed to the writing of policy and regulation documents ranging from International Standards to University accessibility policies. She contributes to the work of both BSI’s Consumer and Policy Network and OFCOM’s Consumer Forum for Communications. She also teaches legislation and regulation to students within Middlesex University’s Department of Computer Science.
Good Things Foundation
Good Things Foundation (formerly Tinder Foundation) is the largest digital inclusion research and practice organisation in the UK. Working with a national Network of Online Centres, including libraries, social housing providers and community learning venues, it delivers major contracts including Future Digital Inclusion for the UK Department for Education and Widening Digital Participation for the NHS. Good Things Foundation are able to engage those vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society who are most likely to be digitally excluded, and offer them support, advice and learning opportunities. Since 2008 Good Things Foundation has created and curated the Learn my Way online learning platform (learnmyway.com), a free suite of learning modules designed to help supported and unsupported learners to develop basic digital skills from scratch; more than 1m people in the UK and beyond have used the website since it was created.
James Richardson is Research Manager at Good Things Foundation. James’s research interests include digital inclusion, social ageing, and the community sector’s response to austerity. In 2018 he authored ‘I Am Connected‘, a landmark study into older adults’ digital behaviour, funded by the Centre For Ageing Better. His role within the GIRDA project is to lead on the development of support materials for digital mentors, using co-creation principles, as well as other initiatives to embed digital inclusion best practice in services delivered by and for older people.