Neil Allison champions usability and user-centred design at the University of Edinburgh through his work with the University Website Programme. He is an active member of the Scottish chapter of the UX Professionals Association.He believes everyone has responsibility for the user experience, and as a highly experienced trainer and educator, works to give colleagues the skills and confidence to conduct their own research and inform their work.
Linkedin profile: Neil Allison
Follow Neil on Twitter @usabilityedNeil works for the University Website Programme at the University of Edinburgh. His key responsibilities are web strategy, user research and staff training.
Neil is currently leading a web publishing review and requirements gathering process; informing the future of the University's website and corporate content management system (used by around 600 users and 80 units). His user-centred methodology is inspired by Jesse James Garrett’s model, The Elements of User Experience.
Neil’s approach has been employed successfully in a range of website and software development projects.
One refinement to the content management system in early 2010 is conservatively estimated to be saving the University £50,000 per year (with the true figure is more likely to be closer to double this).
A case study of this project was published as part of Jakob Nielsen’s Usability Return on Investment report (4th edition).
Neil’s approach has been employed successfully in a range of website and software development projects.
One refinement to the content management system in early 2010 is conservatively estimated to be saving the University £50,000 per year (with the true figure is more likely to be closer to double this).
A case study of this project was published as part of Jakob Nielsen’s Usability Return on Investment report (4th edition).
Neil has pioneered research activities investigating the prospective postgraduate student experience. In a cross-institution project, Neil combined personas, analytics and user testing to identify issues, communicate and initiate change and then monitor the effectiveness of ongoing improvements.
Postgraduate experience wiki (University of Edinburgh EASE login required)
Postgraduate experience wiki (University of Edinburgh EASE login required)
He has developed training and workshops on writing for the web, analytics, discount usability testing, prototyping and persona development. He also coordinates monthly website publishing community get togethers and has established a user experience interest group.
Writing for the Web training overview
Usability testing training overview
Participant reviews of Neil's usability testing course (PDF)
Prototyping for beginners (first delivered as part of a UK HE usability and UCD event)
Neil also presents regularly on user experience and content management related topics.
Experiences in user centred design at the University of Edinburgh (IWMW 2012 conference)
University content management system management (IWMW 2012 conference)
Introduction to prototyping (Scottish Usability Professionals Association)
Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh, Neil worked in web marketing and communications for Otago Regional Council and the University of Sheffield; leading usability research and user-centred design activities in both organisations as they introduced content management systems. He also devised and delivered writing for the web training, to enhance the quality of content produced within their devolved publishing frameworks.
Quite a long time ago, Neil worked in higher education student recruitment marketing. And in what feels like another lifetime, he was a teacher.
Neil’s interest in usability and user-centred design stems from his successes and failures in the classroom with activities he liked to devise himself. School teaching is pretty much a series of user testing sessions with 30+ participants who are all too ready to tell you when the product isn’t working for them.
