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Simon Harper is a Research Fellow in the Information Management Group of the School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester working on cognitive solutions to the problems inherent in accessing large, heterogeneous, non-linear information sources without vision (or with limited vision). He comes from an industrial background as a software consultant with a major energy provider. Simon's research interests are a synthesis of hypermedia, cognition, and rehabilitation engineering. He lives happily in Manchester (UK) with his artistic (and therefore reasonably insane) Armenian fiancee. He is an active supporter of many charities, among them Greenpeace, Amnesty, MSF, and Oxfam. Simon has travelled solo through Europe, Eastern Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East. He is a qualified yachtsman and an avid kayaker and sub-aqua diver. And likes nothing better than a good curry and a good beer; in fact he's an all around gastronome and Bon viveur!
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Simon Harper is a Research Fellow in the Information Management Group of the School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester working at the intersection of hypermedia, cognition, and rehabilitation engineering.
Simon Harper is a Research Fellow in the Information Management Group of the School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester working on cognitive solutions to the problems inherent in accessing large, heterogeneous, non-linear information sources without vision (or with limited vision). He comes from an industrial background as a software consultant with a major energy provider. Simon's research interests are a synthesis of hypermedia, cognition, and rehabilitation engineering.
Simon Harper is a Research Fellow in the Information Management Group of the School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester working on cognitive solutions to the problems inherent in accessing large, heterogeneous, non-linear information sources without vision (or with limited vision). Simon's primary research interest lies at the intersection between information and users; which really means focusing on assisting the cognitive needs of users as they move through information. He is more interested in user cognition and the boundary between computer systems and knowledge, perception, awareness and reasoning; than on 'straight' HCI and the Interface. This manifests itself as the research area of hypertext / hypermedia and the web along with the accessibility of information and the universal cognition of information resources which now encompasses real world resources in the form of ambient hypermedia through small screen devices. Simon's take on cognition is different from conventional HCI in that he is less worried about the interface per-say, but more, the perception and cognition of information through the interface.
Simon Harper is a Research Fellow in the Information Management Group of the School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester working on cognitive solutions to the problems inherent in accessing large, heterogeneous, non-linear information sources without vision (or with limited vision). Simon's primary research interest lies at the intersection between information and users; which really means focusing on assisting the cognitive needs of users as they move through information. He is more interested in user cognition and the boundary between computer systems and knowledge, perception, awareness and reasoning; than on 'straight' HCI and the Interface. This manifests itself as the research area of hypertext / hypermedia and the web along with the accessibility of information and the universal cognition of information resources which now encompasses real world resources in the form of ambient hypermedia through small screen devices. In addition Simon runs the 'augmented' website which deals with research into ways of augmenting the cognition of users with hypermedia techniques along the research lines of: semantics and annotation, transcoding, ambient systems, and nuts & bolts (formative surveys of hypermedia user preference). He is the organiser of the International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility run at the World Wide Web Conference. Has guest edited the New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia; served on many Programme Committees and Review Panels; chaired sessions at the ACM Hypertext Conference; and is the recipient of the Doug Engelbart prize for best paper at the ACM Hypertext (2000) Conference.
Simon Harper is a Research Fellow in the Information Management Group of the School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester working on cognitive solutions to the problems inherent in accessing large, heterogeneous, non-linear information sources without vision (or with limited vision). Simon's primary research interest lies at the intersection between information and users; which really means focusing on assisting the cognitive needs of users as they move through information. This manifests itself as the research area of hypertext / hypermedia and the web along with the accessibility of information and the universal cognition of information resources which now encompasses real world resources in the form of ambient hypermedia through small screen devices. Simon's take on cognition is different from conventional HCI in that he is less worried about the interface per-say, but more, the perception and cognition of information through the interface. Simon is involved in the proXimity project (a multi-disciplinary cross-platform system joining the three domains of Knowledge, Environment, and User - and helps users more easily perceive an environment) along with Carole Goble (Manchester, UK), Helen Petrie (City, UK), and Bernard Horan (SUN). He is also interested in semantics and users and is preparing a collaboration with Sean Bechhofer (Manchester, UK) on encoding RDF into XHTML for use by users (as opposed to agents) in an attempt to augment knowledge and awareness of information. Simon is also collaborating on grant proposals to the Stroke Association along with Robert Stevens and Helen Petrie based on hypermedia pictorial representations for communication by users with Aphasia. He continues informally conversations with Gustavo Rossi (Facultad de Informatica, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina) on extensions to his OOHDM (methodology) with regard to encoding spatial cognition into ambient hypermedia systems at the design stage. In addition Simon runs the 'augmented' website which deals with research into ways of augmenting the cognition of users with hypermedia techniques along the research lines of: semantics and annotation, transcoding, ambient systems, and nuts & bolts (formative surveys of hypermedia user preference). Finally, he is the organiser of the International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility run at the World Wide Web Conference.
Simon Harper is a Research Fellow in the Information Management Group of the School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester working on cognitive solutions to the problems inherent in accessing large, heterogeneous, non-linear information sources without vision (or with limited vision). Simon's primary research interest lies at the intersection between information and users; which really means focusing on assisting the cognitive needs of users as they move through information. This manifests itself as the research area of hypertext / hypermedia and the web along with the accessibility of information and the universal cognition of information resources which now encompasses real world resources in the form of ambient hypermedia through small screen devices. Simon's take on cognition is different from conventional HCI in that he is less worried about the interface per-say, but more, the perception and cognition of information through the interface. Simon is involved in the proXimity project (a multi-disciplinary cross-platform system joining the three domains of Knowledge, Environment, and User - and helps users more easily perceive an environment) along with Carole Goble (Manchester, UK), Helen Petrie (City, UK), and Bernard Horan (SUN). He is also interested in semantics and users and is preparing a collaboration with Sean Bechhofer (Manchester, UK) on encoding RDF into XHTML for use by users (as opposed to agents) in an attempt to augment knowledge and awareness of information. Simon is also collaborating on grant proposals to the Stroke Association along with Robert Stevens and Helen Petrie based on hypermedia pictorial representations for communication by users with Aphasia. He continues informally conversations with Gustavo Rossi (Facultad de Informatica, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina) on extensions to his OOHDM (methodology) with regard to encoding spatial cognition into ambient hypermedia systems at the design stage. In addition Simon runs the 'augmented' website which deals with research into ways of augmenting the cognition of users with hypermedia techniques along the research lines of: semantics and annotation, transcoding, ambient systems, and nuts & bolts (formative surveys of hypermedia user preference). He is the organiser of the International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility run at the World Wide Web Conference. Has guest edited the New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia; served on many Programme Committees and Review Panels; chaired sessions at the ACM Hypertext Conference; and is the recipient of the Doug Engelbart prize for best paper at the ACM Hypertext (2000) Conference.
Simon lives happily in Manchester (UK) with his artistic (and therefore reasonably insane) Armenian fiancee. He is an active supporter of many charities, among them Greenpeace, Amnesty, MSF, and Oxfam. Simon has travelled solo through Europe, Eastern Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East. He is a qualified yachtsman and an avid kayaker and sub-aqua diver. And likes nothing better than a good curry and a good beer; in fact he's an all around gastronome and Bon viveur!