Introducing Hamish Henderson, NSW Branch Executive Committee

Hamish Henderson MACS Snr CP has been a member of the NSW Branch Executive since January 2024. We sat down with him to find out more about his career journey, passions and impact he would like to have for NSW ACS members.

Briefly describe your career history. What has been your contribution to the ICT community?

I have over a decade of experience as a Designer and Manager, specialising in Human Factors Engineering across various sectors, including health, urban technology, construction, travel, enterprise technology, transport (rail), real estate, and consumer electronics. In addition to my consultancy work, I lecture at both the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the University of Sydney in several design subjects. I have contributed to the second edition of “Design. Think. Make. Break. Repeat.” and have published papers at national and international venues. As a design educator, I have rewritten subjects such as Interaction Design Studio and Introduction to Interface Design at the University of Sydney and assisted in creating the Advanced Interaction Design course at UTS. I am also a Certified Professional and Senior Member of ACS.

What is something that you are really proud of?

I am particularly proud of my role as the Chief UX & UI Designer for the DwellTrack project. Working under contract for Rapido, I led numerous research workshops with Sydney Trains and was responsible for the UI and UX design of the DwellTrack iPad application, which was featured on Channel 7 News. This application provided sensor information to platform staff to assist with decreasing the dwell time on platforms.

Another project which I am proud is in writing the materials for Introduction of Interface Design which is a course that is a part of the Bachelor of Design (Interactive Design) at USYD.

What are you passionate about?

Professionally, I am passionate about designing innovative and user-friendly solutions to complex problems and mentoring teams to achieve their goals. Personally, I enjoy surfing, building things, flying planes, driving cars, and riding motorbikes. I also mentor young designers through the Interaction Design Association (IxDA) Sydney.

I get a lot out of the interactions with my students and mentees. I find their enthusiasm and optimistic infectious. For them they are not jaded and full of possibilities.

What advice would you provide to someone just starting their career?

Based on my experience, I would encourage newcomers to the field to embrace continuous learning, seek mentorship opportunities, and remain adaptable to the evolving landscape of technology and design.

Basically technology is constantly changing, changing faster that you can keep up with. But with continuous development you can keep with the fundamentals.

What do you want your legacy at ACS to be?

As a Certified Professional and Senior Member of the Australian Computing Society, I aspire to contribute to the advancement of the ICT community by promoting excellence in design and human factors engineering, fostering innovation, and supporting the professional growth of emerging designers and technologists.

What do you think the next big thing is? Views for the future.

I believe that the integration of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, into user-centered design processes will significantly transform how we approach problem-solving and create more intuitive and personalised user experiences.

Computing will become invisible and ubiquitous. It will just become part of the fabric of the environment. I also believe that the notion of computing belonging to devices with own will change.