We all get excited when embarking on a new research project, but it is important to pause and reflect before you begin; building a strong rationale for research can lead to better outcomes for both practitioners and stakeholders. — Ihave been leading user research projects for more than twenty years. During that time, I’ve worked with a wide range of participants, from the homeless in some of London’s most confronting hostels, to FX traders in the financial district of Paris, to mud crab fishermen in the swamps of Australia’s…

Speaking to me in 1994, just before the release of his first, and greatly under-rated solo album, ‘The Snake’, Shane MacGowan reflects on the importance of religion in his life and his frustration and disillusionment with the music business. — “The Brit Awards?… A pile of fat greasy wankers in tuxedos, with a load of scum up the front — who I could identify with — who were there to dance for the cameras, because the guys in the tuxedos were too busy stuffing their faces and drinking… Elton John…

Interview with Phil & Peter, the Kildare Bhoys, Arlington House hostel, 1997. — Phil had a Scottish and Irish background, though he primarily and proudly identified himself as Irish. Though chronic illness and having only one leg meant that Phil found it difficult to get out and about, he remained a well-liked and popular figure in the hostel. During the course of our…

Reflections on a one-year road test of mindfulness meditation — The cynical marketing of mindfulness as a panacea for a world of corporate ills have made many of us sceptical about its proclaimed benefits. Mindfulness as a tool for overworked executives. Mindfulness as a relief valve for gig-economy workers. And recently there’s been the news of Amazon’s provision of mindfulness…

Keeping track of your thinking processes across research and design projects may give you insights that will help you meet new challenges more effectively. — The philosopher George Santayana famously said that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That’s perhaps the most useful and practical way in which to use a reflective journal: as a means of remembering. As a means of time-traveling to revisit thought processes that emerged on…

The sudden violent downpour on the coast That soaked the surfers, paddlers, Bleeping beachcombers, Filled the creek that had been Entombed, Pouring from its concrete pipe mouth A dirty flood that Cut a thick V-shaped Gouge Across the sand The gushing silty water Carried leaves, Branches, twigs, worms, Drowned insects, Tumbling to the waves, Shards…

Backyard gum trees provide homes and food for multiple species, but as building density in suburbia increases, the pressure on this important habitat has intensified. New Year’s Eve and I’m up on a ladder cleaning out our gutters. This wet La Niña Christmas, the large Eucalyptus pilularis in our yard has been showering us with gifts of bark, leaves, gum-nutted twigs and long dry branches. A magnificent Blackbutt Gum, it is the tallest tree in…

When asked about religion, Mr. O’Connor used to laugh and say: I believe in life before death. And right enough, he used to enjoy a good time to himself. …

Trained in the Army, moved to the pipelines — Jim lived along the same landing of Arlington House hostel as Phil and Peter — the Kildare bhoys, and a contingent of other Irish fellas, from both sides of the border, and both sides of the religious divide. …