2011 Churchill Fellowship

Time before I head off on my trip and work on my project

(294 Days, 5 Hours, 59 Minutes and 11 seconds, but who's counting)

Guest what, I have been awarded the 2011 Churchill Fellowship. Yahoo... (That's and expression for the website). Yes, I want to blow my trumpet,because I am excited about this opportunity.

It all started with an email that was sent around to all staff that they should consider applying for the Churchill Fellowship. At first I was going to just delete it but then thought to check it out and see what it was about. After reading it I decided to give it a go. Basically it was anyone over the age of 18, Australian and who had an idea that they would like to research. You did not require any formal education just a passion and at the end of the experience to produce a paper. That paper needed a title, index, introduction an executive summary explanation of the programme, main body and conclusions and recommendation.  

The important part was successful applicants then were sponsored to travel oversea to further that research. That sponsorship was from 4-12 weeks which was funded. So as with everything in life never know unless you try.

I proceeded to downloaded the application and to fill in the details. Personal Details, Education, Employment and then it started. I had to come up with a project title and then in a small area articulate my project. I had to get my point across clearly so that a non-technical person would understand. That has been the hardest part as you only have enough space for about 6-8 sentences.

After many trials and tribulations and with considerable assistance from one of my associates Gary, I achieved that goal.

"This project will explore how breakthroughs in mobile technology can help social workers in the field provide an improved child protection servcie. It will examine how to eliminate usability barriers imposed by the complexity of unwieldy applications and devices. It will try to eliminate, or moderate, the impersonal use of technology in meetings, with clients, where a high degress of empathy and emotional intelligence are required. By working with experts in child protection, technology, usability and communications, this project will seek ways to record and process information captured in the filed using a new generation of smart devices and innovative software applications. Key goals will be a reduction in staff workload, improved access to information for colleagues, and a rich interaction with clients enchanced by the removal of technology barriers. A further, substatial, benefit will be a decreased need for computer training, due to a better understanding of usability and human interfaces into these devices, allowing staff more time to focus on relationships with clients."    

The next section wanted to know what new knowledge do I hope to gain from my project, my response was:

"I hope to demonstrate better designs in the tablet and mobile technology markets that will lead to new opportunities in social work settings. What I learn will lead to a better understanding as to how to better design, build and use the next generation of mobile applications for use in social work. This hopefully will lead to breakthroughs in the natural way that social worker and clients will interact with minimal thought of the technology at hand. Providing information instantly, ensuring maximum accuracy and without need for re-entry and data being available to other staff."

Why do I need to travel overseas to obtain this knowledge?

"I need to travel overseas to observe the practical operations and the research in the area of advance interface design. These companies and Government agencies are addressing this field of study where we are just getting use to the idea of the technology will have a bearing on how we work. As we are only just starting to catch up with the software side of the technology, the mobile technology is over taking our understanding and usage within Government. I believe that interface is the missing component for maximising the use of this technology."

What experience do I have to undertake this project?

"I am a very experienced technology professional with over 25 years' experience. I previously judged in this area of interface design for industry awards. I have experience being involved in both functional workflow and end user design, having been a designer of interfaces for systems for the City of Greater Dandenong. Currently I am leading a project which uses mobile technology for Childcare licencing. The project will inform the exploration of the potential for better user design and adoption of newer mobile technology providing a better level service to our clients." 

How will my project benefit the Australian community?

"Chage is one of the biggest challenges for everyone. That change and speed of change in mobile technology is enormous. Understanding how to apply good interface design to reduce the learning curve, increase productivity and speed up the transfer of information is paramount. To adopt that mobile technology and use it to its maximum benefit will only build a bigger and bright future for Australians in general. Australia is currently building a super highway for information transaction for the future, with the National Broadband Network (NBN). The NBN is laying a foundation that will allow unprecedented opportunities for mobile users in all industries. Much of our work takes place in the field, using mobile devices will enable users to gather or lookup information on the spot. The expansion of world class broadband to new areas of the country means that it can be used on remote towns, farms and schools. The design of devices, forms and applications will determin the success of this undertaking and whether Australia will achieve the full potential of its investment in broadband internet. My project will form the foundation to building those better interfaces. My current project will add to that body of knowledge on the topic of good interface design."

Other than my Fellowship Report how will I inform the Australian community of my experience and knowledge gained?

"I have the opportunity to disseminate and engagement in conversation about interface design with many departments. That conversation has already been going on with Police, Justice and Work Place Training. I have had involvement with AIIA and AIMIA in the past and these are just a couple of the forums that I would look to engage and present through. With my current project with Childcare Licensing I will be writing a white paper for whole of goverment on our experience. I would hope my Fellowship report would also be distributed through the government channels."

So this was my application responses as well as two references. Over the following year I will be posting information about how I am going and what I am planning for my trip. Then when I go on the Trip I will then post pictures and information about the entire experience.