CV of Blair Nonnecke
Room 314, Reynolds Building
Computing and Information Science
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1
email: nonnecke@uoguelph.ca
phone: w-519-824-4120 ext. 56407
fax: 519-837-0323
PROFILE Blair Nonnecke is an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph, and usability professional with
particular interests in user-centered design (UCD), telematics, and online communities.
Prior to coming to the University of Guelph, Blair was the Director of Usability at Maptuit Corp.
While there he was responsible for user-interface architecture, requirements analysis, competitive
reviews, discount usability, expert review, and research into online maps and directions.
Blair has substantial usability research and design experience, first with IF InterFace in Ottawa, then
as a partner in Convivia Interaction Design Inc. and now at the University of Guelph. He has worked
on a wide variety of projects ranging from user-interface evaluations (Emerson) to UCD process
review (Bank of Montreal). He is well acquainted with the issues of incorporating HCI into software
engineering and marketing processes; this requires an understanding of stakeholders’ needs (endusers, developers, marketing, support, technical writers, and maintainers) and effectively
communicating through workshops, reports, facilitation, tutorials and presentations. His interest in
people, and his training in the technical aspects of both computers and HCI are invaluable in this
process. Blair is a team player who can effectively take on leadership roles.
EDUCATION Ph.D. Computer Science, South Bank University, London, UK (March 2000)
Lurkers in email-based discussion lists
M.Sc. Computer Science, University of Guelph (1992)
Usage monitors as exploratory tools in the study of online documentation
Honours B.Sc. Equivalent. Computer Science, University of Guelph (1983)
Honours B.Sc. Physical Science, minor in Chemistry, University of Guelph (1979)
POSITIONS HELD
Research and
Teaching
Corporate
2001-
Associate Professor:
§ evaluation of usability techniques
§ usability of smartphone for older adults
§ researching online communities and their lurkers
§ supervising M.Sc. & Ph.D. students
§ courses: Systems Analysis and Design, Software Engineering, and HCI
Computing and Information Science, University of Guelph
1998-2000
Visiting Researcher:
§ researched lurkers in online communities (towards Ph.D.)
University of Maryland Baltimore College
2000-2001
Director of Usability:
§ responsible for UI design and usability of Web and mobile services
§ integration of usability into software development process
§ application of a wide range of usability techniques
Maptuit Corp., Toronto, Ontario
HCI
Consulting
1995-1998
Partner:
§ completed a wide range of HCI projects (see list of projects below)
§ clients included Nortel, IBM, Televitesse & Bank of Montreal
Convivia Interaction Design Inc., Guelph, Ontario
1993-1995
User-Interface Consultant:
§ carried out a wide range of HCI projects for a variety of clients
(see list of projects below)
IF InterFace Consulting Inc., Ottawa, Ontario
HCI CONSULTING PROJECTS (examples)
Requirements Developed a primary task set and evaluated the user interface of a battery backup system for
Analysis Emerson Network Power (2011)
Developed and deployed an end-user survey for RIM (2010)
Reviewed and provided input into the requirements for Johnson & Johnson’s Living Well
online community (2008)
Analyzed and developed requirements for the University of Waterloo’s Distance Education
Web site (1998)
Analyzed user requirements and provided design input for the Tri-University Group of
Libraries home page (1998)
Determined usability requirements and high-level design for a Web-based course calendar
(Office of Open Learning, University of Guelph). Implementation of the design incorporated
iterative evaluation based on usage scenarios developed during the usability requirements
phase (1996)
Developed usability requirements and high level design for Creative Options’ Web-based
marketing site for safety and loss prevention (1996)
Assessed requirements and developed user-interface specification for a set-top box email
system for Canada Post Corporation (1994-95)
Assessed usability, and co-created the requirements definition and user-interface design of
multi-point capabilities for Nortel’s VISIT Voice/Video product (1993)
Process Provided guidance in developing a usability process at Barking Dog Studios (2008)
Review
Reviewed the user-centered design process at the Bank of Montreal, with special emphasis on
improving current practice (1997-1998)
Reviewed user-interface design process, facilitated requirements gathering, and provided
expertise in setting the user-interface standards for the New York City 911 emergency call
taking system for SHL System House Corp (1995)
Prototyped an application style guide and assessed the usability of user-interface prototypes
for the Bank of Montreal (1993)
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UI evaluation Reviewed the user interface to a thermostatic control unit for Emerson Industrial Automation
(2010)
Examined the usability of a user manual for Emerson Climate Technologies (2009)
Provided a competitive review of smartphone applications for RIM (2009)
Provided an expert review of RIM’s Blackberry GPS mapping software (2007)
Reviewed GPS-based in-car navigations systems for Transport Canada (2005)
Provided expert review of Netsweeper’s Internet content filtering software (2005)
Provided expert usability review and user evaluation of Air Canada’s Web-based user
interface for the sale of airline tickets (1997)
Performed user-interface evaluation of an automated digital assistant designed to monitor
television signals for Televitesse Systems Inc. Assessment concentrated on notification
mechanisms, navigation models, and end-user templates for automated filters (1996)
Assessed usability of a form-based user interface for Nortel’s Corporate Design Group (1994)
Performed usability assessment of hand-held portable computers and dispatch system used by
telephone installers and service technicians at Maritime Telephone and Telegraph and New
Brunswick Telephone, for Architel, Mississauga (1993)
Assessed usability and provided recommendations for a re-design for the Windows version of
the user interface of Omnipost, a service offered by Canada Post Corporation combining
email, fax, and long distance laser printing (1993)
Assessed usability of Nortel’s VISIT Voice/Video product version 1.0ß (1992)
Performed usability assessment and made recommendations for re-design of the DOS version
of the user interface of Omnipost (1992)
Design Performed a facelift of the Canadian Medical Association’s Web site, with primary emphasis
on improving navigation and visual design (1997)
Restructured, designed, and produced work for IBM’s Web internal sales/marketing Web site
(1996-1997)
Designed user interface for CrossKeys Intranet Web site (1996)
Designed user interface for network management tools for Oasis Technologies Ltd. (1995)
Education Developed, coordinated and presented a HCI workshop for Emerson at their annual SPIN
conference (2010)
Presented a workshop at UX Waterloo on “Guerilla Usability” (2010)
Developed usability content for an in-house HCI training tool, Learning About User-centered
Design (LAUD) for Bank of Montreal (1997)
Developed evaluation criteria for multimedia-based training materials for Knowledge
Connection Corporation (1996)
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Edited and developed HCI training materials for the European Union COMETT project at
South Bank University and the Art of Memory (1995)
Evaluated multimedia authoring packages for Knowledge Connection Corporation
(1995, 1996)
Developed and carried out one-day design tutorials on usability methods and form-based user
interfaces for Bank of Montreal (1994)
PUBLICATIONS
Telematics, Calak, P. & Nonnecke, B. (2007). Guidelines for the design and evaluation of in-vehicle navigation
Simulation, devices: their usage and value. Paper presented to The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2007
and Input World Congress, Detroit.
Methods
Desroches, P., Famewo, J., & Varden, A., Nonnecke, B., & Trick L. (2007). Validating Driving
Simulators: Do simulators and circuit tracks yield similar results for moose-related research? Paper
presented to The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2007 World Congress, Detroit.
Abdelsalam, W., Desroches, P., Famewo, J., Nonnecke, B., & Varden, A. (2006). Effectiveness of invehicle warning modalities, an experimental study. Paper presented at the Canadian Multidisciplinary
Road Safety Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Li, C., Nonnecke, B. & Trick L. (2006). NaviQ - a user satisfaction questionnaire for IVNS. Paper
presented at The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2006 World Congress, Detroit.
Desroches, P., Trick, L., & Nonnecke, B. (2006). The impact of navigation systems on the perception
time of young and older drivers. Paper presented at The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2006
World Congress, Detroit.
Noel, E., Nonnecke, B., & Trick, L. (2005). Evaluating first-time and infrequent use of in-car
navigation devices. Poster presented at the Driving Assessment 2005, Rockport, Maine.
Noel, E., Nonnecke, B., & Trick, L. (2005). A comprehensive learnability evaluation method for in-car
navigation device. Paper presented at The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2005 World
Congress, Detroit.
MacKenzie, S., Nonnecke, B., McQueen, C., Riddersma, S., & Meltz, M. (1994). A comparison of
three methods of character entry on pen-based computers. Proceedings of the Human Factors and
Ergonomics Society 38th Annual Meeting, pp 330-334. Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors Society.
MacKenzie, S., Nonnecke, B., Riddersma, S., McQueen, C., & Meltz, M. (1994). Alphanumeric entry
on pen-based computers. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 41, 775-792.
McQueen, C., MacKenzie, S., Nonnecke, B., & Riddersma, S. (1994). A comparison of four methods
of numeric entry on pen-based computers. Proceedings of Graphics Interface '94, pp. 75-82. Toronto:
Canadian Information Processing Society.
Online Andrews, D., Nonnecke, B., & Preece, J. (2007). Online community personalities: Characteristics that
Communities influence participation. Behaviour & Information Technology, (submitted).
Nonnecke, B., Preece, J., & Andrews, D. (2006). Lurking and public participation in discretionary
online communities. Electronic Commerce Research Journal, 5(4).
Nonnecke, B., Andrews, D., & Preece, J. (2004). Online lurking: Current and past. Paper presented at
the 5th International Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR), Brighton, England.
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Nonnecke, B., Preece, J., & Andrews, D. (2004). What lurkers and posters think of each other. Paper
presented at the 37th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-37), Maui, Hawaii.
Nonnecke, B., Preece, J., Andrews, D., & Voutour, R. (2004). Online lurkers tell why. Paper presented
at the 2004 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), New York, NY.
Andrews, D., Nonnecke, B., & Preece, J. (2003). Electronic survey methodology: A case study in
reaching hard-to-involve Internet users. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 16(2),
185-210.
Nonnecke, B., & Preece, J. (2003). Silent participants: Getting to know lurkers better. In C. Lueg & D.
Fisher (Eds.), From Usenet to CoWebs: Interacting with Social Information Spaces, Springer.
Nonnecke, B., & Preece, J. (2001). Why lurkers lurk. Americas Conference on Information Systems
2001.
Andrews, D., Nonnecke, B., & Preece, J. (2001). Web Based Surveys: Exploring Design and
Implementation Issues. 2nd International Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers.
Nonnecke, B., & Preece, J. (2000). Lurker demographics: Counting the silent. Proceedings of CHI
2000. The Hague, Netherlands: ACM.
Nonnecke, B., & Preece, J. (2000). Persistence and lurkers: A pilot study. Proceedings of HICSS-33.
Maui, Hawaii.
Design Nonnecke, B., Jacques, R., McKerlie, D., & Preece, J. (1995). Video-based hypermedia: Guiding
Methods design with users’ questions. The New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia: Applications and
Research, 1, pp 185-197.
Jacques, R., Nonnecke, B., McKerlie, D., & Preece, J. (1993). Current designs in HyperCard: What
can we learn? Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 2, 219-238.
Online Lungu, D., Nonnecke, B., Carey, T., & Mitterer, J. (1992). The role of indices in online information,
documents Proceedings of IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, Santa Fe, NM.
Carey, T., Nonnecke, B. , Mitterer, J. & Lungu, D. (1992). Prospects for active help in online
documentation. Proceedings of ACM SIGDOC Conference, Ottawa.
Hendry, D., Nonnecke, B., Carey, T., Mitterer, J., Sobiesiak, R., & Lungu, D. (1991). How people use
softcopy documentation: A case study. Proceedings of International Professional Communication
Conference, Vol. 2, pp. 221-224. Orlando, Florida: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers,
Inc.
Hendry, D., Nonnecke, B., Lungu, D., Carey, T., Mitterer, J., and Sobiesiak, R., (1990). Writing with
the BookManager program in mind: Examples, summary of use and writing advice. IBM Technical
Report TR 74.063. Toronto. IBM Canada Ltd.
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