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A 1 year part-time Research Assistant position (on a consultancy contract) is available to conduct research in the area of technologies to support blind and visually impaired audiences in arts and cultural settings. The project is funded by NESTA R&D development for the Arts and the Open University’s Pervasive Interaction Lab is collaborating with Extant, a Professional performing arts company of visually impaired people and Haunted Pliers, the technology provider for the project. Many forms of art are primarily accessed and appreciated through vision as the dominant modality; and additionally increasingly art galleries and exhibition spaces are using interactive displays to provide further mostly visual information. The research aims to investigate how technologies that are based around haptic sensations (i.e. that are touch based) can provide a culturally enriching sensory experience for both visually impaired and sighted audiences. The role for the RA is to support the planning and running of user studies, using a range of primarily qualitative research methodologies to evaluate prototype designs. We are looking for someone who o Has a Master or PhD in Interaction Design, Human Computer Interaction, Physical Computing or related areas. o Has experience in organizing and running user studies, using qualitative research methods and analysing qualitative data, but also with an understanding of quantitative data. o Is sensitive to people’s diverse abilities and has an understanding of equal opportunities and accessibility issues o Having digital prototyping skills (e.g. Arduino or eTextiles) would be advantageous. o Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral. o Has permission to work in the United Kingdom at least for the duration of the project. You will need to be available to start at 1st July 2014, or soon thereafter. You will be primarily based at the Open University’s main campus, but will also need to travel to London. Enquiries and application For further information about the position and the project, please contact Dr Janet van der Linden ([log in to unmask]) the principal investigator for the project. To apply, please email your Curriculum Vitae and a cover letter (discussing interest in and suitability for the position) to [log in to unmask] no later than the 14th of May 2014.