Mr Jason Hayhurst

Biography	Jason has significant experience both within industry and academia in translating user requirements into effective designed solutions. He is passionate about the appropriate use of technology and design to affect positive change in behaviour. More recently this translated into his PHD research into the use of mixed reality virtual environments as a means to gamify memories for people living at home with dementia. Jason is an active contributor to the School of The Arts and is also currently Subject Lead for Screen. More than 20 years of industry experience in ICT, providing business IT consultancy within the SME sector in the UK, Ireland, France and Africa. Roles spanned from technical consultant to director, translating business requirements into technical solutions.
Research Interests	Dementia Augmented Reality Mixed Reality Game Engines 3D Design UI UX
Teaching and Learning	I teach a range of modules across our Digital Media Programmes including: 3D Design making use of Autodesk Maya, Substance Painter, ZBrush for Character Design. I am naturally interested in game engines particularly for games beyond entertainment or commonly known as Serious Games (Why does a game have to be serious?). I am also very interested in the convergence of game and film, so using game engines as real time rendering is a growing areas. Imagine desiging levels for the next blockbuster film! Immersive Design - 360 Video Design, the 360 design canvas and how we exploit this virtual arena from a design perspective. UI/UX and indeed Human Computer Interaction - I am a big fan of user centred design. One of my favourite areas to teach are the final year major projects. This is the culmination of the teaching you have had over your degree and where we can personalise to your interest. Meeting with students reguarly over the year and helping shape their final project is always rewarding. My approach to teaching is to provide context around the subject and any technical needs are delivered using a combination of face to face sessions perhaps in labs or even remotely. I also use panopto recordings to capture key design steps so that students can actively engage with the content.