Angus is a designer, researcher and critical technologist with over twelve years of experience in interaction design and education. His work focuses on post-digital behaviour.
Angus's career began in industry, leading design and programming teams for digital agencies and managing strategic research and development. Since 2011 Angus has worked in Higher Education, bringing his experience of digital technology practice to teaching interaction design and creative coding in art and design institutions. He established the Physical Computing Workshop at Central Saint Martins, supporting students across all disciplines on digital/physical hybrid projects. This involved teaching a range of technical skills such as electronics, programming and physical prototyping, as well as establishing critical approach to digital information and interface design.
In 2014 Angus became Senior Lecturer in the School of Communication Design at Falmouth University, teaching on the Digital Media and Graphic Design programs. He was responsible for planning and leading teaching activities in experience and interaction design.
Angus has taught on Information Experience Design since the course was established in 2012, first as a Visiting Lecturer. His teaching covers a wide range of topics including physical computing, computer vision, data manifestation, experimental interfaces and sensor networks.
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Research interests
Angus Main’s research explores how methods of digital communication are embedded in physical objects and environments, and the associated impact on personal behaviour. It aims to reveal hidden forms of information exchange in order to move towards more equitable relationships between people and their digital information.
Current research focuses specifically on the role of digital sensors in consumer technology, and how they are used to make assumptions about individual’s behaviour and preferences. The research investigates methods of communicating sensor presence and activity with users, and allowing individuals to assert more control over how their actions are sensed.
Further to this research, Angus is developing a design methodology around the concept of Assumption Design. This a response to the increasing requirement for designers working with systems of interaction (e.g. software programmers, interface designers, architects, experience designers etc.) to design assumptions – in other words create possible future scenarios where a system must make a decision or come to a conclusion about behaviours or actions taking place. These assumptions are often expressed in the form of algorithms.
As algorithms grow in complexity and influence, this research will suggest how design methods can be used to make the process of their creation more transparent and their use more effective and human-centred.