Sine J. P. Mcdougall MA, PhD

Sine McDougall is working as Professor at Bournemouth University. Her research has focused on how we understand, learn, and use icons and signs used on computer interfaces and on traffic and public information signs. This includes how we attend to, and search for, traffic signs and the use of icons as cues for decision-making in complex environments.

It is now recognized that enhancing the visual appeal of an interface may be just as important as improving its ease of use. This is particularly important for websites designed for consumer retailing. Her recent research has therefore explored the cognitive processing underpinning the visual appeal of interfaces with the aim of explaining how consumer appeal develops over time and how this influences decision-making.

Other projects are examining the impact of complications on surgeons' lives. The aim of this research is to examine the extent and nature of this impact and, importantly, how the impact is moderated by surgeons’ coping styles and the formal and informal support available to them. Her research has attracted funding from BAE Systems, Cisco Systems, the EPSRC, the Nuffield Foundation, and Sure Start.