Sandi's digital abode

Welcome to Sandi Wassmer's digital abode; a miscellany of writings, presentations and ideas - personal, professional and probably political - about design, technology and humanity.

Sandi Wassmer is a social entrepreneur, digital technologist, inclusive design radical, marketer, writer, speaker, Government adviser and occasional sleeper. Her zeal for UX is inspired by good design, particularly industrial design and architecture. She believes that integrating design, marketing and technology is the essence of all marvellous digital experiences.

Compassion, disability & mindfulness: convergence on the road to happiness

Last weekend, the inimitable Sharon Salzberg led a 2 day retreat on Compassion; I have long been her 'distance learning student', courtesy of audiobooks, dharma podcasts and suchlike, but these can never replicate the dynamic and interactive nature of a retreat.

No Blah for Now

I love people, ideas, technology, creativity and business, and had been happily running digital agency Copious until the technologies we were utilising became cumbersome; it wasn't creative or fun anymore. I was also doing a lot of pro bono work for Government and the Third Sector and when the idea for NoBlah popped into my head, it was a eureka moment. It was the perfect marriage of social and venture and I became a deliriously monikered social entrepreneur.

The mental illness epidemic: lost on the road to wellbeing

I recently heard Chris Ruane MP, speak and he reeled off some shocking statistics about what he referred to as a mental illness epidemic in the UK. In the past 10 years prescriptions for antidepressants have increased by 500%. Yes, 500% - from 9 million to 46 million. 46 million? The total population of this wee island is only 63 million. When he threw the fact that 32% of people between the ages of 16 and 24 have a psychiatric disorder into the mix, alarm bells started ringing. He further illuminated the issue in comparison to older people; surprisingly, only 10% of over 75s have a psychiatric disorder, with prevalence increasing as we tumble down the age scale.

The Myth of Multitasking

Technology is meant to make our lives easier; indeed. It enables us to complete tasks with greater speed and efficiency. It is remarkable how the devices we use in our daily lives can complete all manner of different tasks simultaneously and this sort of multitasking is a good thing. However, us human folk are not computers and our brains are not meant to multitask when it comes to cognition and action.

The end of accessibility?; the extended edition

The opinion piece that Sandi Wassmer wrote in the January issue of .net magazine was actually the edited version of the more salubrious opinion piece that has now been published on the .net website. Enjoy and comment, as long as it is respectful and constructive.

The end of accessibility?

In the latest issue of .net (January 2013, no. 236), Sandi has written a thought provoking opinion piece about the current state of accessibility.

Sharing knowledge with Respect

Those interested in sharing their knowledge, thoughts and opinions are always welcome. This is, however, not an open invitation to have a rant. I don’t have many rules, but the one thing I insist on is that you are always respectful.