Jason Hayhurst

Jason Hayhurst

Senior Lecturer in Digital Media

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Arts Cultures and Education
  • School of The Arts

Qualifications

  • FHEA
  • BSc (University of Hull)
  • MSc
  • PGCert (University of Hull)
  • PhD / DPhil (University of Hull)

Summary

Jason brings a wealth of experience from both industry and academia, specialising in transforming user requirements into impactful and innovative design solutions. His work reflects a deep passion for leveraging technology and design to drive positive behavioral change.

Recently, this passion has culminated in his PhD research, which explores the use of mixed-reality virtual environments to gamify memories for individuals living with dementia, enabling meaningful engagement and support for those in home settings.

Jason is an active member of the School of The Arts, contributing extensively to its academic and creative initiatives. He has also served as Subject Director for the Screen subject area, guiding its development and direction. Jason is also an active committee member of the Centre for Applied Research in the Arts (CARA). He is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

With over 20 years of experience in ICT, Jason has provided strategic IT consultancy for SMEs across the UK, Ireland, France, and Africa. His roles have ranged from technical consultant to director, consistently bridging the gap between business needs and technical solutions to deliver measurable outcomes.

I teach a diverse range of modules across our undergraduate Digital Media programmes, including Game Design and Graphic Design. At the postgraduate level, I contribute to the MA Immersive Design and supervise students undertaking the MA Digital Media by Research.

My interests lie in exploring game engines beyond traditional entertainment applications, often referred to as Serious Games (although I prefer to ask, why does a game have to be serious?). I am particularly fascinated by the convergence of gaming and film, especially the use of game engines for real-time rendering—an exciting and growing area that opens possibilities like designing levels for the next blockbuster film.

In the field of Immersive Design, I focus on 360° video design, examining the unique challenges and opportunities of the 360° canvas, and how we can creatively exploit this virtual arena from a design perspective.

I am also deeply passionate about UI/UX and Human-Computer Interaction, with a strong emphasis on user-centered design principles. These areas align closely with my commitment to creating intuitive and engaging digital experiences.

One of my favorite aspects of teaching is guiding final-year major projects. These capstone projects represent the culmination of a student’s learning journey, allowing them to explore their personal interests while applying the skills they’ve developed throughout their degree. Meeting regularly with students to shape and refine their projects is incredibly rewarding.

My teaching philosophy revolves around contextualizing the subject matter and delivering technical knowledge through a blended approach. This includes face-to-face lab sessions, remote teaching options, and supplementary resources like Panopto recordings, which capture key design steps to ensure students can actively engage with and revisit the content as needed. My goal is to provide a supportive and flexible learning environment that empowers students to succeed.

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Book Chapter

How Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality is Being Used to Support People Living with Dementia—Design Challenges and Future Directions

Hayhurst, J. (2018). How Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality is Being Used to Support People Living with Dementia—Design Challenges and Future Directions. In T. Jung, & M. C. tom Dieck (Eds.), Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality: Empowering Human, Place and Business (295-305). Springer Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64027-3_20

Thesis

Authorising m-commerce with location

Hayhurst, J. Authorising m-commerce with location. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4216868

Research interests

Dementia

Augmented Reality

Mixed Reality

Emerging Technologies and how they impact on society

UI

UX

Lead investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

OSHI support for an app design

Funder

Wellcome Trust

Grant

£21,272.00

Started

1 April 2023

Status

Ongoing

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

Who moved my block? Projection Mapped Games Environments

Funder

AHRC Arts & Humanities Research Council

Grant

£11,420.00

Started

1 October 2019

Status

Complete

Project

NERC Discipline Hopping: Risky Cities Digital Twin

Funder

NERC Natural Environment Research Council

Grant

£11,010.00

Started

1 January 2023

Status

Complete

Committee/Steering group role

CARA comittee member

2021 - 2024

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