Julian Fietkau

I have studied Computer Science (B.Sc., M.Sc.) and Human-Computer Interaction at the Universität Hamburg and I feel firmly rooted in both of these fields. I am analytically minded and my ability to observe and comprehend rules and connections in systems of all kinds has served me well in many divergent areas of computer science. See the science page if you would like to know more about my research.

I am particularly interested in facets of human-computer interaction (HCI), including but not limited to usability, user experience and joy of use. As a creator of socio-technical systems, I consider myself responsible and committed to give users the best possible experience. This includes the question what “best possible” should even mean in this context. To me, iterative development including real user input is the baseline, and I follow other ideas in the field (e.g. emotional design, gamification) with great interest. I have dipped my toes into game studies, but for now it seems that games suit me better as a hobby than as a research focus.

At the same time, I consider myself a software developer who is comfortable working on software projects alone and in teams. I am open towards all kinds of technologies and languages and have experience with imperative, object-oriented and functional programming, various databases (relational or otherwise) and data storage/exchange formats, as well as best practices in software engineering and software architecture.

I take great joy in passing on my knowledge and am passionate about teaching – see the teaching page for details on my teaching experience and credentials. I have experience giving talks and organizing workshops for all age groups from young children to adults. I feel connected to the principles of Open Access, Creative Commons and the Free Culture movement. Much of my creative output (usually wherever the choice is up to me) can be found on this website under free licenses.