I’m Professor in Design at Northumbria University, in Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. Before then I was a lecturer in the School of Computing Science at Newcastle University, where I was based in Open Lab (and where I am still a visiting member of staff). I have a background in design, and my research these days is broadly located in the field of human-computer interaction. My research is primarily driven by an interest in investigating the design of digital technologies and studying how these are experienced, appropriated and created by people. Most of what I do takes a ‘research through design’ approach – which simply put means I work collaboratively with colleagues to study and understand contexts and specific societal issues through the design and evaluation of digital technologies. However, I also do more traditional qualitative studies of technology use as well.

Since 2004, I have been conducting design research on the topic of technology for later life and transitions across the life course. This has involved working on a range of projects designing digital technologies and services for and with older people - such as developing tangible and physical interfaces for ‘information appliances’ for later life socialisation, designing banking technologies for those who rely on others to help them with their shopping, and exploring intergenerational voluntary care services with groups of young and old caregivers and recipients. While my research on ageing and technology often touches on issues of health, care and independence, my ambition is to engender more positive attitudes towards older people and later life through technology that promotes the joys and triumphs of old age. I also have general interests in user-generated content, social media and peer-to-peer technologies, as well as the role of bottom-up processes and social practice perspectives on money and finance, civic engagement and health and social care.

I closely align my research with participatory and collaborative forms of design research and practice. This means I tend to work closely with participants, collaborators and co-researchers at the earliest possible opportunity in the projects I lead and contribute to. Ensuring ‘non-designers’ can contribute to participatory design projects is in itself a challenge - therefore, another aspect of my research is the development and documentation of methods and techniques for structuring and scaffolding design workshops and engagements. This has included developing new ways of using film and theatre techniques and paper-based materials to support people to explore the opportunities and problems presented by near-future technologies and service designs, and to contribute their own ideas based on their specific aspirations and circumstances in life.

I am currently working on a range of projects building on the above areas. These projects include designing, prototyping, and studying the use of technology in contexts such as: peer-to-peer support for young and older carers of people with dementia; promoting new ways of coping with experiences of loneliness among people temporarily separated from families or social groups; online ‘othering’ and stigmatisation; community engagement around issues of local and community governance and decision making; banking and financial services for people on limited incomes and tight budgets; social care service design and commissioning for young people with disabilities transitioning to adulthood.

In 2013, I was General Chair of the Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces conference (with Mark Blythe), and in 2015 General Char of the Research Through Design conference (with Abigail Durrant).