As a Research Fellow, I am building my own lab. It has started as a research group within the Exertion Games Lab at Monash University
As a physics engineer, I understand that movement is natural, as the universe’s energy flows are stochastic, unpredictable, and chaotic. Just as the universe’s energy, we move to find a better state, and even when we seem to lie still, our eyes, heart, lungs, and cells are moving. As an HCI researcher, I translate the physics of movement into a powerful source that helps us understand the world. That is why movement-based design approaches have become relevant across many areas of interaction design. Hence, I believe that if we find joy in movement and reframe it as a playful mechanism to facilitate a better state of the self, we can move from connecting with ourselves and others to being meaningfully integrated in this world.
Investigate how designing for the joy of movement connects us with ourselves, others and the world. If we use interactive technology to move from kinetic interaction to kinetic integration, we will design the physical activity of the future, shifting from merely healthy outcomes to a continuous, playful dialogue with ourselves and the world.
Create meaningful interactive experiences during physical activity, from physical rehabilitation to sports, that facilitate connection with ourselves, others and the natural world. In my vision, interactive technology acts as the catalyst that reduces the "friction" of starting movement and highlights its "pleasure.” Hence, my research explores how interactive technology can create movement to transition from "interaction" (two separate things touching) to "integration" (becoming part of the same flow).
Methods: Soma design, Ethnography, Autoethnography and User-centred design.
Key Areas: SportsHCI, WaterHCI, Digital Wellbeing, NatureHCI
We are currently exploring the interaction design opportunities of lower-limb exoskeletons as wearables during everyday activities.
We are interested in understanding how these wearables can influence human perception and behaviour during exertion, but also in our everyday life, such as desk work, cooking or walking our dog.
We question whether we perceive such systems as collaborative movement companions or as technologies that reduce our sense of movement control.
We're also interested in how these systems could make our everyday physical activity more playful.