Research Trajectory

My research explores how interactive media shape human experience, emotion and meaning. Over the past two decades, this work has moved from the study of social dynamics in digital games, to narrative experience across media, and, more recently, to the relational dimensions of Human–AI interaction. What unifies this trajectory is the question of how we inhabit experiences together. Whether with other players, fictional worlds, or intelligent systems, I study how meaning emerges through presence, attention and shared action.

1. Origins: Games as Social Experience (2002–2010)

I began by examining the narrative convergence between film and games, focusing on how agency and dramatic tension are negotiated in interactive environments. During the European project Inscape (2004 to 2008), I identified a recurring challenge: interactive stories often achieved engagement through action, yet struggled to cultivate emotional resonance.

In 2006, I introduced the concept of passive interactivity as a design model for emotional involvement through carefully shaped attention and choice. This model later appeared in narrative-driven commercial games such as Heavy Rain (2010), where emotional impact emerges not from branching outcomes, but from how the player is drawn into presence with the unfolding scene.

Key themes: agency, affect, dramatic pacing, presence.

2. Narrative Across Media and Materiality (2012–2015)

This investigation expanded into the field of hybrid media. With support from FCT, I developed the Bridging Book, a paper and tablet-based storytelling platform that enabled interaction without screens or visible interfaces. The project proposed that storytelling can be strengthened when the physical act of reading is preserved. It received international press attention and resulted in a patented platform later licensed for commercial development.

Key themes: embodiment, interpretive gesture, material narrative.

3. Narrative Design and Engagement (2015–2022)

I then deepened two strands of inquiry:

• Narrative Design as the shaping of conditions for meaning to emerge rather than as plot delivery.

• Play and Game Engagement as the negotiation of attention, challenge and affect over time.

This phase clarified a central orientation in my work: experience is co-created. Stories are not simply told or consumed, but formed through participation, rhythm and emotional attunement.

4. Human–AI Interaction as Relational Design (2023– )

Building on this foundation, my recent work investigates how humans relate to intelligent systems that interpret, respond and co-create meaning. The focus is on presence, attunement and emotional co-regulation in Human–AI interaction.

Rather than treating AI as an instrument, I explore how it can become a partner in thought, supporting reflection, creativity and shared interpretation. This involves studying the dynamics of trust, agency, vulnerability and learning that arise when interacting with systems that adapt to us.

My latest book develops this perspective, proposing that the future of interaction design requires understanding AI as a relational presence in our cognitive and affective lives.

Current Directions

• Models of relational and affective design for Human–AI interaction

• Emotional co-regulation and presence in conversational agents

• AI in education as a space for shared cognition and reflective practice