Research

I am an ethnographic researcher conducting qualitative studies in the wild with practice-based design research tools and approaches. I work on transdisciplinary projects which sit in three interconnected areas: (1) Cognition in the design process, (2) Creative problem-solving in design, STEAM, and everyday life, and (3) People’s behaviours in information rich environments.

Current projects

Project 1: Understanding Deliberate-Cognitive Creativity (Since 2016). This project bridges design, cognitive neuroscience and psychology, and looks at creativity in the context of unframed problem situations. I examine how deliberate-cognitive creativity can be taught to give people more control to use their creativity at will in their everyday life and enhance their problem-solving process skills. College students, professors, designers and scientists have been participants of this project.

  • Representing the creative process (Peter Kuenne)
  • Envisioning the future exercise
  • Imagining an ideal world
  • Understanding the role of social constraints
  • Asking why to challenge assumptions

Project 2: Developing Information Design tools to address transdisciplinary challenges (Since 2017). This project examines the application of design methods and strategies (visual thinking, mapping, journeys, etc.) to better understand and develop solutions for complex unframed challenges. The use of field research and interactive cross-disciplinary collaboration throughout the design process help make design decisions in line with users’ needs.

  • Mapping and visualization to aid collaboration
  • Annotate research analysis
  • Creating journeys to visualize each step
  • Mapping the project and key component parts
  • Annotate analysis to make it more visual
  • Visualize concepts in team meetings

Project 3: Understanding how designers design (Since 2015). This project investigates the design activity and the tasks and processes associated to design work. Multiple qualitative studies, including diary studies, in-depth interviews and workshops, have been conducted with design students, professionals and researchers to closely examined how they work and develop methods to support the many activities along that process.

  • Design processes from novice designers
  • Design process from experienced designer
  • Key steps in the design process
  • Field research mapped to key design steps

Previous projects

Information Design + Quantum Computing (2019). Information design in quantum computing with the Enabling Practical-Scale Quantum Computing (EPiQC) group. Collaboration between Computer Science and the Keller Center at Princeton University, and Chicago University.

United Kingdom Visual Analytics Consortium (UKVAC) Project (2012-2013). Design a visualization tool to support intelligence analysts’ work. Multi-university US-UK Government funded project exploring the development of new visual analytics tools to support sensemaking in intelligence analysis. Partnership of UK universities with a shared interest: University College London Interaction Center, Middlesex University, Oxford University, Imperial College London, and Bangor University.

SerenA. Chance Encounter in the Space of Ideas Project (2013-2014). Evaluate novel technology designed to support the information journey and serendipity. University College London Interaction Center, UK