Research Interests
My broad research interests fall under the area of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). In particularly, I am interested in topics such as Gamification, Virtual Environments, Human behavior in virtual communities and Social Networks Analysis. Previously, I have also carried out research related to the design of technology, in particular 3D virtual environments to support aging and persons with Dementia.
Gamification of Mental Heath care therapies
As part of my current research project, we are looking to gamify mental healthcare therapies. As part of the Next Level project, our aim is to generate a set of generic game design principles which when adopted, would hopefully result in gamified therapies that are not only enjoyable but also effective for patients. These principles would be generated based on both theoretical and practical insights, from experimental research together with hands-on-experience obtained from the process of gamifying six interventions.
Designing technology for older people
Most of the research I carried out as part of my postgraduate studies was related to designing technology for older adults. The challenging aspect of this research is that we would need to take into consideration not only the physiological changes associated with aging (such as vision, hearing, motor-skills and cognitive abilities etc), but also the differences in experience, skills and interests.
Working as part of an EPSRC funded project, we carried out a study to understand how 3D virtual environments could be used to support life engagement for people living with dementia. As part of this project we had developed four fully interactive 3D virtual environment prototypes and tested them with residents in carehomes. Key approaches in designing 3D virtual environments to facilitate interaction and create sustain Ludic experiences were proposed.
Previously, as part of my PhD research project, I was investigating the potential of 3D virtual worlds (Online, persistent 3D or 2D Virtual environments populated by large number of people who are represented through avatars) in supporting healthy aging for older people.
Using Technology to address concerns around anti-social behavior for young people
As a part time research assistant at the University of Kent, I also worked in an EPSRC funded project as part of a team to design and carry out a series of experiments with three secondary schools to investigate the use of computer mediated communication technologies in brainstorming ideas and resolving conflicts around bullying. We compared the effectiveness of two communication systems; a gesture based avatar system (implemented via Xbox Kinect) and a video system (implemented via Skype).