Researchers in Healthier Lives

I am Professor of Human-Centred Design and Director of Open Lab. My research is principally in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Over 20 years my work has touched on a range of application areas (often because of the diverse and amazing PhD students I’ve worked with) but at the core it is about using design research methods (including field research, prototyping and speculation) to help us understand the nature of the digital human experience so that we can design better, more value-sensitive and meaningful, interactive technologies, services and future worlds.

Previous Positions:

Post-Doc - Socio-Digital Systems group Microsoft Research Cambridge

Lecturer in Human-Computer Interaction - University of Nottingham

Senior Lecturer in Experience Centred Design & Reader in Cultural Computing - Newcastle University

Professor of Digital Living - Northumbria University

My training:

BSc (Hons) Psychology (First Class) - University of York

MSc Ergonomics (Distinction) - Loughborough University

PhD Computer Science - University of Nottingham

Areas of expertise, application and interest: Video-Mediated Communication; Memory, Memorialisation and Cultural Heritage; Human-Data Interaction; Human-Building Interaction and Smart Homes; Digital Civics and Citizens; Humanitarian HCI; Human-Robot Interaction; Digital Health and Wellbeing; Slow Technology; Design Futures; Human-AI Interactions

Major Current Projects:

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Digital Civics (£4.7M + matched funding) - I inherited this programme as Principal Investigator and safely saw it through to completion with the last cohorts of students and supervised 11 of them (finishing 2025).

EPSRC Centre for Digital Citizens (£3.8M + matched funding) - Principal Investigator - a multi-university partnership exploring the community-centred design of technologies and services for civic engagement and empowerment (finishing 2026).

EPSRC Northern Health Futures (NortHFutures) Digital Health Hub (£3.4M + matched funding) - Co-Investigator and Training and Skill Lead - led the bid development for this regional health and care focused hub - partnering with 6 universities and over 40 partner organisations. Working heavily with Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) partners to develop the local digital health and care technologies innovation ecosystem (finishing 2026).

EPSRC Transforming the Objective Real-world measUrement of Symptoms (TORUS) Programme Grant (£6.1M + matched) - Co-Investigator - exploring the sensitive and ethical design and development of at-home technologies (computer vision and wearable tech) to support continuous monitoring of Parkinson’s Disease symptoms during clinical trials (finishing 2028).

EPSRC TEDDI - Dementia Network+ - Co-Investigator - exploring future care pathways and digital innovation for supporting people living with Dementia.

I currently teach on:

CSC8606 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction and UX

CSC8022 Human-Computer Interaction

I also supervise undergrad and master dissertations and supervise PhDs. Please contact me directly if you are interested in PhD research.

• Articles

  • Hodge J, Foley S, Lambton-Howard D, Booi L, Montague K, Coulter S, Kirk D, Morrissey K. Exploring Participants' Representations and Shifting Sensitivities in a Hackathon for Dementia. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 2023, 30(3), 46.
  • Margariti EK, Ali R, Benthem de Grave R, Verweij D, Smeddinck J, Kirk D. Understanding the Experiences of Remote Workers: Opportunities for Ambient Workspaces at Home. Frontiers in Computer Science 2021, 3, 673585.
  • Rogage K, Kirk D, Charlton J, Nally C, Swords J, Watson R. Memoryscapes: Designing Situated Narratives of Place through Heritage Collections. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction 2021, 37(11), 1028-1048.
  • Goffe L, Uwamahoro NS, Dixon CJ, Blain AP, Danielsen J, Kirk D, Adamson AJ. Supporting a healthier takeaway meal choice: creating a universal Health Rating for online takeaway fast-food outlets. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17(24), 9260.
  • Zhao SC, Kirk D, Bowen S, Chatting D, Wright PC. Supporting the Cross-cultural Appreciation of Traditional Chinese Puppetry Through a Digital Gesture Library. ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage 2019, 12(4), 1-19.
  • Green DP, Fuchsberger V, Taylor N, Bjørn P, Kirk D, Lindtner S. Introduction to this Special Issue on Open Design at the Intersection of Making and Manufacturing. Human–Computer Interaction 2019, 34(5-6), 379-388.
  • Zhao SC, Kirk D, Bowen S, Wright PC. Cross-cultural Understanding of Chinese Traditional Puppetry: Integrating Digital Technology to Enhance Audience Engagement. The International Journal of Intangible Heritage 2019, 14, 139-154.
  • Schofield T, Whitelaw M, Kirk D. Research through design and digital humanities in practice: What, how and who in an archive research project. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities 2017, 132(Suppl 1), i103-i120.
  • Elsden C, Kirk DS, Durrant A. A Quantified Past: Toward Design for Remembering with Personal Informatics. Human–Computer Interaction 2016, 31(6), 518-557.
  • Schofield T, Kirk D, Amaral T, Dörk M, Whitelaw M, Schofield G, Ploetz T. Archival Liveness: Designing with Collections Before and During Cataloguing and Digitization. Digital Humanities Quarterly 2015, 9(3), 1-15.
  • Durrant A, Kirk DS, Benford S, Rodden T. Pursuing Leisure: Reflections on Theme Park Visiting. Computer Supported Collaborative Work 2012, 21(1), 43-75.
  • Kirk DS, Sellen A. On human remains: Values and practice in the home archiving of cherished objects. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 2010, 17(3), 10.
  • Lindley S, Durrant AC, Kirk D, Taylor AS. Collocated social practices surrounding photos. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 2009, 67(12), 995-1004.

• Book Chapters

  • Nabil S, Kirk D. Interactive Interior Design and Personal Data. In: People, Personal Data and the Built Environment. Springer, 2019, pp.103-122.
  • Durrant AC, Golembewski M, Kirk DS. Sketching the Polyphonic Design Space of Theme Parks. In: Blythe, M; Monk, A, ed. Funology 2. Cham: Springer, 2018, pp.129-155.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Margariti E, Claisse C, Nabil S, Bridgens B, Durrant A, Kirk D. Human Building Interaction and Design for Climate Change. In: ACM Designing Interactive Systems. 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark: Association for Computing Machinery.
  • Altwala N, Bull C, Kirk D. Exploring the Potential of AI Chatbots for Supporting Individuals with Dementia: Thematic Insights from User-Centered Workshops. In: 12th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction (HAI '24). 2024, Swansea, UK: ACM.
  • Margariti E, Vlachokyriakos V, Durrant AC, Kirk D. Evaluating ActuAir: Building Occupants' Experiences of a Shape-Changing Air Quality Display. In: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '24). 2024, Honolulu, Hawaii: Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA.
  • Margariti E, Vlachokyriakos V, Kirk D. Understanding occupants’ experiences in quantified buildings: results from a series of exploratory studies. In: 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’23). 2023, Hamburg, Germany: ACM.
  • Nicholson R, Bartindale T, Kharrufa A, Kirk D, Walker-Gleaves C. Participatory Design Goes to School: Co-Teaching as a Form of Co-Design for Educational Technology. In: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’22). 2022, New Orleans: ACM.
  • Bowyer A, Holt J, Go Jefferies J, Wilson R, Kirk D, Smeddinck JS. Human-GDPR Interaction: Practical Experiences of Accessing Personal Data. In: CHI '22: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2022, New Orleans, LA, USA: Association of Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA.
  • Margariti E, Kirk D. ActuAir: Exploring Physicalizations of Air Quality at the Workplace. In: Actuated Materials and Soft Robotics Strategies for Human-Computer Interaction Design: Workshop on Soft Robotics for HCI (ACM CHI'22 Conference). 2022, New Orleans, LA, USA: ACM.
  • Rowling H, Bowen S, Kirk D. "It's all their words, it's just not necessarily all of the words": Balancing Authenticity and Authority in Participatory Heritage Projects. In: Participatory Design Conference (PDC 22). 2022, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: ACM.
  • Nicholson R, Kirk D, Bartindale T. Tangible Lighting Proxies: Brokering the Transition from Classroom to Stage. In: ACM International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction. 2021, Salzburg: ACM.
  • Tsenova V, Wood G, Dolfini A, Tindley A, Kirk D. Un-authorised View: Leveraging Volunteer Expertise in Heritage. In: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '20). 2020, Honolulu, HI, USA: ACM.
  • Nabil S, Kucera J, Karastathi N, Kirk D, Wright P. Seamless Seams: Crafting Techniques for Embedding Fabrics with Interactive Actuation. In: 2019 Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS '19). 2019, San Diego, CA, USA: ACM.
  • Strohmayer A, Marshall M, Verma N, Bopp C, McNaney R, Voida A, Kirk DS, Bidwell NJ. Untold stories: Working with third sector organisations. In: Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings. 2018, Montreal, QC, Canada: Association for Computing Machinery.
  • Nabil S, Talhouk R, Trueman J, Kirk DS, Bowen S, Wright P. Decorating public and private spaces: Identity and pride in a refugee camp. In: CHI EA '18 Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2018, Montreal, Canada: Association for Computing Machinery.
  • Durrant AC, Kirk DS, Trujillo-Pisanty D, Martindale S. Admixed portrait: Design to understand Facebook portrayals in new parenthood. In: Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '18). 2018, Montreal, Canada: ACM.
  • Nabil S, Everitt A, Sturdee M, Alexander J, Bowen S, Wright P, Kirk D. ActuEating: Desiging, Studying and Exploring Actuating Decorative Artefacts. In: DIS '18: Proceedings of the 2018 Designing Interactive Systems Conference. 2018, Hong Kong, China.
  • Marshall M, Vines J, Wright P, Kirk DS, Lowe T, Wilson R. Accountability work: Examining the values, technologies and work practices that facilitate transparency in Charities. In: Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings. 2018, Montreal QC, Canada: Association for Computing Machinery.
  • Chen K-L, Clarke R, Almeida T, Wood M, Kirk DS. Situated dissemination through an HCI workplace. In: CHI '17 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2017, Denver, CO, USA: Association for Computing Machinery.
  • Green DP, Fuchsberger V, Kirk D, Taylor N, Chatting D, Meissner J, Murer M, Tscheligi M, Lindtner S, Bjorn P, Reiter A. Open design at the intersection of making and manufacturing. In: CHI EA '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2017, Denver, Colorado: ACM.
  • Elsden C, Chatting D, Durrant AC, Garbett A, Nissen B, Vines J, Kirk DS. On Speculative Enactments. In: Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2017, Denver, Colorado, USA: ACM.
  • Chatting D, Kirk DS, Durrant AC, Elsden C, Yurman P, Bichard JA. Making Ritual Machines: The Mobile Phone as a Networked Material for Research Products. In: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2017, Denver, Colorado, USA: ACM.
  • Chatting D, Wilkinson G, Marshall K, Desjardins A, Green D, Kirk D, Boucher A. Making home: Asserting agency in the age of IoT. In: CHI EA '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2017, Denver, Colorado: ACM.
  • Elsden C, Durrant AC, Chatting D, Kirk DS. Designing Documentary Informatics. In: Designing Interactive Systems (DIS '17). 2017, Edinburgh, United Kingdom: ACM.
  • Kirk D, Durrant A, Wood G, Leong T, Wright P. Understanding the Sociality of Experience in Mobile Music Listening with Pocketsong. In: Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS 2016). 2016, Brisbane, Australia: ACM.
  • Kirk DS, Durrant A, Wood G, Leong TW, Wright P. Understanding the Sociality of Experience in Mobile Music Listening with Pocketsong. In: 2016 ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems DIS 2016. 2016, Brisbane, Australia: ACM.
  • Kirk D, Chatting D, Yurman P, Bichard J. Ritual Machines I & II: Making Technology at Home. In: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2016. 2016, San Jose, CA, USA: ACM.
  • Elsden C, Mellor S, Olivier P, Wheldon P, Kirk D, Comber R. ResViz: Politics and Design Issues in Visualizing Academic Metrics. In: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2016. 2016, San Jose, CA, USA: ACM.
  • Elsden C, Nissen B, Garbett A, Chatting D, Kirk D, Vines J. Metadating: Exploring the Romance and Future of Personal Data. In: CHI '16: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2016, San Jose, CA, USA: ACM Press.
  • Elsden C, Durrant A, Kirk D. It's just my history isn't it?: Understanding smart journaling practices. In: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2016. 2016, San Jose, CA, USA: ACM.
  • Marshall M, Kirk D, Vines J. Accountable: Exploring the Inadequacies of Transparent Financial Practice in the Non-Profit Sector. In: CHI '16: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2016, San Jose, CA, USA: ACM Press.
  • Schofield T, Kirk D, Whitelaw M. Research Through Design and Digital Humanities in Practice: What, How and Who in an Archive Research Project. In: Digital Humanities. 2015, Sydney, Australia: Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO).
  • McDonald S, Kirk D, Bryan-Kinns N. Nature Bot: Experiencing Nature in the Built Environment. In: C and C 2015 - 2015 ACM SIGCHI Conference on Creativity and Cognition. 2015, Glasgow, UK: Association for Computing Machinery, Inc.
  • Nowacka D, Hammerla N, Elsden C, Ploetz T, Kirk D. Diri - the Actuated Helium Balloon: A Study of Autonomous Behaviour in Interfaces. In: UbiComp '15 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing. 2015, Osaka, Japan: ACM.
  • Chatting DJ, Kirk DS, Yurman P, Bichard J. Designing for Family Phatic Communication: A Design Critique Approach. In: British HCI 2015. 2015, Lincoln, UK.
  • Elsden C, Kirk DS, Selby M, Speed C. Beyond Personal Informatics: Designing for Experiences with Data. In: Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '15). 2015, Seoul, Republic of Korea: ACM Press.
  • Nowacka D, Kirk DS. Tangible Autonomous Interfaces (TAIs): Exploring Autonomous Behaviour in TUIs. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI '14). 2014, Munich: ACM.
  • Bichard J, Yurman P, Kirk DS, Chatting D. Quotidian Ritual and Work-Life Balance: An Ethnography of Not Being There. In: Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings (EPIC). 2014.
  • Durrant AC, Kirk DS, Reeves S. Human Values in Curating a Human Rights Media Archive. In: SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '14). 2014, Toronto, Canada: ACM.
  • Odom W, Sellen A, Banks R, Kirk DS, Regan T, Selby M, Forlizzi J, Zimmerman J. Designing for slowness, anticipation and re-visitation: a long term field study of the photobox. In: CHI '14: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2014, Toronto, Canada: ACM.
  • Moncur W, Kirk DS. An Emergent Framework for Digital Memorials. In: Proceedings of the 2014 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS '14). 2014, Vancouver, Canada: ACM.
  • Elsden C, Kirk DS. A quantified past: remembering with personal informatics. In: DIS Companion '14. 2014, Vancouver, BC, Canada: ACM, New York, NY, USA.
  • Massimi M, Odom W, Banks R, Kirk D. Matters of Life and Death: Locating the End of Life in Lifespan-Oriented HCI Research. In: Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '11). 2011, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada: ACM Press.
  • Tuddenham P, Kirk DS, Izadi S. Graspables revisited: Multi-Touch vs. Tangible Input for Tabletop Displays in Acquisition and Manipulation Tasks. In: 28th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2011, Atlanta, Georgia, USA: ACM Press.
  • Durrant A, Rowland D, Kirk DS, Benford S, Fischer JE, McAuley D. Automics: Souvenir generating photoware for theme parks. In: CHI 2011: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2011, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: ACM Press.
  • Kirk DS, Izadi S, Sellen A, Taylor S, Banks R, Hilliges O. Opening up the family archive. In: CSCW 2010: Proceedings of the 2010 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work. 2010, Savannah, Georgia, USA: ACM Press.
  • Kalnikaite V, Sellen A, Whittaker S, Kirk DS. Now Let Me See Where I Was: Understanding How Lifelogs Mediate Memory. In: 28th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '10). 2010, Atlanta, Georgia, USA: ACM Press.
  • Kirk DS, Sellen A, Cao X. Home Video Communication: Mediating 'Closeness'. In: ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). 2010, ACM.
  • Kirk D, Sellen A, Taylor S, Villar N, Izadi S. Putting the physical into the digital: issues in designing hybrid interactive surfaces. In: BCS-HCI 2009: Proceedings of the 23rd British HCI Group Annual Conference on People and Computers: Celebrating People and Technology. 2009, Cambridge, UK: ACM Press.
  • Wilson AD, Izadi S, Hilliges O, Garcia-Mendoza A, Kirk D. Bringing physics to the surface. In: UIST 2008: Proceedings of the 21st Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology. 2008, Monterey, California, USA: ACM Press.