Research

Current projects:
  • Productivity tools for Neurodiversity: this project looks at understanding how digital tools are currently supporting and hindering neurodiverse adults in their time and task management activities, and co-designing potential new tools.
  • Family informatics: using a feminist HCI lens, in this project we critically consider the role of tracked data in family informatics, how it is shared, and what are the ethical implications of using and sharing such data.
  • Gendered affordances in dating apps: this project looks at how affordances in dating apps  mediate the experience of rejection and gender differences that result from this.
Past projects by theme:
DATAFICATION OF WORK 
  • Bossware: what is the limit?
    This project is funded by Northumbria University and is aimed at understanding to what, when and how workplace surveillance practices are considered (un)acceptable in different professional environments.

  • Counterveillance: telemetric data for sousveillance practices
    This project is funded by the EPSRC Human-Data Interaction Network+ and is aimed at developing a preliminary, ‘proof of concept’ understanding of collective, worker-negotiated standards for data collection about behaviour and productivity at work, and determine how data might be made legible in a way that supports workers’ negotiations with employers. PI: Dr Sandy Gould, Co-I: Dr Harry Pitt. Project partner: Gapsquare.

  • Personal informatics and sousveillance 
    This project looked at unpacking factors contributing to or hindering individual productivity, and how data can be used to empower workers for collective bargaining. PI: Dr Harry Pitts. Co-I: Dr Marta E. Cecchinato, Dr Sandy Gould, Dr Donna Poade.

  • Data LifeSwap
    This project looked at understanding the role of shared sense-making when looking at self-tracked data. It compared data around productivity, break taking, and physical activity. [paper]

DIGITAL WELLBEING AT WORK AND IN LIFE
  • eWORKLIFE
    This platform provides people working from home as a result of Covid-19 (but not only) with evidence-based strategies to support remote working. It builds on a decade of our research into how to best manage our digital devices to support both the work and non-work parts of our lives. PI: Prof Anna Cox Co-I: Dr Sandy Gould, Dr Marta E. Cecchinato, (PD)RAs: Dr Anna Rudnicka, Dr Joe Newbold, David Cook

  • Walking on Sunshine app
    This project focused on understanding the relationship between physical activity and mental health in students. PI: Dr John Rooksby. Co-I: Dr Marta E. Cecchinato, Dr Parvin Asadzadeh. [project summary] [UK Active summit poster]

  • Student-life balance
    We developed a game to explore hedonic and eudaimonic experiences of games to encourage students to reflect on issues of work-life balance. In collaboration with University of York and Aalto University [paper – HONOURABLE MENTION]

  • iDWELL – Individualised strategies for Digital Wellbeing
    We developed an online intervention to promote digital wellbeing and work-life balance in academics, as part of the UCL Athena Swan action plan.

  • iWARDs
    This project investigated how to support the reduction of burnout and stress in junior doctors. In collaboration with UCL.

EDI MATTERS
  • Lifetime workshops
    This project is a knowledge exchange collaboration funded by ESRC NINE DTP Accelerating Business Collaboration fund, to explore the gender issues related work-life balance in the digital age. PI: Julie Monroe, Co-I: Paolo Gerli. Project Partner: Indigo Multimedia.

  • Active Football Fans
    In collaboration with Healthy Stadia and the University of Glasgow, this project looked at encouraging middle-aged male football fans to be more active and improve general wellbeing. PI: Dr John Rooksby. Co-I: Dr Marta E. Cecchinato, Dr Christopher Bunn, Dr Parvin Asadzadeh, Dr Matthew Philpott. [project report]

  • PLAN – Parental Leave @ Northumbria
    This project focuses on how to better support academics at different stages of parental leave through computer-mediated communication. PI: Dr Marta E. Cecchinato, Co-I: Dr Lisa Thomas, Selina Sutton.