Abstract: There has been
significant growth in interest in ‘research in the wild’ as an approach to
developing and understanding novel technologies in real world contexts.
However, the concept remains underdeveloped and it is unclear how it differs
from previous technology deployments and in situ studies. In this talk, I will
attempt an initial characterisation of research in the wild. I will discuss
some of the benefits of studying novel technologies in situ as well as some of
the challenges inherent in encouraging and studying sustained use.

Bio: Paul Marshall is a lecturer in interaction design in the UCL
Interaction Centre. His research interests focus on understanding how
ubiquitous computing technologies are used in everyday contexts such as the
home, in education or in public spaces. Prior to joining UCL he worked as a
post doc at the University of Warwick (2010-11) researching participatory
design approaches in healthcare and at the Open University (2006-10) where he
ran ethnographic and laboratory studies of shareable interfaces and sensory
extension devices. He completed a PhD project on learning with tangible
interfaces as part of the Equator project at the University of Sussex, and
prior to that a BSc (Hons) in psychology at the University of Edinburgh.