Loraine Clarke

Loraine is a HCI design researcher and lecturer at the University of St. Andrews. Her background includes product design, interactive media, museum studies, design-based research and qualitative research methods. Loraine spends a lot of her time in FabLab environments creating interactive prototypes which involve digital fabrication methods like 3D printing and laser cutting, and using various microcontrollers such as Arduino. At the heart of Loraine’s research is the motivation to support meaningful experiences with interactive physical objects and to explore technology which empowers people and communities. Recent projects include: a Global Challenge Research project exploring co-creating alternative narratives for decentralised digital futures with rural communities in India; research with Mozilla’s open IoT studio focusing on the health of the internet including privacy, inclusion and literacy in relation to emerging connected devices; empowering neighbourhood communities to create their own DIY interactive inventions at participatory design hackathon events; and an EU project exploring the physical and material encounters visitors experience with digital cultural heritage. Much of this research has focused on creating alternative narratives to those presented by dominant technology giants regarding future technologies. Tangible interaction, decentralised technology and contextual interactions are core to these narratives. Loraine completed her PhD at Strathclyde University, researching companions shared interaction at tangible interactive museum exhibits and how digital interactive exhibits support social interactions between companions. With a background in Product Design and interactive media, a central theme throughout Loraine’s work is people’s interaction with interactive physical objects, such as interactive museum exhibits, voice assistants and emerging connected devices.