Professor William Gaver BA (Hons) MA PhD
Teaching
MPhil/PhDAreas of supervision
My research student supervision is located in the following broadly defined areas: interaction design, sociology and design, design for public spaces, homes
Research interests
Gaver’s research concerns the design of interactive technologies for everyday life. As computation has moved beyond the workplace, we need to look beyond traditional concerns with problem-solving, efficiency, utility and usability to consider the wider range of values and motivations it might embody. As head of the Interaction Research Studio, Gaver pursues practice-based research on new roles for interactive technology. Recent work has focused on the home, exploring electronic furniture and fittings that provoke curiosity and allow exploration of new views within and outside the domestic setting. A committed focus to making has also produced methodological and conceptual innovations. A series of methods for engaging with users, from early explorations of the context for design all the way to the assessment of long-term field trials, stress the value of multiple, unresolved narratives in understanding the meanings of technology. This is complemented by conceptual work that explores topics such as play, ambiguity and interpretation in design.
Selected publications
Gaver, W. (2007). Cultural commentators: Non-native interpretations as resources for polyphonic assessment. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 65(4): 292-305.
Gaver, W., Bowers, J., Boucher, A., Law, A., and Pennington, S. (2007). Electronic furniture for the Curious Home: Assessing ludic designs in the field. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 22(1-2): 119-152.
Gaver, W., Sengers, P., Kerridge, T., Kaye, J., and Bowers, J. (2007). Enhancing ubiquitous computing with user interpretation: Field testing the Home Health Horoscope. Proc. CHI’07.
Gaver, W., Bowers, J., Boucher, A., Law, A., Pennington, S. and Villar N. (2006). The History Tablecloth: Illuminating domestic activity. Proc. DIS 2006.
Gaver, W. (2006). The video window: My life with a ludic system. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 10(2-3): 60-65.
Raijmakers, B., Gaver, W., and Bishay, J. (2006). Design Documentaries: Inspiring design research through documentary film. Proc. DIS 2006.
Sengers, P. and Gaver, W. (2006). Staying Open to interpretation: Engaging multiple meanings in design and evaluation. Proc. DIS 2006.
Gaver, W., Bowers, J., Boucher, A., Gellerson, H., Pennington, S., Schmidt, A., Steed, A., Villar, N., and Walker, B. (2004). The Drift Table: Designing for ludic engagement. Proc. CHI’04 Design Expo. New York: ACM Press.
Gaver, W., Beaver, J., and Benford, S. (2003). Ambiguity as a resource for design. Proc. CHI’03, Ft. Lauderdale. New York: ACM Press.
Gaver, W. W. (2002). Provocative awareness. Computer Supported Collaborative Work. New York: Kluwer, pp. 475 – 493.
Martin, H., and Gaver, W. (2000). Beyond the snapshot: From speculation to prototypes in audiophotography. Proc. DIS 2000, New York: ACM Press.
Gaver, W., and Martin, H. (2000). Alternatives: Exploring information appliances through conceptual design proposals. Proc. CHI’00, Den Haag. New York: ACM Press.
Grants & awards
2007 – 2010 Landscapes of Cross-Generational Engagement: Joint Research Council New Dynamics of Aging initiative
2005 – 2006 Cultures of Mobility: France Telecom
2004 – 2007 Supporting Reflection on Well-being in the Digital Home: Intel Corporation
2000 – 2006 EQUATOR: EPSRC Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration
2002 – 2004 Environmental e-Science
2002 Hewlett Packard equipment grant
2000 – 2002 Altavistas: IBM Faculty Partnership Award (w/B. Hooker & S. Kitchen)
Professional activities
Consultancies to Government Agencies
Steering Group, Designing for the 21st Century initiative, Arts and Humanities Research Council, 2006 – present.
Peer Review College, Arts and Humanities Research Council, 2004 – present.
Reviewer for AHRB Research Fellowships, 2003.
Reviewer of the Interactive Institute, Sweden, on behalf of the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research. 2003.
Peer Review College, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 2003 – present.
Presence review for the Future and Emerging Technologies Group (FET), European Commission, Venice, 5 – 6 May 2003.
Organisation of International Conferences
Associate Programme Chair, CHI 2006. CHI 2005, CHI 2004, UbiComp’04, CHI 2003.
Programme Committee, First, Second and Third International Conferences on Appliance Design (Bristol, 2003-05).
Technical Co-chair for ACM conference on Designing Interactive Systems, 2002.
Guest editor, IEEE Pervasive Computing Special Issue on Art, Design, and Entertainment in Pervasive Environments
Member of the Editorial Board, Interaction Magazine, ACM Press (1993 - 2006)
External Examining
Northumbria University (Ph.D., A. Cooper, 2005)
Gothenburg University (Ph.D., J. Redström, 2001)
London College of Printing & Distributed Trades, Media Studies (Ph.D., M. Treglown, Human Computer Interaction, 2000)
University of the West of England (Ph.D., E. Tallyn, Computer Science, 2000)