Children's access and engagement with digital products has surged in the past two decades, in... more Children's access and engagement with digital products has surged in the past two decades, in parallel with paediatric hospital modernisation worldwide with the aim of turning them into child-friendly spaces. This is where children can be helped to feel less distressed by providing encounters with familiar technology. Nevertheless, the literature is sparse regarding the potential that technologies for children may have in relation to play in busy hospital settings. The scope of this PhD is thus to explore how digital technology can support social play among children aged 3-5, by involving various stakeholders in the process. This is in support of the new children's hospital in Edinburgh, to open in late 2018.
Appropriately designed technology could help children feel less anxious by providing play opportu... more Appropriately designed technology could help children feel less anxious by providing play opportunities with familiar technology in clinical settings as paediatric hospitals invest in making these spaces more child-friendly. However, the potential of technology-supported play in hospital environments has not been investigated extensively. This project thus aims at exploring how technology can support social play in a paediatric hospital with young children. A participatory approach to game design has been adopted, and a preliminary overview of children's insights of the first app iterations is provided here.
The present study explores the role of young refugee children's everyday digital media pr... more The present study explores the role of young refugee children's everyday digital media practices in their families' transition into a new culture during the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland. The study seeks to understand children's engagements in their families' transition process through their digital media practices. The aim is achieved by using interviews and workshops with volunteers working with refugee families and the living journals method with refugee families. The findings reveal that young children perform the role of facilitators, assistants, and cultural brokers through their digital media practices during the transition process of their families into a new culture.
In the last decade, children's access to a variety of applications on tablet devices has incr... more In the last decade, children's access to a variety of applications on tablet devices has increased. Similarly, there has been an increase in the technology used in paediatric clinical settings, with the aim of improving children's wellbeing, primarily for distraction or therapeutic purposes. The benefits of employing play strategies for therapeutic intervention purposes in hospitals has been well researched. Nonetheless, the potential of technology to support and encourage playful behaviour in hospital environments is underexplored. In particular, the ways in which apps can foster playful interactions between children and their parents or carers in hospitals has not been investigated. Therefore, this thesis qualitatively explores the ethical design and evaluation of an iPad application (Lolli and Friends) aimed at fostering play behaviours with young children, parents and practitioners in a hospital setting. Through analysis of an evaluation in a children's hospital, the...
During COVID-19 researchers have had to adapt their research methods to ensure safe data collecti... more During COVID-19 researchers have had to adapt their research methods to ensure safe data collection practices. Consequently, many more researchers have considered the potential of social media as a tool to facilitate their research. The ease of access to social media, and potential to generate large amounts of data easily has made this an appealing research tool. However, these methods of data collection raise unique and complex ethical issues that require careful consideration. This document has been produced in collaboration between CAHSS Research Ethics Committee and the Edinburgh Centre for Data, Culture and Society (CDCS) in response to a recognised demand for further guidance on the ethics of social media research as part of the series of Research Adaptation activities undertaken by CDCS. The document is not intended to be exhaustive in coverage, but instead raises key issues and signposts to high quality existing resources. We have also included case study scenarios to illust...
The coronavirus pandemic has required researchers to use online, virtual and remote methods of co... more The coronavirus pandemic has required researchers to use online, virtual and remote methods of communicating with participants and audiences. While online and digital ways of working are not new, for many researchers the use of online events such as virtual exhibitions, hybrid outreach or online conferences became the only means of continuing to engage others with their work. Now, emergency measures and temporary pivots to digital ways of working have been replaced by reflection on how digital, remote and hybrid ways of working can be incorporated into future practices. Online events may have a larger geographical reach, allow different forms of engagement between participants, incorporate pre-recorded and live content, have a lower environmental impact, a lower financial cost, and allow more equal access to individuals who might otherwise be excluded or marginalised. Conversely, it can be difficult to replicate engagement in a digital medium, and there may be extra concerns around ...
This deliverable reports on the structure of a second seismological test case in the EPOS framewo... more This deliverable reports on the structure of a second seismological test case in the EPOS framework, the Moment Tensor in 3D (MT3D) analysis, and on its implementation in the latest DARE platform release. Moreover, structure and implementation of a new test case (VC) for the additional volcanology EPOS community are presented. The main DARE components, with corresponding configuration parameters, required for the implementation and execution, are also summarised. Finally, the deliverable reports on the training evaluation events organised by WP6 to present to the reference EPOS communities the pilots' development and execution using the DARE platform. It also focuses on the gathered feedback and suggestions in order to assess the platform usability and utility for present and future scientific applications.
This document presents the findings of the second usability evaluation of the DARE platform, whic... more This document presents the findings of the second usability evaluation of the DARE platform, which was a pilot qualitative study with six participants. The study consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted online, with participants with computing skills and with varying levels of involvement in the development of the DARE platform. The results of this small-scale evaluation showed that the DARE platform is perceived to be usable, relatively easy to use (depending on the user's background) and versatile. However, training needs were also highlighted, as well as a number of suggestions for improvement.
Proceedings of the 2018 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion Extended Abstracts, 2018
Children's access and engagement with digital products has surged in the past two decades, in... more Children's access and engagement with digital products has surged in the past two decades, in parallel with paediatric hospital modernisation worldwide with the aim of turning them into child-friendly spaces. This is where children can be helped to feel less distressed by providing encounters with familiar technology. Nevertheless, the literature is sparse regarding the potential that technologies for children may have in relation to play in busy hospital settings. The scope of this PhD is thus to explore how digital technology can support social play among children aged 3-5, by involving various stakeholders in the process. This is in support of the new children's hospital in Edinburgh, to open in late 2018.
Proceedings of the 18th ACM International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, 2019
Appropriately designed technology could help children feel less anxious by providing play opportu... more Appropriately designed technology could help children feel less anxious by providing play opportunities with familiar technology in clinical settings as paediatric hospitals invest in making these spaces more child-friendly. However, the potential of technology-supported play in hospital environments has not been investigated extensively. This project thus aims at exploring how technology can support social play in a paediatric hospital with young children. A participatory approach to game design has been adopted, and a preliminary overview of children's insights of the first app iterations is provided here.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, researchers around the world have had to shift to digital domain... more Due to the coronavirus pandemic, researchers around the world have had to shift to digital domains to generate data, redesign their studies, and rethink the ways in which they engage with participants. Substituting face-to-face with digital methods presents both opportunities and challenges for researchers at all phases of the research process. For example, research participants may gain more power and agency within the researcherresearched relationship framework, and participants may be drawn from a wider geographical and social field. There may also be greater flexibility in when and where research takes place: the use of multimodal software for engaging with participants has allowed researchers to receive information from their participants at the times and in the forms convenient for them. However, researchers have not always been able to reach or create and maintain engagement with participants due to, for example, inequalities in access to digital technologies or reliable inte...
Children's access and engagement with digital products has surged in the past two decades, in... more Children's access and engagement with digital products has surged in the past two decades, in parallel with paediatric hospital modernisation worldwide with the aim of turning them into child-friendly spaces. This is where children can be helped to feel less distressed by providing encounters with familiar technology. Nevertheless, the literature is sparse regarding the potential that technologies for children may have in relation to play in busy hospital settings. The scope of this PhD is thus to explore how digital technology can support social play among children aged 3-5, by involving various stakeholders in the process. This is in support of the new children's hospital in Edinburgh, to open in late 2018.
Appropriately designed technology could help children feel less anxious by providing play opportu... more Appropriately designed technology could help children feel less anxious by providing play opportunities with familiar technology in clinical settings as paediatric hospitals invest in making these spaces more child-friendly. However, the potential of technology-supported play in hospital environments has not been investigated extensively. This project thus aims at exploring how technology can support social play in a paediatric hospital with young children. A participatory approach to game design has been adopted, and a preliminary overview of children's insights of the first app iterations is provided here.
The present study explores the role of young refugee children's everyday digital media pr... more The present study explores the role of young refugee children's everyday digital media practices in their families' transition into a new culture during the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland. The study seeks to understand children's engagements in their families' transition process through their digital media practices. The aim is achieved by using interviews and workshops with volunteers working with refugee families and the living journals method with refugee families. The findings reveal that young children perform the role of facilitators, assistants, and cultural brokers through their digital media practices during the transition process of their families into a new culture.
In the last decade, children's access to a variety of applications on tablet devices has incr... more In the last decade, children's access to a variety of applications on tablet devices has increased. Similarly, there has been an increase in the technology used in paediatric clinical settings, with the aim of improving children's wellbeing, primarily for distraction or therapeutic purposes. The benefits of employing play strategies for therapeutic intervention purposes in hospitals has been well researched. Nonetheless, the potential of technology to support and encourage playful behaviour in hospital environments is underexplored. In particular, the ways in which apps can foster playful interactions between children and their parents or carers in hospitals has not been investigated. Therefore, this thesis qualitatively explores the ethical design and evaluation of an iPad application (Lolli and Friends) aimed at fostering play behaviours with young children, parents and practitioners in a hospital setting. Through analysis of an evaluation in a children's hospital, the...
During COVID-19 researchers have had to adapt their research methods to ensure safe data collecti... more During COVID-19 researchers have had to adapt their research methods to ensure safe data collection practices. Consequently, many more researchers have considered the potential of social media as a tool to facilitate their research. The ease of access to social media, and potential to generate large amounts of data easily has made this an appealing research tool. However, these methods of data collection raise unique and complex ethical issues that require careful consideration. This document has been produced in collaboration between CAHSS Research Ethics Committee and the Edinburgh Centre for Data, Culture and Society (CDCS) in response to a recognised demand for further guidance on the ethics of social media research as part of the series of Research Adaptation activities undertaken by CDCS. The document is not intended to be exhaustive in coverage, but instead raises key issues and signposts to high quality existing resources. We have also included case study scenarios to illust...
The coronavirus pandemic has required researchers to use online, virtual and remote methods of co... more The coronavirus pandemic has required researchers to use online, virtual and remote methods of communicating with participants and audiences. While online and digital ways of working are not new, for many researchers the use of online events such as virtual exhibitions, hybrid outreach or online conferences became the only means of continuing to engage others with their work. Now, emergency measures and temporary pivots to digital ways of working have been replaced by reflection on how digital, remote and hybrid ways of working can be incorporated into future practices. Online events may have a larger geographical reach, allow different forms of engagement between participants, incorporate pre-recorded and live content, have a lower environmental impact, a lower financial cost, and allow more equal access to individuals who might otherwise be excluded or marginalised. Conversely, it can be difficult to replicate engagement in a digital medium, and there may be extra concerns around ...
This deliverable reports on the structure of a second seismological test case in the EPOS framewo... more This deliverable reports on the structure of a second seismological test case in the EPOS framework, the Moment Tensor in 3D (MT3D) analysis, and on its implementation in the latest DARE platform release. Moreover, structure and implementation of a new test case (VC) for the additional volcanology EPOS community are presented. The main DARE components, with corresponding configuration parameters, required for the implementation and execution, are also summarised. Finally, the deliverable reports on the training evaluation events organised by WP6 to present to the reference EPOS communities the pilots' development and execution using the DARE platform. It also focuses on the gathered feedback and suggestions in order to assess the platform usability and utility for present and future scientific applications.
This document presents the findings of the second usability evaluation of the DARE platform, whic... more This document presents the findings of the second usability evaluation of the DARE platform, which was a pilot qualitative study with six participants. The study consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted online, with participants with computing skills and with varying levels of involvement in the development of the DARE platform. The results of this small-scale evaluation showed that the DARE platform is perceived to be usable, relatively easy to use (depending on the user's background) and versatile. However, training needs were also highlighted, as well as a number of suggestions for improvement.
Proceedings of the 2018 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion Extended Abstracts, 2018
Children's access and engagement with digital products has surged in the past two decades, in... more Children's access and engagement with digital products has surged in the past two decades, in parallel with paediatric hospital modernisation worldwide with the aim of turning them into child-friendly spaces. This is where children can be helped to feel less distressed by providing encounters with familiar technology. Nevertheless, the literature is sparse regarding the potential that technologies for children may have in relation to play in busy hospital settings. The scope of this PhD is thus to explore how digital technology can support social play among children aged 3-5, by involving various stakeholders in the process. This is in support of the new children's hospital in Edinburgh, to open in late 2018.
Proceedings of the 18th ACM International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, 2019
Appropriately designed technology could help children feel less anxious by providing play opportu... more Appropriately designed technology could help children feel less anxious by providing play opportunities with familiar technology in clinical settings as paediatric hospitals invest in making these spaces more child-friendly. However, the potential of technology-supported play in hospital environments has not been investigated extensively. This project thus aims at exploring how technology can support social play in a paediatric hospital with young children. A participatory approach to game design has been adopted, and a preliminary overview of children's insights of the first app iterations is provided here.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, researchers around the world have had to shift to digital domain... more Due to the coronavirus pandemic, researchers around the world have had to shift to digital domains to generate data, redesign their studies, and rethink the ways in which they engage with participants. Substituting face-to-face with digital methods presents both opportunities and challenges for researchers at all phases of the research process. For example, research participants may gain more power and agency within the researcherresearched relationship framework, and participants may be drawn from a wider geographical and social field. There may also be greater flexibility in when and where research takes place: the use of multimodal software for engaging with participants has allowed researchers to receive information from their participants at the times and in the forms convenient for them. However, researchers have not always been able to reach or create and maintain engagement with participants due to, for example, inequalities in access to digital technologies or reliable inte...
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