Speaker Bio
Bill Gaver is Professor of Design and co-director of the Interaction Research Studio at Goldsmiths, University of London. His research on design-led methodologies and innovative technologies for everyday life led him to develop an internationally recognised studio bringing the skills of designers together with expertise in ubiquitous computing and sociology.
With the Studio, he has developed approaches to design ranging from Cultural Probes to the use of documentary film to help assess people’s experience with designs, and pursued conceptual work on topics such as ambiguity, interpretation and design-led research. These innovations have been driven by the design work that is at the heart of the Studio’s work, which centres around the production of highly-finished prototypes that have been deployed for long-term field trials and exhibited internationally at venues such as the V&A Museum, Tate Britain, and New York’s MOMA. He has published over 70 articles (h-index of 44) and is an elected member of the CHI Academy.
Playful Communicators: Yo-Yo Machines for keeping in touch with family and friends
Bill Gaver, Goldsmiths
Thursday 11th March 2021. 13:00-14:00 GMT. The Buncar.
It’s important to stay in touch while physically separated, but teleconferencing tools like Zoom and Teams can be a lot of work. What if you just want to send somebody a wave, or a smile, without demanding too much attention?
That’s what Yo–Yo Machines are for. Simple devices you can make yourself, they connect across the Internet to let you send a signal that you’re thinking of somebody, and give just enough control to play around, or maybe invent a secret language.
In his talk, Bill Gaver will take through Goldsmiths’ Interaction Research Studio’s Yo-Yo Machine Project and then is happy to stick around for an extra long Q&A session on the project, design, or any other silly questions 🙂
To learn more about Yo-Yo Machines: https://www.yoyomachines.io/