Overview
Background
Dr. Dhaval Vyas is a Senior Lecturer in the Human-Centred Computing discipline - a former ARC DECRA Fellow (2018-2022) and. He is a part of the Compassion Lab research group. His research spans the areas of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). In particular, he focuses on designing IT tools to support health and wellbeing of under-resourced communities. He has worked in academia and industry for over 15 years. He received a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from University of Twente, the Netherlands; a master’s degree in Computer Science from Lancaster University, UK; and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Gujarat University, India.
Availability
- Dr Dhaval Vyas is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Twente
Research interests
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Compassion Lab: Designing for Under-served Communities
The Compassion Lab focuses on developing technologies for under-served communities in order to bring about social change, and improvement to their health and wellbeing. It has a strong user-centric focus that aims to study issues at the grass-root level using ethnography and involve people in the design and development of technological solutions. Target Domains and Communities: - Low SES Communities - Refugees and Asylum Seekers - Women in Crisis Situations - Rural Communities in Developing Countries - Older Adults
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Disabilities, Health and Wellbeing Tech
How can technologies provide the right kind of support to individuals going through various disabilities and health conditions? Using Virtual Reality (VR), storytelling and other forms of pervasive technologies are developed to provide adequate support. We work on the following topics: - Independent living for people with paraplegia - Mental health support for low SES community members - Enhancing social interactions in older adults
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Fostering DIY and ‘Making’ in Undeserved Communities
The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and makerspace movements have shown the potential for high-tech innovation, democratizing production and creativity, and revamping of economies and broken educational systems. However, within HCI, the focus has mainly been on more affluent and technology-savvy population. HCI lacks the narrative on how DIY and making practices are associated with economically disadvantaged members of the community. In particular, the role of innovation hubs such as makerspaces and community-based social enterprises in uplifting the economically disadvantaged needs to be thoroughly investigated. In collaboration with makerspaces that involve economically struggling members of the community and job seekers, this project aims to investigate DIY and making practices of LSE members and develop a counter-narrative on makerspaces and its inclusiveness.
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Quantified Self & Activity Tracking for Healthy Living
Within the research topics of Quantified Self (QS) and Activity Tracking, I have been focusing on supporting engaging social experiences for users; rather than on behavior change. A set of Android-based applications is developed in workplace settings to support activity tracking and fitness promotion. The aim is to enable employees to interweave activity tracking in their everyday routines and enable engaging social interactions in workplaces.
Research impacts
A project management application developed in my ARC DECRA project has been in use at the Sunnybank Men’s Shed, since July 2020. The application allows members to coordinate various activities around the shed.
My ARC DECRA project has generated a great interest in e-waste recycling and social entrepreneurship through various media articles:
- ABC News: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-17/using-ewaste-to-build-3d-printers-and-electric-bikes-brisbane/9449604
- Channel Ten: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyze2_gSvyY
My research supported by the UQ Cyber Seed funding has led to enhancements in the design of the AI suit that our industry partner – Ariel Care Pty Ltd is building. Building functionalities around moisture detection and hoisting capabilities on smart beds were specific contributions of my research. This project and the role of UQ has been well discussed on the ABC News: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-25/are-high-tech-homes-the-future-for-assisted-living/101695802
Works
Search Professor Dhaval Vyas’s works on UQ eSpace
2011
Conference Publication
Non-formal techniques for requirements elicitation, modeling, and early assessment for services
Van Der Veer, Gerrit C. and Vyas, Dhaval (2011). Non-formal techniques for requirements elicitation, modeling, and early assessment for services. ECCE '11: European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics, Rostock, Germany, August 2011. New York, NY United States: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/2074712.2074782
2011
Conference Publication
Exploring community building with an awareness display
Vyas, Dhaval, Nijholt, Anton, Eliëns, Anton and Poelman, Wim (2011). Exploring community building with an awareness display. 4th ACM International Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments, PETRA 2011, Crete, Greece, 25-27 May 2011. New York, NY United States: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/2141622.2141643
2011
Conference Publication
Feeling the life: A look into the visual culture of life scientists
Vyas, Dhaval, Bhatt, Hinal, Moroni, Lorenzo and Nijholt, Anton (2011). Feeling the life: A look into the visual culture of life scientists. ECCE '11: European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics, Rostock, Germany, August 2011. New York, NY United States: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/2074712.2074737
2010
Conference Publication
Supporting cooperative design through "living" artefacts
Vyas, Dhaval, Nijholt, Anton and Van Der Veer, Gerrit (2010). Supporting cooperative design through "living" artefacts. New York, NY, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/1868914.1868975
2010
Conference Publication
Remarkable objects: Supporting collaboration in a creative environment
Vyas, Dhaval, Nijholt, Anton, Heylen, Dirk, Kröner, Alexander and Van Der Veer, Gerrit (2010). Remarkable objects: Supporting collaboration in a creative environment. 12th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, UbiComp 2010, , , September 26, 2010-September 29, 2010. NEW YORK: ASSOC COMPUTING MACHINERY. doi: 10.1145/1864349.1864357
2010
Conference Publication
CAM: A collaborative object memory system
Vyas, Dhaval, Nijholt, Anton and Kröner, Alexander (2010). CAM: A collaborative object memory system. 12th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, Mobile HCI2010, , , September 7, 2010-September 10, 2010. New York, NY, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/1851600.1851692
2009
Conference Publication
"Show me, how does it look now": Remote help-giving in collaborative design
Vyas, Dhaval, Van Der Veer, Gerrit, Nijholt, Anton and Heylen, Dirk (2009). "Show me, how does it look now": Remote help-giving in collaborative design. European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics, Helsinki Finland, Sep 30-Oct 02, 2009. ESPOO: TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE FINLAND.
2009
Conference Publication
Collaborative practices that support creativity in design
Vyas, Dhaval, Heylen, Dirk, Nijholt, Anton and Van Der Veer, Gerrit (2009). Collaborative practices that support creativity in design. 11th European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (ECSCW 2009), Vienna Austria, Sep 07-11, 2009. GODALMING: SPRINGER-VERLAG LONDON LTD. doi: 10.1007/978-1-84882-854-4_9
2009
Conference Publication
Paper-based mixed reality sketch augmentation as a conceptual design support tool
Dos Santos, G. J.D., Van Dijk, E. M.A.G. and Vyas, D. M. (2009). Paper-based mixed reality sketch augmentation as a conceptual design support tool. 23rd Annual Conference on Human Computer Interaction, HCI 2009, , , September 1, 2009-September 5, 2009. BCS Learning & Development. doi: 10.14236/ewic/hci2009.56
2009
Conference Publication
Space as a resource in creative design practices
Vyas, Dhaval, Van Der Veer, Gerrit, Heylen, Dirk and Nijholt, Anton (2009). Space as a resource in creative design practices. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-03658-3_23
2009
Conference Publication
Artful surfaces in design practices
Vyas, Dhaval (2009). Artful surfaces in design practices. 27th International Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2009, , , April 4, 2009-April 9, 2009. New York, NY, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/1520340.1520388
2009
Conference Publication
Experiential role of artefacts in cooperative design
Vyas, Dhaval, Heylen, Dirk, Nijholt, Anton and van der Veer, Gerrit (2009). Experiential role of artefacts in cooperative design. Fourth international conference on Communities and technologies, University Park, PA, USA, 25-27 June 2009. New York, NY, USA: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/1556460.1556477
2008
Conference Publication
Physicality and cooperative design
Vyas, Dhaval, Heylen, Dirk and Nijholt, Anton (2008). Physicality and cooperative design. 5th International Workshop on Machine Learning for Multimodal Interaction, MLMI 2008, , , September 8, 2008-September 10, 2008. BERLIN: SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN. doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-85853-9-30
2008
Conference Publication
Designing awareness support for distributed cooperative design teams
Vyas, Dhaval, Heylen, Dirk, Nijholt, Anton and Van Der Veer, Gerrit C. (2008). Designing awareness support for distributed cooperative design teams. 15th European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics the Ergonomics of Cool Interaction, ECCE 2008, , , September 16, 2008-September 19, 2008. New York, NY, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/1473018.1473026
2008
Conference Publication
Organizational probes: Exploring playful interactions in work environment
Vyas, Dhaval, Eliëns, Anton, Van De Watering, Marek R. and Van Der Veer, Gerrit C. (2008). Organizational probes: Exploring playful interactions in work environment. New York, NY, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/1473018.1473062
2008
Conference Publication
Exploring mediated interactions: A design exercise
Vyas, Dhaval, Dix, Alan and Nijholt, Anton (2008). Exploring mediated interactions: A design exercise. 15th European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics the Ergonomics of Cool Interaction, ECCE 2008, , , September 16, 2008-September 19, 2008. New York, NY, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/1473018.1473041
2008
Conference Publication
Structures of life: The role of molecular structures in scientists' work
Vyas, Dhaval, Kulyk, Olga, Van Der Vet, Paul, Nijholt, Anton and Van Der Veer, Gerrit C. (2008). Structures of life: The role of molecular structures in scientists' work. New York, NY, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/1473018.1473034
2008
Journal Article
Aesthetics of mundane interactions
Vyas, Dhaval (2008). Aesthetics of mundane interactions. Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings .
2008
Conference Publication
Aesthetics of Mundane Interactions
Vyas, Dhaval (2008). Aesthetics of Mundane Interactions. Schloss Dagstuhl- Leibniz-Zentrum fur Informatik GmbH, Dagstuhl Publishing.
2007
Conference Publication
Being social @ work: Designing for playfully mediated social awareness in work environments
Vyas, Dhaval, van de Watering, Marek R., Eliëns, Anton and van der Veer, Gerrit C. (2007). Being social @ work: Designing for playfully mediated social awareness in work environments. Conference on Home Informatics and Telematics - ICT for the Next Billion, Chennai India, Aug 22-25, 2007. NEW YORK: SPRINGER. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-73697-6_9
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Dhaval Vyas is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Fostering “Making” Practices in People from Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds - PhD scholarship
This project aims to foster making and DIY (do-it-yourself) practices in low socioeconomic status (SES) communities. Working closely with an e-waste recycling makerspace based in Brisbane, this project will study the existing practices of makers from low SES and involve them in co-designing a technology that will help them in their future making activities.
Outcomes of this project will include:
- An alternative narrative on makerspaces, backed by empirical data, on the role DIY and making practices play within low SES communities.
- An innovative co-design method that will involve ‘making workshops’ to bootstrap development of ideas for empowerment and creativity.
- Self-made, DIY technology prototypes that support low SES members in their specific needs.
- A theory of ‘Creative Collaboration’ for engaging people from low SES backgrounds in DIY and making practices.
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Connecting Making and Health in Communal Makerspaces - PhD Scholarship
This PhD project will be part of an Australian Research Council grant. The project aims to understand connections between making and health, and explores ways through designing technologies to support and foster making. It aims to study communal maker organizations such as men’s shed, women’s craft groups, and library-based maker organizations.
Outcomes of this project will include:
- An empirical understanding of creative collaborative practices at communal makerspaces, using participatory and ethnographic approaches.
- A theory that establishes relationship between health and making.
- A user-centric technology that enables and fosters making in communal settings.
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Designing for Under-served Communities (Multiple opportunities)
I am looking for PhD, Master's and Bachelor's students to work on a wide range of projects.
The Compassion Lab focuses on developing technologies for under-served communities in order to bring about social change, and improvement to their health and wellbeing. It has a strong user-centric focus that aims to study issues at the grass-root level using ethnography and involve people in the design and development of technological solutions.
Target Domains and Communities (including but not limited to):
- Low SES Communities
- Refugees and Asylum Seekers
- Women in Crisis Situations
- Rural Communities in Developing Countries
- Older Adults
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Master Philosophy
IoT and Smart Homes for People with Disabilities
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Marie Boden
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Doctor Philosophy
Using Human-Centered Design Approach to Support Refugee Entrepreneurial Pathways
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Stephen Viller
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Doctor Philosophy
Human-Centered Independent Living for People with Paraplegia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Melanie Hoyle, Dr Wei Qi Koh
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Doctor Philosophy
Developing inclusive and culturally sensitive design guidelines for AI-enabled smart homes for people with disabilities in developing countries, based on local needs, preferences, and values
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Tim Miller, Associate Professor Guangdong Bai
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Master Philosophy
Critical Making and Design Ethics: A Foucauldian Perspective on Surveillance, Control and Biopower in Designed Digital Interactivity
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Stephen Viller
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Doctor Philosophy
Designing technologies for newly-arrived humanitarian entrants: Fostering a sense of home during early-stage resettlement
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Aparna Hebbani
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Doctor Philosophy
Designing Digital Technologies for Grassroots Sustainable Practices in Eco-Villages
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Paola Leardini, Dr Fred Fialho Leandro Alves Teixeira
Completed supervision
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Leapfrogging women who are refugees and migrants (WRAMs) into STEM skills through Makerspaces
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Henman
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2023
Master Philosophy
Making for Others: Connecting Men's Sheds and Society Through "Making"
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Peter Worthy
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Dhaval Vyas directly for media enquiries about:
- CSCW
- Human Computer Interaction
- Makerspace
- MobileHCI
- Ubiquitous Computing
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