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Associate Professor Ben Matthews
Associate Professor

Ben Matthews

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 52185

Overview

Background

I study design as a collaborative process that materialises alternative social futures. Those futures are sometimes new products, systems, services, infrastructures and technologies. But they can also be social contracts, agreements, processes, ways of working and new possibilities for our collective lives together.

I currently lead research projects in three broad domains: designing advocacy, designing the materials of participation, and augmenting skill and expertise through design.

The designing advocacy project has worked with a range of stakeholders with reduced agency such as people with mental health needs, chronic illnesses, injured workers, and other stigmatised or at-risk groups. We have developed methods for the inclusion of their perspectives in design processes, insights about their specific conditions and needs, critical analyses of how they are conceptualised from the perspectives of technologists and service providers, and design proposals for services and technologies that amplify their agency.

The designing the materials of participation project develops formats and processes for participatory design—the inclusion of stakeholders in the design of systems that will affect the organisation of their work and life. In this project we study how technologies and systems are used in microanalytic detail, analysing how tools and materials shape people's interactions. We use this understanding as a basis for the design of new methods and processes (and sometimes new matierals) for involving people in the design process, and giving them greater autonomy over the systems they will use.

The augmenting skill and expertise through design project studies specialist work practices for the purposes of developing technology support for that work. We have worked with aeromedical teams, audiologists, passport officers, emergency first responders, quick service chefs, primary school teachers, and other professional contexts of use to understand the local and particular skills that enable those workplaces to function effectively and collaboratively. We use these understandings to inform the deisgn of technologies and work practices that support, and preserve, those core professional skills.

The constants across these projects relate to the design process—the methods used to understand people, identify design opportunities, facilitate collaboration between project stakeholders, champion users' contexts and requirements, prototype early solutions, evaluate concepts in the field, and build new technologies. This results in a variety of research contributions: new design methods and perspectives that have been tailored for specific contexts of use, identification of the potentials and limitations of different approaches to design and analysis, the discovery of context-specific issues for the design of new systems, new understandings of people, their work and contexts of use, and the design and evaluation of bespoke technologies.

Availability

Associate Professor Ben Matthews is:
Available for supervision

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Engineering, The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Interaction design

    Ben's research focuses on the human and social aspects of designing technologies. His research develops methods for studying design, for studying how people use technologies, and for designing interactive products and systems. His work has developed methods and approaches for involving users and other stakeholders in technology design processes, designing new products and systems, as well as case studies of design processes in organisations and analyses of technology use in people's everyday lives.

Works

Search Professor Ben Matthews’s works on UQ eSpace

99 works between 2000 and 2025

81 - 99 of 99 works

2009

Journal Article

Intersections of brainstorming rules and social order

Matthews, Ben (2009). Intersections of brainstorming rules and social order. CoDesign, 5 (1), 65-76. doi: 10.1080/15710880802522403

Intersections of brainstorming rules and social order

2009

Book Chapter

Intersections of social order and brainstorming rules

Matthews, Ben (2009). Intersections of social order and brainstorming rules. About: designing: Analysing design meetings. (pp. 33-47) edited by Janet McDonnell and Peter Lloyd. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Intersections of social order and brainstorming rules

2009

Journal Article

Technology use and patient participation in audiological consultations

Matthews, Ben and Heinemann, Trine (2009). Technology use and patient participation in audiological consultations. Australasian Medical Journal, 1 (12), 174-180. doi: 10.4066/AMJ.2009.99

Technology use and patient participation in audiological consultations

2009

Conference Publication

From occupying to inhabiting - A change in conceptualising comfort

Jaffari, Svenja D. and Matthews, Ben (2009). From occupying to inhabiting - A change in conceptualising comfort. Beyond Kyoto Conference, Aarhus, Denmark, 5-7 March 2009. Bristol, United Kingdom: Institute of Physics Publishing. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/8/1/012008

From occupying to inhabiting - A change in conceptualising comfort

2009

Conference Publication

Peeling apples: prototyping design experiments as research

Mattelmaki, Tuuli and Matthews, Ben (2009). Peeling apples: prototyping design experiments as research. Nordic Design Research Conference: Engaging Artefacts, Oslo, Norway, 30 August – 1 September 2009. Oslo, Norway: AHO.

Peeling apples: prototyping design experiments as research

2008

Journal Article

Emergent interaction: Creating spaces for play

Matthews, Ben, Stienstra, Marcelle and Djajadiningrat, Tom (2008). Emergent interaction: Creating spaces for play. Design Issues, 24 (3), 58-71. doi: 10.1162/desi.2008.24.3.58

Emergent interaction: Creating spaces for play

2008

Conference Publication

Talking about hearing: Designing from users' problematisations

Kjeldsen, Malene and Matthews, Ben (2008). Talking about hearing: Designing from users' problematisations. 5th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (NordiCHI'08), Lund, Sweden, 18 - 22 October 2008. New York, United States: ACM Press. doi: 10.1145/1463160.1463237

Talking about hearing: Designing from users' problematisations

2008

Journal Article

What can we learn from the probes? The role of interpretation in contributions to knowledge

Matthews, Ben and Horst, Willem (2008). What can we learn from the probes? The role of interpretation in contributions to knowledge. Working Papers in Art & Design, 5.

What can we learn from the probes? The role of interpretation in contributions to knowledge

2008

Conference Publication

Participatory innovation: A research agenda

Buur, Jacob and Matthews, Ben (2008). Participatory innovation: A research agenda. 10th Conference on Participatory Design, PDC 2008, Bloomington, Indiana, 1- 4 October 2008. New York, NY: ACM Press.

Participatory innovation: A research agenda

2007

Journal Article

Easy doesn't do it: Skill and expression in tangible aesthetics

Djajadiningrat, Tom, Matthews, Ben and Stienstra, Marcelle (2007). Easy doesn't do it: Skill and expression in tangible aesthetics. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 11 (8), 657-676. doi: 10.1007/s00779-006-0137-9

Easy doesn't do it: Skill and expression in tangible aesthetics

2007

Journal Article

Locating design phenomena: A methodological excursion

Matthews, Ben (2007). Locating design phenomena: A methodological excursion. Design Studies, 28 (4), 369-385. doi: 10.1016/j.destud.2006.12.002

Locating design phenomena: A methodological excursion

2006

Conference Publication

Grammar, meaning and movement based interaction

Matthews, Ben (2006). Grammar, meaning and movement based interaction. OZCHI 2006, Sydney, Australia, 20 -24 November 2006. New York, United States: ACM Digital Library. doi: 10.1145/1228175.1228258

Grammar, meaning and movement based interaction

2005

Conference Publication

Practical action as inquiry - facilitating appropriation in a design handover event

Matthews, Ben and Clark, Brendon (2005). Practical action as inquiry - facilitating appropriation in a design handover event. 6th International Confernce of the European Academy of Design, Bremen, Germany, 29-31 March 2005. Bremen, Germany: European Academy of Design.

Practical action as inquiry - facilitating appropriation in a design handover event

2005

Conference Publication

Teaching design research in the studio

Matthews, Ben and Buur, Jacob (2005). Teaching design research in the studio. Nordic Design Research Conference: In the Making, Copenhagen, Denmark, 29 - 31 May 2005.

Teaching design research in the studio

2004

Other Outputs

Studying design : an interpretive and empirical investigation of design activity at differing levels of granularity

Matthews, Benjamin Robert (2004). Studying design : an interpretive and empirical investigation of design activity at differing levels of granularity. PhD Thesis, School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/106835

Studying design : an interpretive and empirical investigation of design activity at differing levels of granularity

2001

Conference Publication

Brick games in boardrooms: Making use context tangible

Matthews, B, Brereton, M and Buur, J (2001). Brick games in boardrooms: Making use context tangible. 5th Design Thinking Research Symposium, Delft Netherlands, 18-20 December 2001. Delft, The Netherlands: DUP Science.

Brick games in boardrooms: Making use context tangible

2000

Conference Publication

Reflections on a candidate user-interface for a wireless vital signs monitor

Mcgarry, B., Matthews, B. and Brereton, M. (2000). Reflections on a candidate user-interface for a wireless vital signs monitor. DARE 2000, Elsinore, Denmark, 12-14 April 2000. Elsinore, Denmark: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). doi: 10.1145/354666.354670

Reflections on a candidate user-interface for a wireless vital signs monitor

2000

Conference Publication

The role of social and physical interaction in engineering concept generation

Matthews, B. and Brereton, M. F. (2000). The role of social and physical interaction in engineering concept generation. CoDesigning 2000, Coventry, UK, 11-13 September 2000. Great Britain: Coventry University.

The role of social and physical interaction in engineering concept generation

2000

Conference Publication

Knowledge and inspiration: Concept generation in engineering design

Matthews, B. R. and Brereton, M. F. (2000). Knowledge and inspiration: Concept generation in engineering design. Engineering Design Conference 2000, Brunel University, UK, 27-29 June 2000. London: Professional Engineering Publishing.

Knowledge and inspiration: Concept generation in engineering design

Funding

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2028
    Help wanted: The Dynamics of AI-Driven Recruitment and Selection (ARC Discovery Projects administered by QUT)
    Queensland University of Technology
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2025
    Information support tools for the trauma patient pathway
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022 - 2023
    AI and automation in language technologies: securing Queensland's data sovereignty
    Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2023
    Wearable displays for high-tempo work in mission-critical worlds
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2017
    COMPASS - passport processing research project
    Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Associate Professor Ben Matthews is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Weaving Tech and Teach: A Participatory Design Exploration with Primary School Teachers

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Stephen Viller

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring Emotional and Cognitive Effects of Heterogeneous Mixed Reality Remote Collaboration

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Stephen Viller

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Projection-Based Augmented Reality as a collaborative tool in Architecture Education

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Marie Boden

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Design Fixation and its Impact on Creative Thinking in Primary School Students

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Kim Wilkins

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Technology support for information needs in the patient trauma pathway

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Penelope Sanderson

  • Doctor Philosophy

    An opportunity for death-positive design

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Skye Doherty

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Communication and collaboration with head-worn displays: A program of laboratory studies

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Nicole Hartley, Dr Cassandra Chapman

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Designing for location dependence: a framework for design

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Stephen Viller

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A conversation analysis study of the 1993 Waco siege negotiations

    Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Communication and collaboration with head-worn displays: A program of laboratory studies

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Nicole Hartley, Dr Cassandra Chapman

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A conversation analysis study of the 1993 Waco siege negotiations

    Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring Mobile Games as Tools for Screening Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: A Game Analytics Approach

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Julie Henry, Dr Nell Baghaei

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring Mobile Games for Screening Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: A Game Analytics Approach

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Julie Henry, Dr Nell Baghaei

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Designing for location dependence: a framework for design

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Stephen Viller

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Designing with History

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Skye Doherty

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Head-worn displays in healthcare: Provider, patient, and social perspectives

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Nicole Hartley, Dr Cassandra Chapman

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Make Your Own Language Adventure Game: Co-Developing Complex Digital Language Materials With Young Learners

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Janet Wiles

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

For media enquiries about Associate Professor Ben Matthews's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au