Cymraeg

Simon Robinson

Associate Professor, Computational Foundry

Photo of Simon Robinson Fully-funded PhD studentships available! Find out more; apply

I’m a member of the Computational Foundry at Swansea University. My current research focuses primarily on devices and interactions designed with and for emergent users – people in rural or developing regions where connectivity and technology availability are often low.

My ongoing research is funded by the EPSRC grants UnMute and Rethinking public technology, along with a range of smaller projects. I've previously been part of the PV interfaces, Breaking the glass, Reshaping the expected future, Scaling the rural enterprise, Community-generated media for the next billion and Multimodal, negotiated interaction in mobile scenarios projects.

I lead the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research group – the FIT Lab, and am also Director of the MSc year of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Enhancing Human Interactions and Collaborations with Data and Intelligence Driven Systems and a MASI Research Entrepreneur. I currently teach the modules Human-Centred Perspectives and Methods and Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction.

I maintain a collection of resources and a set of open-source tools that Swansea University staff and students may find useful.

Selected publications

Book: There’s Not An App for That – find out more, or buy now

My research publications and further information such as open-source toolkits, apps, videos and supporting materials are available below. See also my ACM, Scopus, DBLP, Google Scholar or GitHub profiles. Details of other work, such as news, public engagement, impact and grants are available on my news and additional work page.

Jump to books, conference papers, journal articles or other publications.

Books

  1. There’s Not An App for That: Mobile User Experience Design for Life
    Simon Robinson, Gary Marsden and Matt Jones.
    Available to order from Amazon, or via ScienceDirect. Find out more at changetheworldux.com
Show all publications

Conference papers

  1. Situating Automatic Speech Recognition Development within Communities of Under-heard Language Speakers
    T. Reitmaier, E. Wallington, O. Klejch, N. Markl, L. Lam-Yee-Mui, J. Pearson, M. Jones, P. Bell, S. Robinson. Accepted to appear in Proceedings of CHI 2023, Hamburg, April 2023.
  2. Exploring Factors Affecting User Trust Across Different Human-Robot Interaction Settings and Cultures
    A. Alzahrani, S. Robinson, M. Ahmad. In Proceedings of HAI 2022 (pages 123–131), Christchurch, December 2022.
  3. Can’t Touch This: Rethinking Public Technology in a COVID-19 Era
    J. Pearson, G. Bailey, S. Robinson, M. Jones, T. Owen, C. Zhang, T. Reitmaier, C. Steer, A. Carter, D. Sahoo, D. Raju. In Proceedings of CHI 2022 (Article 401), New Orleans, April 2022. Awarded honourable mention.
  4. Opportunities and Challenges of Automatic Speech Recognition Systems for Low-Resource Language Speakers
    T. Reitmaier, E. Wallington, D. Raju, O. Klejch, J. Pearson, M. Jones, P. Bell, S. Robinson. In Proceedings of CHI 2022 (Article 299), New Orleans, April 2022.
  5. Light-In-Light-Out (Li-Lo) Displays: Harvesting and Manipulating Light to Provide Novel Forms of Communications
    K. Seunarine, D. Raju, G. Thomas, S. Thomas, A. Pockett, T. Reitmaier, C. Steer, T. Owen, Y. Meena, S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Carnie, D. Sahoo, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2022 (Article 46), New Orleans, April 2022.
  6. PV-Pix: Slum Community Co-design of Self-Powered Deformable Smart Messaging Materials
    D. Raju, K. Seunarine, T. Reitmaier, G. Thomas, Y. Meena, C. Zhang, A. Pockett, J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Carnie, D. Sahoo, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2021 (Article 304), Yokohama (virtual), May 2021.
  7. Active PinScreen: Exploring Spatio-Temporal Tactile Feedback for Multi-Finger Interaction
    C. Zhang, D. Sahoo, J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Holton, P. Hopkins, M. Jones. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2020 (Article 18), Oldenburg (virtual), October 2020.
  8. Morphino: A Nature-Inspired Tool for the Design of Shape-Changing Interfaces
    I. Qamar, K. Stawarz, S. Robinson, A. Goguey, C. Coutrix, A. Roudaut. In Proceedings of DIS 2020 (pages 1943–1958), Eindhoven (virtual), July 2020.
  9. An Honest Conversation: Transparently Combining Machine and Human Speech Assistance in Public Spaces
    T. Reitmaier, S. Robinson, J. Pearson, D. Raju, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2020 (Paper 183), Honolulu (virtual), May 2020.
  10. PV-Tiles: Towards Closely-Coupled Photovoltaic and Digital Materials for Useful, Beautiful and Sustainable Interactive Surfaces
    Y. Meena, K. Seunarine, D. Sahoo, S. Robinson, J. Pearson, C. Zhang, M. Carnie, A. Pockett, A. Prescott, S. Thomas, K. Lee, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2020 (Paper 241), Honolulu (virtual), May 2020.
  11. Sustainabot – Exploring the Use of Everyday Foodstuffs as Output and Input for and with Emergent Users
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Holton, S. Ahire, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2019 (Paper 226), Glasgow, May 2019. Awarded honourable mention.
  12. StreetWise: Smart Speakers vs Human Help in Public Slum Settings
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, T. Reitmaier, M. Jones, S. Ahire, A. Joshi, D. Sahoo, N. Maravi, B. Bhikne. In Proceedings of CHI 2019 (Paper 96), Glasgow, May 2019.
  13. PickCells: A Physically Reconfigurable Cell-composed Touchscreen
    A. Goguey, C. Steer, A. Lucero, L. Nigay, D. Sahoo, C. Coutrix, A. Roudaut, S. Subramanian, Y. Tokuda, T. Neate, J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2019 (Paper 273), Glasgow, May 2019.
  14. Pulp Friction: Exploring the Finger Pad Periphery for Subtle Haptic Feedback
    A. Goguey, D. Sahoo, S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2019 (Paper 641), Glasgow, May 2019.
  15. A Liquid Tangible Display for Mobile Colour Mixing
    C. Steer, S. Robinson, J. Pearson, D. Sahoo, I. Mabbett, M. Jones. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2018 (Paper 8), Barcelona, September 2018.
  16. Make Yourself at Phone: Reimagining Mobile Interaction Architectures With Emergent Users
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, T. Reitmaier, S. Ahire, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2018 (Paper 407), Montreal, April 2018.
  17. Revisiting “Hole in the Wall Computing”: Private Smart Speakers and Public Slum Settings
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, S. Ahire, R. Ahirwar, B. Bhikne, N. Maravi, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2018 (Paper 498), Montreal, April 2018.
  18. Tangible Drops: A Visio-Tactile Display Using Actuated Liquid-Metal Droplets
    D. Sahoo, T. Neate, Y. Tokuda, J. Pearson, S. Robinson, S. Subramanian, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2018 (Paper 177), Montreal, April 2018.
  19. Programmable Liquid Matter: 2D Shape Deformation of Highly Conductive Liquid Metals in a Dynamic Electric Field
    Y. Tokuda, J. Berna, G. Memoli, T. Neate, D. Sahoo, S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones, S. Subramanian. In Proceedings of ISS 2017 (pages 142–150), Brighton, October 2017.
  20. Better Together: Disaggregating Mobile Services for Emergent Users
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones, A. Joshi, S. Ahire. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2017 (Article 44), Vienna, September 2017.
  21. Evaluating Deformable Devices with Emergent Users
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, C. Coutrix, M. Jones. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2017 (Article 14), Vienna, September 2017.
  22. Chameleon Devices: Investigating More Secure and Discreet Mobile Interactions via Active Camouflaging
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Jones, A. Joshi, S. Ahire, D. Sahoo, S. Subramanian. In Proceedings of CHI 2017 (pages 5184–5196), Denver, May 2017. Awarded honourable mention.
  23. PosterPointing: Making Paper Displays Interactive Using Mobile Devices
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones. In Proceedings of AfriCHI 2016 (pages 170–175), Nairobi, November 2016.
  24. Emergeables: Deformable Displays for Continuous Eyes-Free Mobile Interaction
    S. Robinson, C. Coutrix, J. Pearson, J. Rosso, M. Torquato, L. Nigay, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2016 (pages 3793–3805), San Jose, May 2016. Awarded honourable mention.
  25. Q-arrgh! — Commandeering Everyday Digital Codes
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2015 (pages 182–186), Copenhagen, August 2015.
  26. It’s About Time: Smartwatches as Public Displays
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2015 (pages 1257–1266), Seoul, April 2015.
  27. PaperChains: Dynamic Sketch+Voice Annotations
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CSCW 2015 (pages 383–392), Vancouver, March 2015.
  28. Designing Social Media for Community Information Sharing in Rural South Africa
    N. Bidwell, S. Robinson, E. Vartiainen, M. Jones, M. Lalmas, G. Marsden, T. Reitmaier, K. Eglinton. In Proceedings of SAICSIT 2014 (pages 104–114), Centurion, October 2014.
  29. A Billion Signposts: Repurposing Barcodes for Indoor Navigation
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2014 (pages 639–642), Toronto, April 2014.
  30. AudioCanvas: Internet-Free Interactive Audio Photos
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2014 (pages 3735–3738), Toronto, April 2014.
  31. TicQR: Flexible, Lightweight Linking of Paper and Digital Content using Mobile Phones
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, G. Buchanan, M. Jones. In Proceedings of INTERACT 2013 (pages 220–228), Cape Town, Sept. 2013.
  32. ACQR: Acoustic Quick Response Codes for Content Sharing on Low End Phones with No Internet Connectivity
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Jones, A. Nanavati, N. Rajput. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2013 (pages 308–317), Munich, Aug. 2013. Awarded honourable mention.
  33. Creative Cameraphone Use in Rural Developing Regions
    D. Frohlich, S. Robinson, K. Eglinton, M. Jones, E. Vartiainen. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2012 (pages 181–190), San Francisco, September 2012.
  34. PicoTales: Collaborative Authoring of Animated Stories using Handheld Projectors
    S. Robinson, E. Vartiainen, M. Jones, G. Marsden. In Proceedings of CSCW 2012 (pages 671–680), Seattle, February 2012.
  35. Designing for ‘Callback’ in Rural Africa
    N. Bidwell, M. Lalmas, G. Marsden, B. Dlutu, S. Ntlangano, A. Manjingolo, W. Tucker, M. Jones, S. Robinson, E. Vartiainen, I. Klampanos. In Proceedings of IWIPS 2011 (pages 117–138), Kuching, July 2011.
  36. TapBack: Towards Richer Mobile Interfaces in Impoverished Contexts
    S. Robinson, N. Rajput, M. Jones, A. Jain, S. Sahay, A. Nanavati. In Proceedings of CHI 2011 (pages 2733–2736), Vancouver, May 2011.
  37. ‘I Did It My Way’: Moving Away from the Tyranny of Turn-by-Turn Pedestrian Navigation
    S. Robinson, M. Jones, P. Eslambolchilar, R. Murray-Smith, M. Lindborg. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2010 (pages 341–344), Lisbon, Sept. 2010. Nominated for best paper.
  38. Social Gravity: A Virtual Elastic Tether for Casual, Privacy-Preserving Pedestrian Rendezvous
    J. Williamson, S. Robinson, C. Stewart, R. Murray-Smith, M. Jones, S. Brewster. In Proceedings of CHI 2010 (pages 1485–1494), Atlanta, April 2010.
  39. Sweep-Shake: Finding Digital Resources in Physical Environments
    S. Robinson, P. Eslambolchilar, M. Jones. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2009 (pages 85–94), Bonn, Sept. 2009. Winner of best paper.
  40. Evaluating Haptics for Information Discovery While Walking
    S. Robinson, P. Eslambolchilar, M. Jones. In Proceedings of BCS HCI 2009 (pages 93–102), Cambridge, Sept. 2009.
  41. Point-to-GeoBlog: Gestures and Sensors to Support User Generated Content Creation
    S. Robinson, P. Eslambolchilar, M. Jones. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2008 (pages 197–206), Amsterdam, Sept. 2008.

Journal articles and book chapters

  1. El Codiseño de la Aplicación Orígenes Como Forma De Resistencia: Un Proyecto Para “Reconectar a Las Personas Y Sanar Antiguas Heridas”
    G. Lublin, S. Robinson, M. Rodriguez.
    • Translation: The Co-Design of the Orígenes Application as a Form of Resistance: A Project To “Reconnect People and Heal Old Wounds”
  2. Diversifying Future-making Through Itinerative Design
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, T. Reitmaier, M. Jones, A. Joshi. TOCHI 26(5), Article 33, 2019.
  3. BookMark: Appropriating Existing Infrastructure to Facilitate Scalable Indoor Navigation
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Jones. IJHCS 103(3): 22–34, 2017.
  4. Beyond “Yesterday’s Tomorrow”: Future-Focused Mobile Interaction Design By and For Emergent Users
    M. Jones, S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Joshi, D. Raju, C. Mbogo, S. Wangari, A. Joshi, E. Cutrell, R. Harper. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 21(1): 157–171, 2017.
  5. Exploring Low-Cost, Internet-Free Information Access for Resource-Constrained Communities
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Jones. TOCHI 23(6), Article 36, 2016.
  6. Mobile collocated interactions with wearables: past, present, and future
    A. Lucero, J. Clawson, J. Fischer, S. Robinson. mUX 5 — Special Issue on Mobile Collocated Interactions with Wearables, Article 6, 2016.
  7. Performative Technologies for Heritage Site Regeneration
    L. Betsworth, H. Bowen, S. Robinson, M. Jones. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 18(7): 1631–1650, 2014.
  8. Walking and the Social Life of Solar Charging in Rural Africa
    N. Bidwell, M. Siya, G. Marsden, W. Tucker, M. Tshemese, N. Gaven, S. Ntlangano, S. Robinson, K. Eglinton. TOCHI 20(4) — Special issue on practice-oriented approaches to sustainable HCI, Article 22, 2013.
  9. Pico-ing into the Future of Mobile Projection and Contexts
    M. L. Wilson, D. Craggs, S. Robinson, M. Jones, K. Brimble. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 16(1): 39–52, 2012.
  10. Exploring Casual Point-and-Tilt Interactions for Mobile Geo-Blogging
    S. Robinson, P. Eslambolchilar, M. Jones. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 14(4): 363–379, 2010.
  1. Back in Place: Renewing Ourselves and Our Places Post-Pandemic
    R. Harper, M. Jones, J. Pearson, J. Hollinshead, R. Marshall, S. Robinson. Technical Report, Future Places Centre, Lancaster University, November 2022.
  2. Improving Railway Safety: Human-in-the-loop Invariant Finding
    B. Lloyd-Roberts, P. James, M. Edwards, T. Werner, S. Robinson. Accepted to appear in CHI 2023 Case Studies, Hamburg, April 2022.
  3. Designing and Embedding a Tangible Public Interface in the COVID Era
    A. Carter, G. Bailey, J. Pearson, M. Jones, S. Robinson, D. Raju, S. Winter, J. Hicks. In CHI 2022 Case Studies (Article 26), New Orleans, April 2022.
  4. Day in the Lab: Computational Foundry
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, A. Dix. In interactions 26(4):16–19, 2019.
  5. Exploring the use of the Physical Web with Resource-Constrained Communities
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, T. Reitmaier, M. Jones, A. Joshi, C. Parab, F. Mogoi, S. Jenson. In CHI 2017 Case Studies (pages 1117–1125), Denver, May 2017. Awarded best case study.
  6. AudioCanvas: Interactive Audio Photos
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones. In Advances in Printing and Media Technology XLI(I):133–136 (Proceedings of IARIGAI 2014, Swansea, September 2014). Awarded third prize for best paper.
  7. Mobile Collocated Interactions: Taking an Offline Break Together
    A. Lucero, M. Jones, T. Jokela, S. Robinson. In interactions 20(2):26–32, 2013.
  8. Developing Our World Views
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson. In interactions 20(2):68–71, 2013.
  9. Heads-up Engagement with the Real World: Multimodal Techniques for Bridging the Physical-Digital Divide
    S. Robinson. In CHI 2010 Doctoral Consortium (pages 2895–2898), Atlanta, April 2010.

Workshop items, works-in-progress, late-breaking work, demos

  1. Speech Technologies Development With and for Minority Language Communities: Case Study of isiXhosa
    N. Markl, P. Bell, E. Wallington, O. Klejch, S. Robinson, T. Reitmaier, M. Jones, J. Pearson. To appear in XIX International Conference on Minority Languages, Carmarthen, June 2023.
    • Full version available soon.
  2. Exploring Clinicians’ Use and Perceptions of Patient-reported Outcome Measures at a Tertiary Cancer Centre in Wales
    M. Hall, S. Robinson, M. Roach, A. Dix. In ISOQOL 2022 Posters, Prague, October 2022.
  3. Photovoltaic Materials for the Design of Self-Powered Interfaces and Interactions using Shadow Detection
    K. Seunarine, Y. Meena, D. Sahoo, S. Robinson, J. Pearson, S. Thomas, A. Pockett, G. Thomas, M. Carnie, M. Jones. In SelfSustainableCHI: Workshop on Self-Powered Sustainable Interfaces and Interactions, Honolulu (virtual), May 2020.
  4. Programmable Liquid Matter: 2D Shape Drawing of Liquid Metals by Dynamic Electric Field
    Y. Tokuda, J. Berna, G. Memoli, T. Neate, D. Sahoo, S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones, S. Subramanian. In ISS 2017 Demos, Brighton, October 2017.
  5. JDLED: Towards Visio-Tactile Displays based on Electrochemical Locomotion of Liquid-Metal Janus Droplets
    D. Sahoo, T. Neate, Y. Tokuda, J. Pearson, S. Robinson, S. Subramanian, M. Jones. In UIST 2017 Demos, Quebec City, October 2017
  6. Better Together: Disaggregating Mobile Services for Emergent Users
    S. Robinson, J. Pearson, M. Jones, A. Joshi, S. Ahire. In MobileHCI 2017 Demos, Vienna, September 2017.
  7. Deformable Paint Palette: Actuated Force Controls for Digital Painting
    C. Steer, J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Jones. In CHI 2017 Late-Breaking Work, Denver, May 2017
  8. Hands On With Nature: Designing Tangible Interactions With Plants
    C. Steer, S. Robinson, M. Jones. In NatureCHI 2016: Workshop on Unobtrusive User Experiences with Technology in Nature, San Jose, May 2016.
  9. Growth, Change and Decay: Plants and Interaction Possibilities
    C. Steer, S. Robinson, M. Jones. In Proceedings of CHI 2015 (Works-in-Progress), Seoul, April 2015.
  10. Demo: Audio QR Codes for Voice Service Position Sharing
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, N. Rajput, M. Jones, A. Nanavati. In SiMPE 2013: Workshop on Speech (and Sound) in Mobile and Pervasive Environments, Munich, August 2013.
  11. Pico Projection for Performative Place Based Services
    L. Betsworth, S. Robinson, M. Jones. In EIPS 2013: Workshop on Experiencing Interactivity in Public Spaces, Paris, April 2013.
  12. Com-Me: Community Media Toolkit
    S. Robinson, D. Frohlich, K. Eglinton, M. Jones, J. Marshall, A. Stringer, K. Langhein. In Digital Futures 2012 demos, Aberdeen, October 2012.
  13. Sharing Voice Sites on the Spoken Web
    J. Pearson, S. Robinson, M. Jones, A. Nanavati. In MWB 2012: Workshop on Mobility and Web Behaviours, San Francisco, September 2012.
  14. Callback & Social Media Sharing in Rural Africa
    N. Bidwell, M. Lalmas, G. Marsden, B. Dlutu, M. Jones, W. Tucker, E. Vartiainen, I. Klampanos, S. Robinson. Technical Report, November 2011.
  15. Impromptu Collaborative Projection for Storytelling
    S. Robinson, E. Vartiainen, M. Jones, G. Marsden. In MP2 2011: Workshop on Mobile and Personal Projection, Vancouver, May 2011.
  16. HaptiProjection: Multimodal Mobile Information Discovery
    S. Robinson, M. Jones. In Ubiprojection 2010: Workshop on Personal Projection, Helsinki, May 2010.
  17. Pico-ing into the Future of Mobile Projector Phones
    M. L. Wilson, S. Robinson, D. Craggs, K. Brimble, M. Jones. In CHI 2010 Works-in-Progress (pages 3997–4002), Atlanta, April 2010.

Contact

Photo of Simon Robinson
  • Contact
    • simon–robinson . ac(Email)