I am a Senior Lecturer in Interaction Design and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at the Department of Computer Science and Media Technology, which is part of the Faculty of Technology and Society at Malmö University, Sweden. Previously, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Informatics at Umeå University and at the Division of Media Technology and Interaction Design at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. I hold a PhD and a Master’s degree in Interaction Design and Electronic Arts from the Sydney School of Design at the University of Sydney in Australia.
From a high-level perspective, my research investigates how to design from self to others. My premise is that to design for complexity and uncertainty, designers should start by paying attention to the aesthetic qualities of their own experiences. In my view, engaging in rigorous first-person research represents a pivotal first step to developing a more nuanced understanding of interactive systems, as experiences cannot exist in isolation in a pre-given objective world. Instead, I understand that experiences, cultures, bodies and technologies exist in a co-constituted space, shaping one another.
Grounded in the notion of designing from self to others, my research revolves around two main projects:
Designing aesthetic experiences from the body and felt sense: I have devoted an important part of my career to studying how we express and articulate tacit knowledge, including aesthetic experiences and elusive interaction qualities for design use. I have specialised in soma design methods, foregrounding the body as the centre of our meaning-making process. I have trained in specialised methods for noticing, such as Focusing and micro-phenomenology, which I have applied in my research and teaching. The Focusing method derives from phenomenology and serves as an evocation tool to direct an organised dialogue between mind and bodily self-awareness, generating meaning and unearthing insights.
Autobiographical design and nomad bodies: Being a nomad involves moving and adapting, shaping our identities through absences of various sorts, such as the absence of family or a place to settle down. Using nomadism and foreignness as a starting point to design experiences is relevant because our world is rapidly changing, challenging what we take for granted and calling for more frugal and fluid ways of living. In recent years, we have lived through a global pandemic, new manifestations of climate change, and increased political instability. Consequently, I draw on experiences of foreignness to understand mobility, change, and resilience.
My topics of interest include (but are not limited to) design methods, somaesthetics, aesthetics of interaction, design research, and introspective practices (such as noticing, micro-phenomenology, and focusing).
My publication list is available in Google Scholar. You can find some of my papers at ResearchGate.
Email: cnunezpacheco[at]gmail.com
claudianunezpacheco.com 