Dr Bernd Ploderer

Faculty of Science,
School of Computer Science
Biography
I am a Senior Lecturer in Human-Computer Interaction for Healthy Living at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). I design and investigate interactive technology to empower people through novel health data and through better connections with peers and health professionals. My research combines ethnographic research, collaborative design, and field studies. I studied and designed technologies in various contexts, including bodybuilding, quitting smoking, healthy sleep habits, and rehabilitation after a stroke. Currently, I am involved in the following projects:- MyFootCare: empowering people with a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) in their self-care through mobile visual analytics (supported by The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation)
- Ambient Nature Network: designing technologies to connect people to and through nature (supported by ARC DP190101647)
- I want to Move it, Move it: exploring children's active play through tangible and embodied interfaces (supported by ARC DP200100723)
- Research ethics and integrity advisor for the School of Computer Science
- Associate Chair for the Health Committee at the CHI22 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
- Executive Committee member for the Australian Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Science,
School of Computer Science- Kelvin Grove Q Block Membership
Institute of Health Biomedical Innovation (IHBI),
IHBI Science and Engineering Projects - Kelvin Grove Q Block Membership
Keywords
Human-Computer Interaction, Human-Computer Interaction for Healthy Living, Interaction Design, Social Computing, mHealth, personal informatics, active play, Sleep, diabetic foot, Health Informatics
Discipline
Information Systems
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (University of Melbourne)
Professional memberships and associations
ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI): Member Fellow of the Higher Education Academy CHISIG - Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group: Committee Member
Teaching
I am currently responsible for the teaching and administration of the following human-computer interaction subjects:
- “CAB210 User Experience Fundamentals” (undergraduate) in-depth, qualitative user research through contextual inquiry, co-design, usability and user experience evaluation
- “CAB310 Interaction and Experience Design” (undergraduate) advanced human-computer interaction unit focussed on the theory, design, and evaluation of emerging technologies for human use
- “IFN591 Principles of User Experience” (postgraduate) introduction to user experience and human-centred design of digital technologies
Professional Development
- I am a Fellow of The Higher Education Academy, which demonstrates my commitment to teaching, learning and the student experience.
- In 2017 I graduated with a Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (GCAP), QUT, Brisbane. GCAP is a continuing professional education course for staff working in higher education to develop knowledge, skills, and professional values in the key areas of: learning and teaching, research, and career planning and development.
- In 2012 I completed the Melbourne Teaching Certificate, a one-semester professional development program for staff with teaching responsibilities. This involved face-to-face seminars, a written assignment to reflect on the assessment of a subject, and peer reviews of my teaching activities.
Experience
All of my research is situated in real-world health and wellbeing settings. Currently, I am involved in the following projects:
- MyFootCare: in collaboration with the Prince Charles Hospital, we seek to empower people with a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) in their self-care through mobile visual analytics (supported by The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation)
- Ambient Nature Network: we work with gardeners and environment groups in Brisbane to design technologies to connect people to and through nature (supported by ARC DP190101647)
- I want to Move it, Move it: in collaboration with childcare organisations, we design tangible and embodied interfaces to promote children's active play (supported by ARC DP200100723)
I am looking for Honours and PhD students with a background in HCI to collaborate with me on these research projects. If you are interested, please:
- Read through my proposed topics and some of my recent publications
- Familiarise yourself with the PhD scholarships available, eligibility criteria, and the application process at QUT
- Prepare the following documents: (i) a brief research proposal, (ii) a CV and (iii) a transcript of your academic results
Selected publications
- Ploderer B, Lawrence Taylor J, Muñoz D, Bircanin F, Brereton M, (2021) Diagramming Working Field Theories for Design in the HCI Classroom, CHI 2021 - Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Making Waves, Combining Strengths, pp. 1-14.
- Vella K, Ploderer B, Brereton M, (2021) Human-Nature Relations in Urban Gardens: Explorations with Camera Traps, CHI 2021 - Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: Making Waves, Combining Strengths, pp. 1-13.
- Liang Z, Ploderer B, (2020) How does Fitbit measure brainwaves: A qualitative study into the credibility of sleep-tracking technologies, Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies, 4 (1).
- Aggarwal D, Ploderer B, Hoang T, Vetere F, Bradford M, (2020) Physiotherapy over a distance: The use of wearable technology for video consultations in hospital settings, ACM Transactions on Computing for Healthcare, 1 (4).
- Green T, Ploderer B, (2020) From collaboration to care: Using co-design principles and caring science to guide professional rehabilitation nursing practice, Journal of the Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association, 23 (1), pp. 4-6.
- Wilson C, Sitbon L, Ploderer B, Opie J, Brereton M, (2020) Self-expression by design: Co-designing the ExpressiBall with minimally-verbal children on the autism spectrum, CHI 2020 - Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-13.
- Wilson C, Brereton M, Ploderer B, Sitbon L, (2019) Co-design beyond words: 'Moments of interaction' with minimally-verbal children on the autism spectrum, CHI 2019 - Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-15.
- Rodgers S, Ploderer B, Maloney B, Hang J, (2019) Designing for wellbeing-as-interaction, CHI EA 2019 - Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-6.
- Munoz Saez D, Ploderer B, Brereton M, (2019) Position exchange workshops: A method to design for each other in families, CHI 2019 - Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-14.
- Ploderer B, Brown R, Seng L, Lazzarini P, Van Netten J, (2018) Promoting self-care of diabetic foot ulcers through a mobile phone app: User-centered design and evaluation, JMIR Diabetes, 3 (4).
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Bernd, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Honorable Mention award for my CHI 2021 paper "Diagraming Working Field Theories for Design in the HCI Classroom". The paper was ranked among the top 5% of all accepted submissions.
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- Associate Chair for the Health Subcommittee at CHI 2022, the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- PCHF Innovation Grant to conduct a trial study "MyFootCare: A Mobile App to Engage Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcers in Self-Care." With P Lazarrini, J van Netten, R Brown, D Clark, and J Warnock
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Metro North Hospital and Health Service Link Grant to develop and trial "Better Individualised Stroke Care using Technology (BISCUT)." With T Green, J Muller, K Clark, and A Tariq
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- QUT Vice Chancellor's Performance Award for mentoring research students and colleagues through CHI writing workshops
Research projects
- Title
- Framing and Enabling Children's Active Play using Novel Technology
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP200100723
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- Ambient Nature Network: New Technologies to Connect People to Nature
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP190101647
- Start year
- 2019
- Keywords
Supervision
Current supervisions
- HCI in the Garden: Technology for Sharing and Living with Nature, Inspired by Phenology for Older Adult Gardeners
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Margot Brereton - Crafting and Connecting: Co-Designing Technologies with Older Adult Crafters to Promote Family Connections
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Margot Brereton, Associate Professor Laurianne Sitbon - Making a Makerspace: Reimagining Makerspaces for Women's Participation
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Margot Brereton - Co-Designing with Adults with Moderate to Severe Intellectual Disabilities to Enable Active Communication Technology Use
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Margot Brereton, Associate Professor Laurianne Sitbon - Designing Elements of Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interactions for Young Children¿s Active Play
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Thea Blackler, Professor Peta Wyeth - Designing Interactive Technologies to Enhance Nature Engagement for Children in Urban Bhutan
MPhil, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Margot Brereton, Professor Paul Roe, Dr Alessandro Soro - Designing Digital Technology to Help Parents Support Their Young Children's Healthy Physical Activity
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Professor Stewart Trost