Dr Thomas Dylan

Assistant Professor

School: Design Arts and Creative Industries

My research is grounded in hands-on experimentation with embedded and networked technologies, using interactive artefacts as a means of inquiry.

I work primarily through Research through Design in the Field, combining ethnographic methods with the development of research prototypes that respond to questions emerging from specific social contexts. This approach informs both my research and teaching, where studio-based exploration is used to support engagement with emerging technologies.

I am particularly interested in collaboration and in the situated use of prototypes, valuing opportunities to work alongside participants and to observe how artefacts operate in everyday settings over time.

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Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
PhotoThings: Designing child-friendly ways into personal photo archives, Dylan, T. 22 Jun 2026, IDC '26: Proceedings of the 25th Interaction Design and Children Conference, New York, US, ACM
Communicative Openness within Adoptive Families: The Role of Photos and Visual Communication, Dylan, T., Harrison, D., Durrant, A. 13 Jun 2022, DIS 2022 - Proceedings of the 2022 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference, New York, US, ACM
A systematic review of physical–digital play technology and developmentally relevant child behaviour, Torres, P., Ulrich, P., Cucuiat, V., Cukurova, M., Fercovic De la Presa, M., Luckin, R., Carr, A., Dylan, T., Durrant, A., Vines, J., Lawson, S. 1 Dec 2021, In: International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction
Lanterns: Configuring a Digital Resource to Inspire Preschool Children's Free Play Outdoors, Dylan, T., Durrant, A., Çerçi, S., Lawson, S., Vines, J. 6 May 2021, Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New York, ACM
IoT Resources for Outdoor Play, Dylan, T., Durrant, A., Wood, G., Vines, J., Lawson, S. 4 May 2019, CHI’19 Extended Abstracts, ACM
Play Poles: Towards IoT Resources for Outdoor Play, Dylan, T., Durrant, A., Wood, G., Cerci, S., Downey, D., Scott, J., Vines, J., Lawson, S. 18 Jun 2019, Proceedings of the 2019 on Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS ‘19), New York, NY, USA, ACM

PGR Supervision

Freya Wright Dressing Up, Settling In: Costume, Identity, and Regulation. Towards New Ways of Working with Care-Experienced Children. A Research through Design approach. Start Date: 01/10/2024
Freya Wright A Research through Design approach, exploring how playful costume can create moments of connection within adoptive families. Start Date: 01/10/2024 End Date: 17/10/2025

Qualifications