My research at NTNU
08.05.2025
I work with the design of creative, intelligent systems (IoT and AI) that promote health and quality of life. The goal is to enhance activity, motivation, social relations, creativity, and a sense of mastery through musical, narrative, and multisensory forms of expression.
Key Projects and Target Groups:
- Co-design of Health-Promoting Creative Technologies: Co-design of personal and relationship-building technologies and health services to strengthen physical and mental health. This is achieved by measuring and creatively motivating better sleep, exercise, relational attachment, and social interactions. I document creative design choices and usage through auto-ethnography, action research, and co-design.
- Children with Complex Disabilities and Their Families: Collaborative projects such as RHYME (NFR/AHO/UiO/NMH), The Cultural Schoolbag (Kulturtanken), and iFields (Lund University/Arvsfonden), together with Birgitta Cappelen and Musical Fields Forever.
- Elderly with Dementia: Research and development in collaboration with NTNU Gjøvik, Diakonhjemmet/VID, and the municipalities of Trondheim and Gjøvik. I have also held a post-doctoral position at Kristianstad University focusing on the health-promoting use of interactive music for elderly people with early-stage dementia.
- Caregivers and close others: Projects in collaboration with Skills Norway (Kompetanse Norge), Vocational Colleges (Fagskolen), and Gjøvik municipality.
Methodology and Approach:
- Musicking: Based on Christopher Small's concept, we view music as a relationship-building activity rather than a static work of art. We apply this to multisensory interaction to stimulate communication and co-creation through physical, rhythmic, and visual means.
- Interactive Music Composition: Developing techniques for intelligent systems where users—regardless of musical expertise—can shape the music through interaction.
- Open Interfaces: To meet diverse user needs, we design interfaces in four layers:
- Sound nodes (the smallest musical unit).
- Compositional rules.
- Narrative structures over time.
- Physical, tactile, and visual interfaces.
- Health Promotion: The work is rooted in the definition of health promotion as a process that enables people to increase control over, and to improve, their own health. This involves integrating a health perspective into design and development at all levels of society.
- And: User-oriented action research, Participatory Design/Co-Design, user participation, design-based research, Research-by-Design, universal design, auto-ethnography, Technology of the Self.