Mikaela O'bryan
Doctoral student

Presentation

My research explores how digital systems can support people in navigating increasingly complex everyday decisions related to energy use and sustainability. As homes become more connected and energy systems more data-driven, digital applications are playing a growing role in how individuals understand, manage, and engage with their consumption in everyday life. At the same time, these systems often require users to interpret large amounts of information and adapt to changing conditions, creating challenges related to understanding, effort, and engagement.

The project investigates how interaction design and digital interfaces can make complex system information more understandable, actionable, and relevant to different users and their everyday situations. Drawing from Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), persuasive technology, and sustainable interaction design, the research focuses on how digital systems shape users’ understanding of possible actions, support decision-making, and influence engagement with sustainable practices.

Through studies of existing digital solutions, user interaction with energy-related technologies, and the design of alternative interface concepts, the project contributes knowledge about how digital systems can better support human interaction with complex societal infrastructures in ways that are both meaningful for users and valuable for organizations developing future digital services.

In addition to my research, I teach in university courses related to innovation and user research at both bachelor’s and master’s levels.