Marta E. Cecchinato

@martacecchinato.bsky.social

Asst Prof in Human-Computer Interaction at Northumbria University CHI & CHIWORK steering committee Working on #HCI #Productivity #FutureOfWork #WorkLifeBalance #DigitalWellbeing #Neurodiversity #EquitableWork #InclusiveFutures She/her

It’s marking season again 😩 trying to avoid using sugar as a reward/motivation, and instead stole this visual timer from my son. Works a charm with him to move on to help him move on to the next activity (usually bedtime!)… and it turns out it works a charm on me too! I’m on a roll!

Desk setup with a visual timer set at approximately 15 minutes, placed on a cork surface. A partially visible laptop screen is on the left side.

Merry Christmas! 🎄 Hope your day is filled with pjs, roasties, cosy films, and Lego! Or you know, whatever tickles your fancy 😉 My 4-year-old built this “alien who works at a university”. I’m hoping it’s here to take over my marking!

The image depicts a small LEGO creation, primarily blue, featuring a vertical stack of bricks with light blue and dark blue stripes. The build has wing-like extensions on either side and two upright rods on the top. It is set against a cosy indoor background, with a Christmas tree adorned with lights and ornaments visible in the distance. The foreground includes festive holly-patterned pyjamas.

Just gave my last HCI lecture of the semester! HCI is a bit like marmite for CS students—you love it or hate it. To reflect back and connect with students, I made them their own ‘wrapped’ review of the module. Here's how students engaged with the module: 🧵