Fraser Allison, PhD

About

Hi, I’m Fraser. I’m a mixed-methods researcher in Melbourne, Australia, and an academic in the field of human-computer interaction.

I often study the user experience of AI-driven systems, using the broadest definition of “AI”. I’ve looked at computer games, voice interfaces, memorial technologies and aviation assistants.

I also do commercial market research and product/service design research.

My work typically involves a mix of quantitative and qualitative surveys, interviews, observation studies and design pattern analysis. I like to learn new techniques and technologies to suit the task at hand.

I’m currently writing a book about death and videogames, working for a strategic innovation consultancy and looking after my two young children.

Experience

In 2020–2022, I was a postdoctoral research fellow with the DeathTech research team at the University of Melbourne. I helped to lead the Future Cemetery Project, a multi-part investigation into how digital technologies are changing the design and usage of urban cemeteries.

In 2015–2020, I was a graduate researcher at the University of Melbourne in the Human-Computer Interaction group. I wrote my PhD dissertation on the history, design and user experience of voice-controlled video games.

In 2007–2014, I worked in market research. I oversaw software development for a mid-sized consultancy firm based in Melbourne and New York, and designed surveys, interviews and focus groups for a range of high-profile organisations.

Publications

This is an abridged list of my academic journal articles, book chapters and fully-refereed conference papers. A full list is available at ORCiD or Google Scholar.

  • Allison, F., Nansen, B., Gibbs, M. & Arnold, M. (2023) Bones of Contention: Social Acceptance of Digital Cemetery Technologies. In Proceedings of CHI 2023. ACM.
  • Arnold, M., Kohn, T., Nansen, B. & Allison, F. (2023) Representing Alkaline Hydrolysis: A Material-semiotic Analysis of an Alternative to Burial and Cremation. Mortality, 1–19. Taylor & Francis.
  • Gosper, S., Trippas, J.R., Richard, H., Allison, F., Sear, C., Khorasani, S. & Mattioli, F. (2021) Understanding the Utility of Digital Flight Assistants: A Preliminary Analysis. In Proceedings of CUI 2021. ACM.
  • Allison, F., Carter, M. & Gibbs, M. (2020) Word Play: A History of Voice Interaction in Digital Games. Games and Culture, 15(2), 91–113. Sage.
  • Hettiachchi, D., Sarsenbayeva, Z., Allison, F., van Berkel, N., Dingler, T., Marini, G., Kostakos, V. & Goncalves, J. (2020) “Hi! I am the Crowd Tasker”: Crowdsourcing through Digital Voice Assistants. In Proceedings of CHI 2020. ACM.
  • Sparrow, L., Allison, F., Gibbs, M. & Arnold, M. (2020) Productive Distrust: Playing with the Player in Digital Games. In Proceedings of DiGRA Australia 2020. DiGRA.
  • Allison, F., Newn, J., Smith, W., Carter, M. & Gibbs, M. (2019) Frame Analysis of Voice Interaction Gameplay. In Proceedings of CHI 2019, 393:1–393:14. ACM.
  • Carter, M., & Allison, F. (2019) Guilt in DayZ. In K. Jørgensen & F. Karlsen (Eds.), Transgression in Games and Play, 133–152. MIT Press.
  • Newn, J., Singh, R., Allison, F., Madumal, P., Velloso, E. & Vetere, F. (2019) Designing Interactions with Intention-aware Gaze-enabled Artificial Agents. In Human-Computer Interaction—INTERACT 2019. Springer.
  • Allison, F., Carter, M., Gibbs, M. & Smith, W. (2018) Design Patterns for Voice Interaction in Games. In Proceedings of CHI PLAY 2018, 5–17. ACM.
  • Newn, J., Allison, F., Velloso, E. & Vetere, F. (2018) Looks Can Be Deceiving: Using Gaze Visualisation to Predict and Mislead Opponents in Strategic Gameplay. In Proceedings of CHI 2018,  261:1–261:12. ACM.
  • Allison, F., Luger, E. & Hofmann, K. (2018) How Players Speak to an Intelligent Game Character Using Natural Language Messages. Transactions of DiGRA, 4(2), 1–50. DiGRA.
  • Newn, J., Velloso, E., Allison, F., Abdelrahman, Y. & Vetere, F. (2017) Evaluating Real-time Gaze Representations to Infer Intentions in Competitive Turn-based Strategy Games. In Proceedings of CHI PLAY. ACM.
  • Carter, M. & Allison, F. (2017) Fear, Loss and Meaningful Play: Permadeath in DayZ. Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, 9(2), 143–158. Intellect.
  • Allison, F. (2016) Are You Out of Your Mind? Focalization in Digital Games. Transactions of DiGRA, 2(3).
  • Allison, F., Carter, M. & Gibbs, M. (2015). Good Frustrations: The Paradoxical Pleasure of Fearing Death in DayZ. In Proceedings of OzCHI 2015, 119–123. ACM.
  • Carter, M., Allison, F., Downs, J. & Gibbs, M. (2015) Player Identity Dissonance and Voice Interaction in Games. In Proceedings of CHI PLAY 2015, 265–269. ACM.
  • Allison, F. (2015) Whose Mind is the Signal? Focalization in video game narratives. In Proceedings of DiGRA 2015.

Public Talks

I’ve talked about my work at a range of public events, including:

  • SXSW Sydney (2023) ‘Death and Dying in Videogames’
  • Melbourne Conversations (July 2022) ‘Deconstructing Human Voices’
  • Redesigning Deathcare Conference (2022) ‘Eight Major Changes Reshaping Australian Consumer Deathcare Choices’
  • PAX Aus (2021) ‘The Researchers Among Us: Busting Myths About Games Research’
  • Lifting the Lid Festival (2021) ‘Death in Video Games’ [webinar]
  • Melbourne Knowledge Week (2019) ‘The Playful Psychology of Voice Interaction Technology’
  • PAX Aus (2018) ‘Games, Interactions and Interfaces: What the Latest Research Says’

Popular Media

I’ve written and spoken about my research for various public news sources:

Events & Service

I was a board member of the Digital Games Research Association of Australia (DiGRAA) from 2018 to 2022.

I have played key roles in the organisation of several academic conferences:

  • General Co-chair, DiGRAA Conference 2022
  • Technical Chair, Redesigning Deathcare Conference 2022
  • Volunteers Chair, CHI PLAY Conference 2018
  • Sponsorship Chair & Social Events Chair, DiGRAA Conference 2017
  • Volunteers Manager, Freeplay Independent Games Festival 2015

Contact

f.j.allison@gmail.com
LinkedIn
ORCiD
Google Scholar

‘Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made.’ – Immanuel Kant