Kersten Smith

PhD Student in Human Computer Interaction at University of British Columbia

Email: kmds @ cs. ubc. ca

My Profile

I’m a Human Computer Interaction researcher focused on designing technologies that strengthen social connection and support wellbeing across the lifespan. My work is grounded in qualitative research, co‑design, and prototyping to explore how technology can better support people in their everyday relationships and practices. I’ve collaborated closely with research teams and community partners, particularly older adults, to create research‑backed interactive systems, leading projects from exploratory studies through to publication at venues like CHI. I’m currently a PhD researcher at UBC, where I study how text‑based messaging can be adapted to support relationship maintenance in contexts affected by substance use.

Education

PhD in Human Computer Interaction University of British Columbia

9/2025 - present

Member of the eDAPT research lab under Joanna McGrenere

Key Research

Adapting text-based messaging to support relationship maintenance practices for social partnerships affected by substance use
Voice assistants for older adults when online banking

Masters in Human Computer Interaction Université Paris-Saclay

9/2022 - 9/2024

Graduated Admis Mention très bien

Top-ranked thesis of graduating class

Key Research

Socio-technical co-design of tangible and ambient technology for social connection with older adults

BSc Computer Science and BSc Financial Math and Economics University of Victoria

1/2017 - 4/2022

Dean's List

Graduated with distinction

Research Experience

Ambient and Tangible Social Technology

3/2024 - 9/2024 eDAPT Lab, University of British Columbia

Led a 6-month project with older adults and social partners to explore ambient tangible social technology
scoping research, developing protocols, recruiting participants, facilitating co-design workshops, prototyping, and performing thematic analysis
Resulted in top-ranked thesis and CHI publication

Publications

Touching Experiences: How Older Adults Envision Ambient and Tangible Social Technology Through the Lens of Time

In Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '25).

Kersten Smith, Sang-Wha Sien, Jiamin Dai, and Joanna McGrenere.

https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3714302 ; Acceptance rate 24.9%

Volunteer Experience

Undergraduate Research Experience Program Mentor

9/2025 - 3/2026 University of British Columbia

Guided a group of three multidisciplinary undergraduate students through a research project, from literature review through study execution
Supported mentees through running a qualitative design study with expert HCI researchers

Adjudicator for Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference

3/2026 University of British Columbia

Review posters and oral presentations from undergraduates on their research in various disciplines across the university

Professional Experience

Data Analyst Co-Op BC Hydro

5/2021 - 8/2021

Analyzed spending and work-package data to enable data-driven budget decisions
Produced visualizations and reports for stakeholders
Worked independently and took ownership of self-development as a remote employee

Quality Analyst Co-Op Translink

1/2019 - 4/2019

Designed and led usability tests for internal systems
Authored user support documents and supported iterative design improvements
Worked closely with product stakeholders to ensure a full understanding of the product teams’ needs and priorities

Certificates

AGE-WELL EPIC Innovators of Tomorrow

ASSETS Future Program Committee Training Workshop

TCPS 2: CORE-2022

Samples of Work

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