Category dev
OurTravel was a project using mobile technologies to connect rural communities in the North of England. This particular prototype application was developed as part of a sprint focusing on journey...
Category academic project
Research through games design offers our view of games design as a critical design approach for generating new knowledge through the design process. It’s not about producing finished, complete or...
What do couriers experience when collecting and delivering orders? Are people thinking about the gig worker perspective when designing cities, policies, apps and platforms?
Me, Ben Kirman, Christian Remy, and Callum Nash developed a collection of fictional abstracts as short provocations to develop snapshots of how academic writing might consider the gig economy in...
Switch-Gig was a project that collaborated with gig-workers to explore and understand their current work experiences, the role of technology in this, as well as how future digital technology can...
Flipgig was a collaboration project between Lancaster University and University of Southampton funded by the EPSRC (EP/S027726/1).
FlipGig was a research project that brought together user research, transport research and operational research to consider how gig economy models in last-mile logistics can be made more fair and...
As part of the MobileAge project I co-ran a series of workshops and user engagement activities in Kendal, UK to understand older adults relationships with technology and begin a blended...
Category user research
As part of the MobileAge project I co-ran a series of workshops and user engagement activities in Kendal, UK to understand older adults relationships with technology and begin a blended...
Category gig economy
Me, Ben Kirman, Christian Remy, and Callum Nash developed a collection of fictional abstracts as short provocations to develop snapshots of how academic writing might consider the gig economy in...
Switch-Gig was a project that collaborated with gig-workers to explore and understand their current work experiences, the role of technology in this, as well as how future digital technology can...
Flipgig was a collaboration project between Lancaster University and University of Southampton funded by the EPSRC (EP/S027726/1).
FlipGig was a research project that brought together user research, transport research and operational research to consider how gig economy models in last-mile logistics can be made more fair and...
Category UCD
Switch-Gig was a project that collaborated with gig-workers to explore and understand their current work experiences, the role of technology in this, as well as how future digital technology can...
Flipgig was a collaboration project between Lancaster University and University of Southampton funded by the EPSRC (EP/S027726/1).
FlipGig was a research project that brought together user research, transport research and operational research to consider how gig economy models in last-mile logistics can be made more fair and...
Category critical design
Marvel at our collection of manky tea towels. We have been saving tea towels across the country from behind radiators, the backs of drawers, corners of charity shops, and boxes...
As part of ongoing research with tea towels and storytelling, we are co-organising an event at the arts and science festival Electromagnetic Field called “The Museum of Manky Tea Towels”....
‘Outside the Bag’ is a booklet of provocative speculative designs, developed from a series of workshops with gig-working delivery couriers in Manchester and York. Each concept is related to specific...
Me, Ben Kirman, Christian Remy, and Callum Nash developed a collection of fictional abstracts as short provocations to develop snapshots of how academic writing might consider the gig economy in...
Switch-Gig was a project that collaborated with gig-workers to explore and understand their current work experiences, the role of technology in this, as well as how future digital technology can...
Category futures
Me, Ben Kirman, Christian Remy, and Callum Nash developed a collection of fictional abstracts as short provocations to develop snapshots of how academic writing might consider the gig economy in...
Category documentation
Crank and File is a collection of critical design research led by Oliver Bates and Ben Kirman.
Category creative project
Crank and File is a collection of critical design research led by Oliver Bates and Ben Kirman.
Category project
Flip That is a sequel to SCREW THAT. It came into existence the moment that Screw That was conceived.
Screw That is a game that came together in under an hour in March 2025. A conversation between myself and Ben Kirman about how games can be a fertile medium...
Liminal Excavations (2024) is a zine I co-produced with Aksel Biørn-Hansen for the 2024 ICT4S (ICT for Sustainability) conference. I stumbled into this one when I spotted that Aksel was...
Now Available on itch.io!!!
‘Outside the Bag’ is a booklet of provocative speculative designs, developed from a series of workshops with gig-working delivery couriers in Manchester and York. Each concept is related to specific...
Category outputs
What do couriers experience when collecting and delivering orders? Are people thinking about the gig worker perspective when designing cities, policies, apps and platforms?
Now Available on itch.io!!!
Category tea towels
As part of ongoing research with tea towels and storytelling, we are co-organising an event at the arts and science festival Electromagnetic Field called “The Museum of Manky Tea Towels”....
What do couriers experience when collecting and delivering orders? Are people thinking about the gig worker perspective when designing cities, policies, apps and platforms?
Category zine
Liminal Excavations (2024) is a zine I co-produced with Aksel Biørn-Hansen for the 2024 ICT4S (ICT for Sustainability) conference. I stumbled into this one when I spotted that Aksel was...
Category post
hey I'm Oliver. I'm a designer, researcher and creative. yeah. cool. I didn't ask you any questions though. do you normally just start introducing yourself as soon as someone talks...
Cyborg Cow is a gift for my friend Matt who started a position working as Reader of Digital Dairy on a project about Digital Twins for dairy farming. It’s quite...
Category games
Flip That is a sequel to SCREW THAT. It came into existence the moment that Screw That was conceived.
Research through games design offers our view of games design as a critical design approach for generating new knowledge through the design process. It’s not about producing finished, complete or...
Screw That is a game that came together in under an hour in March 2025. A conversation between myself and Ben Kirman about how games can be a fertile medium...
Category research through game design
Flip That is a sequel to SCREW THAT. It came into existence the moment that Screw That was conceived.
Screw That is a game that came together in under an hour in March 2025. A conversation between myself and Ben Kirman about how games can be a fertile medium...
Category cfp
As part of ongoing research with tea towels and storytelling, we are co-organising an event at the arts and science festival Electromagnetic Field called “The Museum of Manky Tea Towels”....
Category design research
Research through games design offers our view of games design as a critical design approach for generating new knowledge through the design process. It’s not about producing finished, complete or...
Category zines
The ICT4S 2026 Zine Library is an outcome from the ICT4S 2026 zine track led by me. I hosted a range of activities to bring different conversations, topics and ideas...
Category reflection
The ICT4S 2026 Zine Library is an outcome from the ICT4S 2026 zine track led by me. I hosted a range of activities to bring different conversations, topics and ideas...
Category play
Marvel at our collection of manky tea towels. We have been saving tea towels across the country from behind radiators, the backs of drawers, corners of charity shops, and boxes...
