Dr. Glen Farrelly’s research centers the user of digital media innovations in Internet, mobile, social, and emerging media. Through mixed method research and the lenses of critical theory of technology, user experience, and inclusive design, Dr. Farrelly examines how design interfaces, medium constraints, accessibility barriers, and user norms and behaviours affect user adoption and continued use of digital media properties.

His current research examines geolocative mobile media in sustainable tourism as well as the role of artificial intelligence in online education.

Previous research projects include the adoption and use of contact-tracing mobile applications, online education courses, tablet applications to aid treating dementia, gestural interfaces for big data visualization, and web accessibility standards for people with disabilities.

The lists below highlight Dr.  Farrelly’s scholarly articles, conference presentations, blog posts, and media interviews.

Refereed Publications

• Cocosila, M., Trabelsi, H. & Farrelly, G. (2024). An empirical investigation of student online learning continuance intention in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Journal of Systems & Information Technology.
• With M. Cocosila & H. Trabelsi: (2023). Exploring online learning: Student feedback on factors for effective online learning post COVID-19. Creative Education, 14(12).
• With M. Cocosila & H. Trabelsi: COVID-19 contact tracing applications: An analysis of individual motivations for adoption and use. First Monday (2022)
• With M. Cocosila & H. Trabelsi: Perceptions of users and non-users of an early contact tracing mobile application to fight COVID-19 spread: A value-based empirical investigation, Information Technology & People (2022)
• With OCAD Visual Analytics Lab: Reality recalled: Elders, memory and VR, Proceedings of 23 International Conference on Virtual Systems & Multimedia (2017)
• Which way is up? How locative media may enhance sense of place, International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction (2015)
• Irreplaceable: The role of geotargetted place information in a location based service, Journal of Location Based Services (2014)
• Putting locative technology in its sense of place, Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (2013)
• The role of location-based services in shaping sense of place, Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (2012)
• Practitioner barriers to diffusion and implementation of web accessibility, Technology and Disability (2011)
• On tags and signs: A semiotic analysis of folksonomies, Faculty of Information Quarterly (2009)
• Does Rotten Tomatoes spoil users? Examining if social media features foster participatory culture, Stream (2009)

Book Chapters

• With J. Foxe, A. Miller, V. Hui, D. Nubla & C. Schindler-Lynch: Visual plagiarism: Seeing the forest and the trees, Academic Integrity Perspectives in Canada, Springer (2022)
• With H. Trabelsi & M. Cocosila: A consumer behavior perspective of adopting mobile contact tracing apps in a public health crisis: Lessons from ABTraceTogether for COVID-19 pandemic. A New Era of Consumer Behavior – Beyond the Pandemic, IntechOpen (2022)
• Which way is up? How locative media may enhance sense of place, Geospatial Research: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, IGI Global (2016)

Conference Presentations and Invited Talks (highlights)

• Balancing acts with over-tourism and sustainability, Shad Anywhere (July 11, 2024)
• Artificial intelligence powered virtual work-integrated learning in business programs, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Conference (June 4, 2023)
• Accessible design and user experience, Shad Anywhere (July 13, 2023)
• Where do we go next – The tourist experience with geolocative mobile apps, Northeast Popular & American Culture Association Conference (Oct. 22, 2022)
• Enhancing online courses with artificial intelligence powered experiential learning, Pan-Commonwealth Forum (Sept. 14, 2022)
• AI-powered simulation: Addressing pedagogical, usability, and implementation issues, Conference of the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education (May 3, 2022)
• User experience & adoption challenges of a COVID-19 contact tracing app, International Symposium on Geospatial Approaches to Combating COVID-19, part of Intl. Cartographic Conference (Dec. 13, 2021)
• The Singularity has not yet arrived: AI can be our friend, Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference (June 2, 2021)
• Creative careers in the online age, Communication and Design Society (Nov. 7, 2019).
• Elders, memory and data visualisation: Changing aging cues with news media, Big Data Research, Analytics, & Information Network AGM (March 2, 2018)
• Postcard Memories: An application for senior’s with dementia, demonstration for Premier Kathleen Wynne, OCAD University (Jan. 23, 2017)
• The design process for a mobile application, Women in Engineering & Science (July 9, 2016)
• Positioning the user in locative applications, Canadian Wireless Trade Show (Oct. 29, 2015)
• People, Places, and Things, Intl. Symposium on Electronic Arts (Aug. 15, 2015)
• Web comics and graphic literature, Toronto Public Library (Feb. 25, 2015)
• Locative media and sense of place, Mobile HCI Conference (Sept. 23, 2014)
• Social georeferencing: Bring content into the field, Handheld Librarian 9 Conference (Feb. 27, 2014)
• Putting locative technology in its sense of place, IEEE Intl. Symposium on Tech. & Society (June 29, 2013)
• The role of location-based services in shaping sense of place, Association for Info. Science & Technology conference (Oct. 29, 2012)

Articles (highlights)

• AI is here to help postsecondary educators (not take over). University Affairs (July 2021)
• With faculty from Toronto Metropolitan University: Preventing visual plagiarism (2018)
• Book review: Mary Griffiths & Kim Barbour (Eds.), Making Publics, Making Places, Mobile Media & Communication (Dec. 2017)
• Putting Toronto on the locative map, GRAND NCE (Oct. 2014)
• The Top 15 Canadians in digital media, [Cover story – print and web edition], Backbone Magazine (Nov./Dec. 2011)
• Dawson City: Land of gold and the midnight sun, Canadian Geographic (Aug. 2000)
• Diefenbunker: Canada’s cold war secret, BootsnAll (Aug. 2000)
• Quebec’s Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Canadian Geographic (June 2000)
• Labrador – Newfoundland’s rugged sibling, Canadian Geographic (May 2000)
• Qu’appelle Valley: Calls to you, Canadian Geographic (April 2000)
• Our prime minister is a french fry and other great Canadian myths, BootsnAll (March 2000)
• Southern Ontario vs. Northern California, BootsnAll (Nov. 1999)
• Top 10 things to do in Ontario (warm months), BootsnAll (Sept. 1999)

Articles for Backbone Magazine’s articles (highlights)
Note: Backbone ceased operations in 2016. For access to my articles, please visit the Internet Archive.

• Unfriending is unnecessary (Jan 4, 2016)
• The hardest thing about social media (Sep. 8, 2015)
• List of location-based services (Sept. 2, 2015)
• Keeping it real – Re/Max’s mobile marketing has curbside appeal (June 24 , 2015)
• No app required! (June 9, 2015)
• I lost my mind when I forgot my mobile device (June 4, 2015)
• Accessibility of information systems (May 28, 2015)
• Mobile devices give directions… To Hell! (May 21, 2015)
• Tracking the trackers (May 11, 2015)
• Learning appreciation for graphic literature (May 4, 2015)
• In defence of stock photos (April 27, 2015)
• Careers in corporate digital media (April 21, 2015)
• Building a solid information architecture for a website (April 13, 2015)
• Students predict technology trends (April 6, 2015)
• Tips for corporate websites and intranets (March 25, 2015)
• Reviewing theme parks use of digital media (Jan. 2, 2015)
• Closing the Facebook (Oct. 11, 2014)
• Give MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) a try (Aug. 14, 2014)
• Mobile apps and sites usability top 10 tips (Dec. 3, 2013)
• Creating counter maps & shared geographies with locative media (Nov. 25, 2013)
• What the app developers were thinking? (Oct. 17, 2013)
• Exploring the world of geocaching (Aug. 20, 2013)
• Corporate blog or soap box? (May 28, 2013)
• Typology of contextual awareness (May 3, 2013)
• Mobile priorities: Spectrum, talent and lower costs (April 17, 2013)
• Digital playground in Toronto (April 11, 2013)
• Mental map of online participation (April 1, 2013)
• How much do apps really help users? (March 19, 2013)
• The Mobile Web and everyday life (Feb. 22, 2013)
• Milestones in the history of geo-locative services (Feb. 20, 2013)
• Power of online social mapping (February 12, 2013)
• Usability tips for websites and mobiles (January 4, 2013)
• Methods to study digital media (November 19, 2012)
• How are mobile devices changing our lives? (November 14, 2012)
• Have check-ins checked out? (May 15, 2012)
• Geosocial networking: Check out what’s happening with check-ins (Feb. 10, 2012)
• IPTV – TV over the internet with Bell Fibe (March 29, 2011)
• Staying home for an online conference (March 10, 2011)
• Pondering effects of Foursquare (Feb. 28, 2011)
• A call for greater e-participation in Canada (Oct.14, 2010)
• Canada’s role in a mobile media world (Sept. 17, 2010)
• Making a technology inventory (June 28, 2010)
• User experience – more than just usability (May 27, 2010)
• Facebook and the problem of collapsed identity (April 13, 2010)
• Web accessibility challenges (March 26, 2010)

Websites and Blogs
Over my career, I’ve created and worked on numerous websites, mobile applications, blogs, and other digital media projects. Below are a sample of my individually-authored online projects:

• Webslinger – digital media trends and best practices blog, 2006-17
• Locative Media Directions – website about locative media and location-based services, since 2016-2024
• Famous Torontonians – a local history wiki, 2004-22
• Deltiology Deity – a postcard collection blog, since 2013

Media Interviews and Inclusions of My Work

• Is there a way to quickly grade writing? University Affairs, 63, 3 (June 2022).
• 7 tips to help recognize misinformation online – interviewed for AU The Hub (April 13, 2022)
• 770CHQR Calgary and 630 CHED Edmonton – interviewed about artificial intelligence in post-secondary education (May 13, 2021)
• CBC TV News – interviewed about the future of technology (Jan. 1, 2015)
• Pew Research Internet Project – quoted on nature of cyber attacks (Oct. 2014)
• Elon University and the Pew Internet Project – quoted on impact of ubiquitous Internet connectivity and the impact on our lives (Fall 2014)
• Multi-dimensional-personalization in mobile contexts – doctoral dissertation by Steffen Walter Schilke – expert reviewer of concept (May 2012)

Research Skills
Between my work experience and graduate research, I have extensive experience conducting research on digital media and users. I have experience designing, executing, and analyzing the results from a variety of methods, including:

• questionnaires and surveys
• interviews (in-person and remote)
• user and usability testing (using think-aloud, tasks, pre- and post-test questionnaires, and task assessments)
• user cognitive walk-through
• card sorting
• contextual inquiry and ethnographic observation
• user diaries
• focus groups
• content analysis
• log file analysis (including click-stream analysis and key performance indicators)
• A/B tests
• mental mapping and arts-based inquiry