LEAD DESIGN RESEARCHER | CO-FOUNDER
OceanBrowser Ltd., Dunedin | Jan 2008 – Jul 2012 and Feb 2017 – Present
Led end-to-end design research for OB3 user experience, a SaaS web application for online asynchronous distance education.
- Facilitated stakeholder conversations and workshops to understand issues, dived into research data, turned insights into action, and developed a conceptual model, the “Online Study Cycle”, to guide R&D of OB3.
- Turned research insights into business value (grant applications, capital raising, enterprise sales, marketing collaterals such as newsletter, website, videos).
- Represented OceanBrowser externally through thought leadership (workshops, conferences, publications) and carried out research/dissemination activities to position our clients as innovators in online asynchronous distance education.
- Built trusted client relationships over 10+ years through conducting strategic research to identify evolving pedagogical needs enabled by OB3 (e.g., active learning, knowledge co-construction, students co-designing learning). See: ALN 2025 Conf.
- Contributed to commercial sustainability by helping clients to repeat business and build reputation: OB3 users implemented innovative pedagogical practices, increased student intake, and reduced dropout rates over 10+ years. Two clients became ASCILITE exemplars for Co-design in higher education (2021) and HyFlex Learning (2022).
Since 2008, I have lead research and conceptualisation of the feature design of OB3 - Online Forums Reimagined™. OB3 supports lecturers, students and administrative staff in their experience of online academic study.
This application is designed for time starved medical educators and students, to efficiently and effectively create sleek and media-rich online study documents. With minimal effort, users can import content directly from MS Word or Powerpoint (see image), add rich content such as videos or audio via drag and drop, add discussion and comments where there is content.
OB3 documents can contain interactive objects, video, audio-recordings, text, and images. These can be edited, updated by users, or anyone they share the documents with, anytime, anywhere. The help of a technology specialist is not required.
Publications
- Gomez, G., Petsoglou, C., Fraser, C., Painter, G., Cornish, E., & Nilsson, J. (2024, 13 September 2024). Advancing ophthalmic education research at the Save Sight Institute. Eye2Eye, 28, 80-81. RANZCO
- Gomez, G., Avendaño Franco, A., Daellenbach, R., Davies, L., Kensington, M., Wakes, S., & Wright, E. (2023, 29 November - 1 December 2023). Online teaching: Design and health insights for future pedagogies. The 7th International Conference for Design Education Researchers, London, United Kingdom.
- Gomez, G. (2023, 5 December ). Bridging design prototypes (BDPs) - A design tool to resource sustainable, equitable, flexible learning. FLANZ: Invited Reflections
- Gomez, G., Daellenbach, R., Davies, L., Kensington, M., & Petsoglou, C. (2022, 7 - 8 March, 2022). Students and teachers co-designing media-rich document resources in an asynchronous virtual personal learning environment. Proceedings of INTED2022 Conference.
- Petsoglou, C., Gomez, G., & Stoop, R. (2022, 15-17 February). Student-led journal club with a technology for asynchronous discussions in-line with content [ePoster]. Digital Health Week, Sydney, Australia.
- Gomez, G. & Petsoglou, C. (2021, 14-15 April). OB3 media-rich documents with embedded discussions: Lifting learning performance and engagement through interaction design [Reference paper]. FLANZ Conference 2021 for Flexible Learning, Wellington, New Zealand.
- Prier, P. & Gomez, G. 2021, (8-9 April). Embracing technology: Interactive eportfolios for midwifery students (peer-reviewed abstract) [Presentation]. Trans-Tasman Midwifery Education Consortium (TTMEC), Auckland, New Zealand.
- Gomez, G., Daellenbach, R., Davies, L., Kensington, M., & Petsoglou, C. (2018). OB3 media-rich documents™ with embedded discussions: lifting learning performance and engagement. OB3 Working Paper Series. Short paper. Research. OceanBrowser Ltd. New Zealand.
- Gomez, G. Daellenbach, R., Kensignton, M., Davies, L., Petseglou, C. (2017) Benefits of Enabling Lecturers and Students to Author, Share and Discuss Media-Rich Documents for Online Study. Accepted poster abstract, 34th International Conference on Innovation, Practice and Research in the Use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE 2017).
- Gomez, G. & Tamblyn, R. (2012, Jan 12-14). Product development in a small IT firm: an interaction design perspective. InProc. of PIN-C 2012 – Participatory Innovation Conference. Melbourne, Australia.
- Gomez, G., Tamblyn, R. (2012, Apr 11 – 13). Enhancing the Online Study Experience in Postgraduate Medical Education. Accepted poster abstract, the Distance Education Association of New Zealand (DEANZ) Conference. Wellington, New Zealand.
Relevant links
OB3 official website: https://www.ob3.io/OB3 showcase in Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8578257
Follow OB3 via Twitter (@ob3app) or LinkedIn (OceanBrowser (OB3))
Business in the news
Dr Gloria Gomez, co-founder of OB3 is one of 30 women edtech leaders you should know, EduGrowth News, 7 March 2023
Delayed Techweek put its focus in education, Otago Daily Times, 23 Sep 2020
Students vie for intern spots, Otago Daily Times, 26 Sep 2017
OceanBrowser won the 2010 Otago Business Award in Research and Innovation.
Events
Blog post "Bridging Design Prototypes (BDPs) - A design tool to resource sustainable, equitable, flexible learning", 5 December 2023, Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand (FLANZ)
Webinar When the wallabies meet with kiwis: Exploring student engagement. ASCILITE and FLANZ panel conversation. Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand, 21 September 2023.
Enhancing engagement and connection in online distance education through the interaction design of a technology, 2023 Work-Integrated Learning International Conference 2023, 20 - 21 April, Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Incrementando la participación en la educación a distancia, en-línea y asíncrona: Una perspectiva de diseño de interacción. Incrementando la participación en la educación a distancia, en-línea y asíncrona: Una perspectiva de diseño de interacción. Investigación en Diseño 2023. Red de Investigadores en Diseño. Segunda Edición. Comisión 5, Miércoles 1 de Marzo 2023, 17H30. En-línea desde la Universidad de Palermo, Argentina
Design Educators Conversing with Health Educators on Lessons Learned from Teaching Online for More Than a Decade, Thursday, 22 September, 2022, Online from Pennsylavnia State University
At #DEL22 OB3 co-founder Gloria Gomez brought together health & design educators to talk about their experiences of online teaching. Read the writeup over on linkedin #higheducation #healtheducation #edtech #designhttps://t.co/G4yUGFMx3h pic.twitter.com/wy6soqAFBf
— Rodney Tamblyn (@ocnb3) October 3, 2022
OB3's pitch at Melbourne Edtech Summit 2021 organised by EduGrowth Australia
Online events in Techweek 2020 and 2021: Get creative with online learning environments, Delivering online education - Masterclass with OB3 and NZ Education Technology companies part 4 . See more related videos in relevant showcase