Dr Belen Barros Pena
Contact details
About
Overview
Belen has been an interaction designer and design researcher in the software industry since 2007, working within in-house teams, design agencies and as a consultant. After obtaining her PhD in 2021, she is now a Lecturer at the Human-Computer Interaction Design Centre.
As a design practitioner, Belen has particular expertise in Free / Open Source Software, and the design of tools for engineers. As a researcher, she specialises in financial technologies, and in engaging marginalised populations through participatory design practices.
Research
Title of thesis: Reinventing the Future of Financial Technologies with Autistic Adults
February 2024 - January 2028
Summary of research
The introduction of digital technologies into personal money management has unintended and sometimes adverse consequences for citizens. These exacerbate financial exclusion and affect disproportionally those who struggle financially or find themselves in vulnerable circumstances.
This PhD will research how the downsides of digitising personal finance could be tackled through design, through participatory design methods and in collaboration with autistic adults.
Given the challenging life and financial circumstances of autistic adults, it is important to assess whether existing financial technologies and services are suitable for their needs and preferences, and whether they are resulting in stigmatising or discriminatory treatment.
Collaborating with autistic adults will yield diverse and innovative perspectives to critically assess the current state of financial technologies and push the boundaries of their design.
Research students
2ndsupervisor
- Helena Lyhme, Research Student
Publications
Publications by category
Conference papers and proceedings (9)
- Elsden, C., Barros Pena, B., Lyhme, H., Brozena, J., Mwesigwa, D., Speed, C.... Vines, J. Configuring Money as an Interface. CHI EA '26: Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.doi:10.1145/3772363.3778765
- Lyhme, H., Barros Pena, B. and Wilson, S. Navigating Financial Lives: How Autistic Adults Adapt Financial Technologies, Tools and Strategies. CHI 2026: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.doi:10.1145/3772318.3791131
- Neate, T., Vincenzi, B., Pena, B.B., Nevsky, A., Lewthwaite, S., Desai, S.... Bircanin, F. Accessibility in Austerity: Formulating Strategies for Accessibility Research in Constrained Times. 38th International BCS Human-Computer Interaction Conference.doi:10.14236/ewic/bcshci2025.4
- Dai, J., Gorman, B.M., Tigwell, G.W., Lyhme, H.M., Barros Pena, B., Moffatt, K.... Latulipe, C. accessFinTech: Designing Accessible Financial Technology. ASSETS '24: The 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility.doi:10.1145/3663548.3688551
- Barros Pena, B., Koteyko, N., Van Driel, M., Delgado, A. and Vines, J. "My Perfect Platform Would Be Telepathy" - Reimagining the Design of Social Media with Autistic Adults. CHI '23: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.doi:10.1145/3544548.3580673
- Barros Pena, B. (2022). Curb your enthusiasm: The dissonances of digitising personal finance. DRS2022 25 June-3 July, Bilbao, Spain.doi:10.21606/drs.2022.302
- Barros Pena, B.B., Kursar, B., Clarke, R.E., Alpin, K., Holkar, M. and Vines, J. Financial Technologies in the Cycle of Poor Mental Health and Financial Hardship: Towards Financial Citizenship. CHI '21: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.doi:10.1145/3411764.3445251
- Barros Pena, B., Clarke, R.E., Holmquist, L.E. and Vines, J. Circumspect Users: Older Adults as Critical Adopters and Resistors of Technology. CHI '21: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.doi:10.1145/3411764.3445128
- Elsden, C., Feltwell, T., Barros Pena, B., Nissen, B., Gloerich, I., Speed, C.... Vines, J. Designing Futures of Money and FinTech. DIS '20: Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2020.doi:10.1145/3393914.3395904
Journal articles (7)
- Lyhme, H., Wilson, S. and Barros Pena, B. (2026). Collaborative visual thinking: a qualitative method for research with autistic adults. Interacting with Computers. doi:10.1093/iwc/iwag026
- Barros Pena, B., Vines, J., van Driel, M. and Koteyko, N. (2025). Exploring Autistic Coping through Participatory Design. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 9(7), pp. 1-31. doi:10.1145/3757593
- Koteyko, N., Van Driel, M., Billan, S., Barros Pena, B. and Vines, J. (2025). Stigma Management Strategies of Autistic Social Media Users. Autism in Adulthood, 7(3), pp. 273-282. doi:10.1089/aut.2023.0095
- Pena, B.B. (2023). Money as an Interface. Interactions, 30(6), pp. 42-46. doi:10.1145/3627702
- Van Driel, M., Vines, J., Barros Pena, B. and Koteyko, N. (2023). Understanding Autistic Adults' Use of Social Media. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 7(CSCW2). doi:10.1145/3610048
- Knowles, B., Hanson, V.L., Rogers, Y., Piper, A.M., Waycott, J., Davies, N.... Yuan, I.Y. (2021). The harm in conflating aging with accessibility. Communications of the ACM, 64(7), pp. 66-71. doi:10.1145/3431280
- Barros Pena, B., Kursar, B., Clarke, R.E., Alpin, K., Holkar, M. and Vines, J. (2021). "Pick Someone Who Can Kick Your Ass" - Moneywork in Financial Third Party Access. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 4(CSCW3). doi:10.1145/3432917
Reports (3)
- Kathryn, R., Clare, W. and Barros Pena, B. (2025). Designing Out Economic Abuse in the UK Banking Industry: A Call To Action. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK: Northumbria University. ISBN 9781861355355.
- Koteyko, N., van Driel, M., Barros Pena, B., Manni, S. and Vines, J. (2023). Autistic adults’ experiences with social media: Creativity, Connectedness, and Control..
- Koteyko, N., Manni, S., Barros Pena, B., van Driel, M. and Vines, J. (2023). Adapting digital networks and resources for autistic users: A toolkit for the third and public sector organisations..