Research Fellow · Monash University

Rakesh
Patibanda (PhD)

Senior researcher and product leader working at the intersection of HCI, embodied technology, and human behaviour. I turn complex evidence into strategies that ship – across academia, healthcare, education, and entertainment.

Dr. Rakesh Patibanda

About

I build products that move numbers and change behaviour.

From redesigning a mental health platform that drove a 50% engagement surge, to building VC-facing data pipelines serving 400+ university programs — I connect rigorous research to decisions that ship and metrics that matter.

7 Cups of Tea RMIT University GoLive Games 42events Reputada

What I bring

Three capabilities that drive outcomes

🎯

Research-Led Product Strategy

I translate behavioural insight into product roadmaps, features, and service redesigns that move KPIs — not just improve NPS.

📊

UX & Service Design at Scale

From 300k-page IA audits to gamification systems serving millions — I design for complexity without losing the user.

Gamification & Engagement Systems

The 50% engagement lift at 7 Cups was built on behavioural frameworks, not guesswork — and is reproducible.

Impact

  • 📈
    50% engagement surge — 7 Cups Research-led gamification redesign
  • 🏗
    Cred Finder — 40% fewer errors End-to-end service redesign at RMIT
  • 💡
    QA Hero — 400+ programs VC-facing data engineering & UX lead
  • 2× ACM CHI Best Paper Research rigour behind every product decision

"Visionary HCI researcher and product leader bridging embodied technology and commercial impact – from award-winning academic work at CHI to measurable engagement lifts in live products."

— Dr. Rakesh Patibanda · Research Fellow, Monash University

Featured Case Studies

Research applied to live products

ACM CHI · 2024

PsiNet: Brain-to-Brain Interfaces for Augmenting Inter-Brain Synchrony

Semertzidis, Vranic-Peters, Patibanda et al. Toward understanding the design of novel brain–computer interfaces for social cognition.

★ Best Paper — Top 1%
ACM CHI · 2018

Experiencing the Body as Play

Mueller, Byrne, Andres & Patibanda. Foundational framework for body-as-play design, shaping a decade of embodied interaction research.

★ Best Paper — Top 1%
ACM CHI PLAY · 2023

Auto-Paizo Games: EMS-Actuated Games that Move Your Body for You

Patibanda, Hill, Saini, Li, Chen et al. A new genre of games where EMS merges physical body with virtual game world.

★ Best Interactivity
ACM CHI · 2022

Fused Spectatorship: Feeling What Athletes Feel

Patibanda, Andres, Semertzidis et al. Leveraging physiological sensing to bridge the experiential gap between athlete and spectator.

ACM CHI · 2020

Drone Chi: Somaesthetic Human-Drone Interaction

La Delfa, Baytas, Patibanda, Ngari, Khot & Mueller. Contemplative, somaesthetically-informed human-drone interaction design.

★ Honorable Mention
Foundations & Trends · 2022

Human–Computer Integration

Mueller, Semertzidis, Patibanda et al. Comprehensive framework for integrating the human body with the computational machine. Vol. 16.

Available for senior roles & consulting

Let's work together.

Open to Head of UX Research, Product Director, Research Leadership, and strategic consulting engagements.