Values Across Contexts: Understanding How Older Adults Enact What Matters Through TechnologyAs populations age and technology becomes more pervasive, understanding the alignment between older adults' values and technology design is paramount. More research is needed to understand how older adults’ living contexts shape their values and the use of technology. To address this, through a multi-context study, we explored how values differ for older adults and how their context of living might influence the adoption and use of technology. We conducted 22 semi-structured interviews with older adults in various residential contexts. We show that older adults tend to prioritize the same core values across living contexts, yet how they express values in each context differs. Technology can amplify or inhibit key values. We describe implications for context-responsive technology and design for continuity, to allow older adults to continually uphold important values through technology use.2026HSHugo Simão et al.Universidade de LisboaAging-Friendly Technology DesignAging-in-Place Assistance SystemsCHI
The Ocular Command Center: How Eye Responses to Luminance, Color, Tunneling, and Visual Suppression Mediate Users' Physiological States in VRThis work introduces the Ocular Command Center framework to investigate how eye responses mediate visual effects on physiology and user experience in virtual reality. In a controlled study (N=40), participants experienced variations in luminance, color temperature, peripheral occlusion, and periodic visual suppression while eye activity (pupil size, blinks, fixations, and saccades), cardiovascular responses (heart rate and heart rate variability), and subjective symptoms were measured. Luminance changes affected heart rate through pupillary reflexes. Color temperature affected heart rate variability without pupillary mediation, suggesting appraisal processes, and induced severe nausea. Peripheral occlusion and visual suppression modified oculomotor behavior without substantial cardiovascular effects. These findings demonstrate that visual manipulations could act through distinct reflexive, cognitive, and perceptual pathways, and not all extend equally to systemic physiology. This foundation supports adaptive VR design, regulating comfort, engagement, and physiological state.2026AVAndreia Valente et al.The University of AucklandImmersion & Presence ResearchSleep & Stress MonitoringEmotion Recognition & DetectionCHI
EcoAssist: Embedding Sustainability into AI-Assisted Frontend DevelopmentFrontend code, replicated across millions of page views, consumes significant energy and contributes directly to digital emissions. Yet current AI coding assistants, such as GitHub Copilot and Amazon CodeWhisperer, emphasize developer speed and convenience, with energy impact not yet a primary focus. At the same time, existing energy-focused guidelines and metrics have seen limited adoption among practitioners, leaving a gap between research and everyday coding practice. To address this gap, we introduce EcoAssist, an energy-aware assistant integrated into an IDE that analyzes AI-generated frontend code, estimates its energy footprint, and proposes targeted optimizations. We evaluated EcoAssist through benchmarks of 500 websites and a controlled study with 20 developers. Results show that EcoAssist reduced per-website energy by 13–16% on average, increased developers’ awareness of energy use, and maintained developer productivity. This work demonstrates how energy considerations can be embedded directly into AI-assisted coding workflows, supporting developers as they engage with energy implications through actionable feedback.2026ABAndré Barrocas et al.ITI/LARSYSGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Sustainable HCIEnergy Conservation Behavior & InterfacesCHI
Revisiting Worker-Centered Design: Tensions, Blind Spots, and Action SpacesWorker-Centered Design (WCD) has gained prominence over the past decade, offering researchers and practitioners ways to engage worker agency and support collective actions for workers. Yet few studies have systematically revisited WCD itself, examining its implementations, challenges, and practical impact. Through a four-lens analytical framework that examines multiple facets of WCD within food delivery industry, we identify critical tensions and blind spots from a Multi-Laborer System perspective. Our analysis reveals conflicts across labor chains, distorted implementations of WCD, designers’ sometimes limited political-economic understanding, and workers as active agents of change. These insights further inform a Diagnostic-Generative pathway that helps to address recurring risks, including labor conflicts and institutional reframing, while cultivating designers’ policy and economic imagination. Following the design criticism tradition, and through a four-lens reflexive analysis, this study expands the action space for WCD and strengthens its relevance to real-world practice.2026SMShuhao Ma et al.Instituto Superior Técnico, University of LisbonParticipatory DesignPrototyping & User TestingImpact of Automation on WorkCHI
Reimagining Multidisciplinary Teams: Challenges and Opportunities for LLMs in Cancer MDTsMultidisciplinary teams are crucial in tailoring cancer care through collaborative decision-making involving several clinical specialties. The inherent complexity of clinical cases, the increasing abundance of unstructured textual data, and the time restrictions of professionals pose significant challenges to team coordination and patient care. This creates an opportunity for generative AI technologies, such as LLMs, to enhance collaborative work. Despite the growing interest in HCI research to explore LLMs in healthcare, we have yet to understand clinicians' perspectives on this emerging technology in multidisciplinary teams. Our work investigates the challenges, expectations and opportunities for LLMs in this context through a speculative approach. We leveraged the Futures Cone framework and conducted a qualitative study with 11 physicians from different cancer multidisciplinary teams. We contribute with an analysis of themes that emerged from individual interviews and a focus group, highlighting LLMs' potential to enhance and reshape multidisciplinary teams’ practices. In addition, we uncover concerns and coping strategies related to LLMs' adoption and provide a set of design opportunities to inform the development of technologies for LLM-enhanced multidisciplinary teams.2025SPSoraia F Paulo et al.Team Work Makes the Dream WorkCSCW
Speculating Migrant Possible Worlds through Magic MachinesMigration and technology studies increasingly recognize the importance of incorporating migrant perspectives in design processes. Speculative design methods have emerged as powerful tools for imagining alternative futures, particularly when working with marginalized communities. However, there remains a gap in understanding how to effectively engage long-term settled migrants in participatory design processes that honor their experiences and imaginative capacities. Here we show how integrating feminist care principles with speculative design methods can create more inclusive and empathetic approaches to technology design with migrant communities. Through workshops applying the "magic machines" methodology, we demonstrate how participatory speculation enables migrants to articulate their experiences, anxieties, and hopes for technological futures. Our findings reveal the importance of considering diasporic minds and cross-border connectivity in future technologies. This work provides immediate opportunities for researchers and designers to develop more inclusive approaches to speculative design while challenging dominant narratives about technological futures in migrant communities.2025VNValentina Nisi et al.Technology's Impact on (Im)migrationCSCW
Making Sense of Our Data: Exploring Well-Being Self-Tracking Through Creative CollaborationMental health and well-being research increasingly recognizes the potential of data to support preventative care and foster meaningful sensemaking. However, traditional health data visualizations often overlook emotional depth, contextual relevance, and lived experiences. In response, four HCI researchers conducted a 35-day field study, examining their well-being data as participants and co-designers to reimagine their relationship with self-tracking technologies and health data representations. Grounded in participatory and soma-inspired design principles, this study encouraged participants to move beyond passive data consumption through creative experimentation, embedding personal experiences and collaborative exploration to challenge conventional representations and reimagine well-being through design. The findings demonstrate how collaborative sensemaking can reframe well-being interventions as creative processes that empower individuals’ lived experiences. By foregrounding reflection and shared interpretation, this work contributes to the discourse on how creative explorations with biodata redefine our relationship with wearable technology, highlighting the role of trust in understanding personal sensitive data collaboratively.2025BSBeatriz Severes et al.Mental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesCreative Collaboration & Feedback SystemsBiosensors & Physiological MonitoringC&C
Critter Connect, wearable design for place-based & multisensory species encounters.This study presents Critter Connect, a wearable device fostering multispecies relationships in natural ecosystems. Grounded in posthuman theory and More-than-Human geography, the work responds to human-centred design limitations, which often overlook non-visual and non-linguistic modes of interaction. It also highlights the need for practical tools fostering direct, place-specific, and non-hierarchical sensory-rich engagements with other beings. This pictorial shows the device’s potential to enable spontaneous and embodied interactions between users and three species in a biodiversity-rich ecosystem through geolocation-based tactile and auditory feedback. We present a design process building on multispecies ethics and speculative methods to address ecological care, as well as a pilot study demonstrating Critter Connect’s capacity to amplify the wearer’s awareness of unseen multispecies presences and sense of connection to nature. This research contributes to HCI by offering a framework for designing ethically considerate, sensory-rich interactions with other beings, thus challenging human-centric engagement and promoting ecological cohabitation.2025MGMathilde Gouin et al.Haptic WearablesShape-Changing Interfaces & Soft Robotic MaterialsHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)DIS
Designing Biotopia: A Transmedia Experience for Natureculture Heritage and More-than-Human EntanglementsIn recent years, HCI research around post-anthropocene design has been gaining traction. Caring and inclusive stances towards more-than-humans, multispecies dialogues, and decentering the human in design are imbuing HCI and other disciplines. Similarly, critical heritage scholars have pointed to the need to re-frame heritage in light of the challenges of the Anthropocene. As part of a heritage-focused EU-funded project, we extend these efforts, thinking through collaborative research-through-design to design "Biotopia" – a transmedia experience that aims to connect museum and nature walk visitors with entangled natureculture and more-than-human heritage. We propose three Design Constructs from our exploratory phase and detail how they have informed the design of the critical heritage experience, contributing with the transmedia experience design and proposing ways of applying emerging posthuman concepts in practice. By reflecting on our process, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of designing for more-than-human heritage in a posthuman world, working towards decentered practices in HCI.2025MFMarta Ferreira et al.Sustainable HCIHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)Museum & Cultural Heritage DigitizationDIS
The Amplifying Effect of Explainability in AI-assisted Decision-making in GroupsIn the era of artificial intelligence, AI-assisted decision-making has become a common paradigm. Explainable Artificial Intelligence has been one of the more explored factors in improving transparency of AI tools in AI-assisted decision-making, but sometimes with contradictory results. Furthermore, while individual AI-assisted decision-making has garnered substantial investigation, the domain of group AI-assisted decision-making remains notably underexplored. This research presents the first look at the impact of explainability and team composition on AI-assisted decision-making. With a controlled experiment on mushroom edibility classification, with 89 participants, we show that the impact of XAI is more pronounced in decision-making with groups (2-person) than in individual decision-making. Groups rely less on incorrect AI recommendations when explanations are available, but they rely more on incorrect AI recommendations when explanations are absent, compared to individual decision makers. This phenomenon underscores the amplified effect of explainability in AI-assisted decision-making in group settings.2025RDRegina de Brito Duarte et al.INESC-ID; University of Lisbon, Instituto Superior TécnicoExplainable AI (XAI)AI-Assisted Decision-Making & AutomationCHI
Speculative Job Design: Probing Alternative Opportunities for Gig Workers in an Automated FutureAutomation is reshaping the gig economy, raising urgent concerns about worker displacement. With the global rise in gig workers, there is an increasing urgency for HCI and design research to focus on the impact of designing automation technologies on labor dynamics. This study introduces speculative job design research to probe alternative opportunities for gig workers in an automated future, engaging 20 workers in the process. Guided by Feminist HCI, we performed reflexive thematic analysis to uncover gig workers' views on automation technology, human labor, speculative jobs, and their concerns about the future of work. We highlighted how workers see labor exploitation as a competitive asset over machines, urging that future platform designs must not perpetuate this. Notably, through speculative job design and conversation with workers, we proposed labor design, suggesting labor as a designable material to help address unfair labor dynamics in technology design. Our research offers potential insights and directions for addressing labor tensions in the evolving sociotechnical landscape.2025SMShuhao Ma et al.Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, ITI / LARSySImpact of Automation on WorkEmpowerment of Marginalized GroupsCHI
Stories as Boundary Objects: Digital Storytelling with Migrant Communities for Heritage DiscoursesHeritage is a dynamic concept, being constantly redefined by those that value it. Modern approaches to heritage bring focus to participatory processes that put communities at the centre of the heritage discourse. For migrant communities, these participatory processes can show the tension of integration versus identity, as migrants integrating into their host country can maintain, adapt or loose connections to their cultural identity. Digital storytelling platforms can offer space for exposing such tensions. In this paper, storytelling is adopted as a practice to engage three communities of migrants (with different socio-cultural contexts) on their relation to heritage. Through workshops, participants created 78 stories (accessible through a Digital Storytelling platform), which were thematically analysed. Using the concept of boundary objects, we discuss how participant's stories reflect heritage discourse and how they are entangled within the wider social, economic, and environmental context.2024PBPaulo Bala et al.Session 3e: Content Moderation and Marginalized ExperiencesCSCW
Modulating Heart Activity and Task Performance using Haptic Heartbeat Feedback: A Study Across Four Body PlacementsThis paper explores the impact of vibrotactile haptic feedback on heart activity when the feedback is provided at four different body locations (chest, wrist, neck, and ankle) and with two feedback rates (50 bpm and 110 bpm). A user study found that the neck placement resulted in higher heart rates and lower heart rate variability, and higher frequencies correlated with increased heart rates and decreased heart rate variability. The chest was preferred in self-reported metrics, and neck placement was perceived as less satisfying, harmonious, and immersive. This research contributes to understanding the interplay between psychological experiences and physiological responses when using haptic biofeedback resembling real body signals.2024AVAndreia Valente et al.Vibrotactile Feedback & Skin StimulationUIST
Towards Relatable Climate Change Data: Untangling Tensions in Engaging with a HyperobjectThis research investigates the potential of emerging communication strategies to enhance engagement with climate change data through HCI, by recognizing the critical challenge of effectively communicating complex hyperobejcts. We designed "Finding Arcadia", an interactive artefact centred on ocean climate data, to explore how data humanism, storytelling, decentering the human in the narrative, and positive framing influence user engagement and perception of the information. Findings from a study in-the-wild (N=42) and a post-experience survey conducted six months later (N=19) foregrounds strategies to foster deeper engagement and connection with the information but also tensions in engaging with such a complex topic. We contribute to climate change communication and HCI research with the design decisions, study outcomes, and reflections on ways in which communication strategies can promote understanding and connection with a hyperobject.2024MFMarta Galvão Ferreira et al.Data StorytellingClimate Change Communication ToolsInteractive Narrative & Immersive StorytellingDIS
The Effects of Observing Robotic Ostracism on Children's Prosociality and Basic NeedsResearch on robotic ostracism is still scarce and has only explored its effects on adult populations. Although the results revealed important carryover effects of robotic exclusion, there is no evidence yet that those results occur in child-robot interactions. This paper provides the first exploration of robotic ostracism with children. We conducted a study using the Robotic Cyberball Paradigm in a third-person perspective with a sample of 52 children aged between five to ten years old. The experimental study had two conditions: Exclusion and Inclusion. In the Exclusion condition, children observed a peer being excluded by two robots; while in the Inclusion condition, the observed peer interacted equally with the robots. Notably, even 5-year-old children could discern when robots excluded another child. Children who observed exclusion reported lower levels of belonging and control, and exhibited higher prosocial behaviour than those witnessing inclusion. However, no differences were found in children's meaningful existence, self-esteem, and physical proximity across conditions. Our user study provides important methodological considerations for applying the Robotic Cyberball Paradigm with children. The results extend previous literature on both robotic ostracism with adults and interpersonal ostracism with children. We finish discussing the broader implications of children observing ostracism in human-robot interactions.2024FCFilipa Correia et al.Social Robot InteractionEmpowerment of Marginalized GroupsHRI
"Connected to the people": Social Inclusion & Cohesion in Action through a Cultural Heritage Digital ToolCurrent cultural policies are evolving from social inclusion (removing barriers and promoting equality for participation in culture) to social cohesion (fostering solid bonds between groups despite their differences). Digital interventions can create spaces that promote social inclusion and cohesion. In this paper, we report on the design and evaluation of a cultural heritage and digital storytelling application supporting a participatory approach to culture and hosting society. We evaluate our intervention in three marginalized communities with different social-cultural contexts: migrant women in Barcelona, a community living in a priority neighbourhood in Paris and second and third-generation migrants in Lisbon. Through an analysis of their application use, our findings point at their needs and desires, highlighting how the app can support social inclusion as the first step towards cohesion, but that these are heterogeneous concepts susceptible to nuanced appropriations by the different communities.2023VNValentina Nisi et al.InclusionCSCW
A First Exploration on the Use of Head-Mounted Augmented Reality in the Context of the Portuguese MilitaryIn this paper, we present the design and implementation of a first iteration of an augmented reality (AR) system for dismounted soldiers in the Portuguese military. We started the work via a survey of 86 members of the military to better understand their experience, needs, and preferences with current Command & Control (C2) systems. We then assessed the effects of our prototype on the performance, situational awareness, and perceived usability and workload of 13 participants from a local Commando Regiment. We compared our results to a representative baseline using a paper map and radio in a hostage extraction simulation and found that our first AR iteration, despite a short practice session, increased the quality of the information available and decreased the complexity, temporal demands, and effort required to complete the study tasks; leading to an overall decrease in perceived workload. Overall, participants described the AR experience as more user-friendly. We conclude our case study with research ideas for further iterations of our prototype.2023CGCarlos Gomes et al.AR Navigation & Context AwarenessContext-Aware ComputingMobileHCI
“Before gentrification, we claim habitation”: Eliciting Values and Assets through Cultural Heritage StorytellingThis pictorial outlines findings from a field study part of an inclusive digital storytelling project, which aims to develop digital tools for migrant communities to share their lived cultural heritage (CH). The field study intended to discern migrants' perceptions of cultural heritage through a one-week story-based photo challenge involving ten young adult migrants in Lisbon, Portugal. We analysed the data highlighting participant values and heritage meaning-making. We highlight the unfolding of cultural heritage thematics through their daily journeys in the hosting country's landscapes. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) strives to secure an inclusive and socially just impact for technology. With a focus on participants' assets and values, results from this study point towards sensitising concepts contributing to facilitating the design of inclusive digital tools for telling of lived cultural heritage experiences of migrant communities.2023VNValentina Nisi et al.Inclusive DesignLGBTQ+ Community Technology DesignEmpowerment of Marginalized GroupsDIS
Interactions with Climate Change: a Data Humanism Design ApproachInteractions about climate change have been mostly focused on a negative or neutral form of communication, in line with the so-called “doom-and-gloom” narrative. However, recent research and guidelines point to the need to engage audiences in a more positive, story-focused and actionable way. In this pictorial, we describe a Data Humanism design approach formulated from its original manifesto. We present this proposal through a prototype that engages users with climate change data related to the oceans in a contextualised, personalised and action-focused way. To create this approach, we operationalised data humanism into design steps that guided the design process. Through the analysis of the applied study, we identify opportunities and challenges faced with this approach and with engaging diverse audiences “in the wild” with climate issues, guiding the design of future data humanism climate narratives through interactive data visualisations.2023MFMarta Ferreira et al.Data PhysicalizationSustainable HCIClimate Change Communication ToolsDIS
"The Robot Made Us Hear Each Other": Fostering Inclusive Conversations among Mixed-Visual Ability ChildrenInclusion is key in group work and collaborative learning. We developed a mediator robot to support and promote inclusion in group conversations, particularly in groups composed of children with and without visual impairment. We investigate the effect of two mediation strategies on group dynamics, inclusion, and perception of the robot. We conducted a within-subjects study with 78 children, 26 experienced visual impairments, in a decision-making activity. Results indicate that the robot can foster inclusion in mixed-visual ability group conversations. The robot succeeds in balancing participation, particularly when using a highly intervening mediating strategy (directive strategy). However, children feel more heard by their peers when the robot is less intervening (organic strategy). We extend prior work on social robots to assist group work and contribute with a mediator robot that enables children with visual impairments to engage equally in group conversations. We finish by discussing design implications for inclusive social robots.2023INIsabel Neto et al.Visual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)Universal & Inclusive DesignSocial Robot InteractionHRI