Req2CAD: bridging functional requirements and parametric CAD models to support conceptual 3D designConceptual CAD requires transforming functional requirements into parametric 3D models, yet existing systems have steep learning curves and limit creativity through premature fixation. Generative AI shows promise in producing diverse alternatives, while current methods mainly reconstruct CAD modeling sequences of existing designs, making them unsuitable for early stages where ideas are vague and intent is difficult to express. We present Req2CAD, an interactive system that enables designers to progress from design problems toward conceptual CAD models through functional decomposition, function–structure reasoning, and component-level CAD creation and iteration. Req2CAD introduces a data annotation pipeline that maps functional requirements to the 3D structural design space, a dual-feature CAD representation to support design space exploration and CAD ideation, and a progressive CAD generation method that enables rapid CAD model creation through multi-modal intent expression. A technical evaluation and user study demonstrate the effectiveness of Req2CAD, highlighting its potential for human–AI co-creation.2026QJQianzhi Jing et al.Zhejiang UniversityCreative Coding & Computational ArtPrototyping & User TestingComputational Methods in HCICHI
KNIT: Computational Boundary Objects for Real-Time Convergence in Interdisciplinary TeamsInterdisciplinary teams developing complex technologies such as healthtech struggle to align disciplinary perspectives, stakeholder priorities, and evolving problem framings, particularly during rapid iteration, when existing collaboration tools offer limited support for in-session negotiation. We present KNIT, an AI-mediated framework that conceptualises AI-generated artefacts as computational boundary objects. KNIT supports convergence by externalising anonymised individual inputs into shared artefacts, including semantic clusters and stakeholder-centred problem reframings, that surface differences in interpretation and make them available for negotiation. We evaluated KNIT in workshops with seven early-stage healthtech teams (28 participants), analysing 190 interaction episodes using Carlile’s 3T framework. KNIT supported knowledge boundary crossing across syntactic (95.0%), semantic (86.3%), and pragmatic (84.8%) levels. We contribute empirical evidence and design principles showing how computational boundary objects mediate distinct boundary-crossing mechanisms, demonstrating that representational transformation rather than automation is the primary mechanism through which AI enables convergence across disciplinary boundaries.2026EWShigeki Saito et al.Imperial College LondonHuman-LLM CollaborationAI-Assisted Decision-Making & AutomationParticipatory DesignCHI
What's the Point? How Users Functionalise Points in Gamified SystemsPoints are widely used design elements in gamified systems. Yet how they motivate is still unclear: what motivational meaning or functional significance do users ascribe to points and when? To answer this question, we conducted a semi-structured interview study with 27 users of two popular gamified platforms, Duolingo and Habitica. Through reflexive thematic analysis, we constructed six different types of functionalisation variously proposed in prior gamification and personal informatics work but often not empirically supported. We highlight the importance of functional design detail (such as points should proportionally reward effort) and derive design guidelines.2026OLOcéane Lissillour et al.University of YorkGamification DesignBehavior Change & Reflection TechnologyCHI
Take the Dog to the Park: Quadruped Robot for Joint Attention Training with Autistic Children in Naturalistic SettingsRobot-supported interventions for joint attention (JA) in autistic children have shown encouraging outcomes, yet most remain confined to stationary robots in indoor settings, limiting opportunities for skill generalization and broader developmental benefits. We introduce an intervention that employs a quadruped robot dog as a peer-like partner for JA training across both indoor and outdoor environments. In this intervention, the robot dog directs children's attention to distributed targets in the environment and initiates JA trials. A four-week pre-post exploratory study with six autistic children demonstrated improvements in JA performance and indications of transfer to daily social communication. Spontaneous behaviors such as motor imitation (crawling) and novel social interactions with the robot also emerged, suggesting potential for broader developmental gains. These findings provide initial evidence for the efficacy of mobile robot-supported JA interventions in naturalistic contexts and offer implications for future design.2026YFYuyang Fang et al.Zhejiang UniversityRobots in Education & HealthcareCognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Special Education TechnologyCHI
Design Explorations of Instruments and Interactions with Bidirectional Haptic CouplingsDirect interaction with digital synthesisers using audio signals can offer opportunities for intimate and nuanced interaction in digital musical instrument designs. Unlike acoustic instruments, these hybrid instruments tend to follow a unidirectional interaction structure: tactile gestures generate audio signals that are fed into a synthesiser, but there is no vibrotactile feedback from the instrument back to the musician. This paper presents the HaptiCoupler system that enables bidirectional tactile interaction with digital musical instruments using a single voice coil transducer. A study is undertaken with experienced digital musical instrument designers to explore the design implications of introducing closely coupled, collocated haptic feedback in musical systems. The potential creative implications for designers are discussed.2026MDMatthew Davison et al.Imperial College LondonHaptic WearablesMusic Composition & Sound Design ToolsAffective Feedback & Emotion Regulation InterfacesCHI
Human-AI Interaction for Time-Critical Sensemaking in Missing Persons InvestigationsEvery year an estimated 200,000 people go missing in the UK alone. Missing persons investigations involve challenging time-critical sensemaking tasks based on fragmented data sources. This paper describes a mixed-methods participatory study evaluating data science and AI-driven techniques (summarisation, fact extraction, and data visualisation) for supporting these investigations as part of a human-centered workflow. A series of human-AI interfaces were iteratively designed and tested with search officers and domain experts at Police Scotland. Based on findings, we describe: (1) user and information needs for missing persons investigations; (2) insights on the benefits and challenges of applying LLM-based techniques in high-risk contexts; and (3) lessons for integrating AI for sensemaking tasks in policing more broadly. We highlight that in high-stakes contexts, where accuracy and context-sensitivity are paramount, AI techniques must be balanced with other approaches and designed in close partnership with end-users.2026PLPola Zuzanna Labedzka et al.University of CambridgeHuman-LLM CollaborationExplainable AI (XAI)Interactive Data VisualizationCHI
Sci-Fi Spark: A Human-AI Co-Creation System for Science Fiction IdeationIn science fiction writing, ideation demands both novelty to construct fictional worlds and consistency to maintain internal and temporal logic within those worlds. While large language models (LLMs) are increasingly adopted as co-creators, generated ideas often lack surprise and struggle to maintain consistency. Moreover, current interaction paradigms of human-AI co-creation systems fail to support the fragmented and iterative nature of science fiction ideation. To address these challenges, we introduce Sci-Fi Spark, a human-AI co-creation system to support inspiration and organization in the ideation phase. The system features an Ideation Canvas for visualizing relationships between fragmented ideas, a Novelty Generator that applies computational creativity strategies to produce novel worldbuilding inspirations, and a Consistency Generator to produce context-aware storyline suggestions. A technical evaluation and a user study with writers show that Sci-Fi Spark enhances both novelty and consistency, while enabling iterative co-ideation with LLMs.2026ZJZhaojun Jiang et al.Zhejiang UniversityAI-Assisted Creative WritingCreative Collaboration & Feedback SystemsAI-Assisted Writing & Text GenerationCHI
Understanding Workplace Relatedness Support among Healthcare Professionals: A Four-Layer Model and Implications for Technology DesignHealthcare professionals (HCPs) face increasing occupational stress and burnout. Supporting HCPs’ need for relatedness is fundamental to their psychological wellbeing and resilience. However, how technologies could support HCPs’ relatedness in the workplace remains less explored. This study incorporated semi-structured interviews (n = 15) and co-design workshops (n = 21) with HCPs working in the UK National Health Service (NHS), to explore their current practices and preferences for workplace relatedness support, and how technology could be utilized to benefit relatedness. Qualitative analysis yielded a four-layer model of HCPs’ relatedness need, which includes Informal Interactions, Camaraderie and Bond, Community and Organizational Care, and Shared Identity. Workshops generated eight design concepts (e.g., Playful Encounter, Collocated Action, and Memories and Stories) that operationalize the four relatedness need layers. We conclude by highlighting the theoretical relevance, practical design implications, and the necessity to strengthen relatedness support for HCPs in the era of digitalization and artificial intelligence.2026ZZZheyuan Zhang et al.Imperial College LondonWorkplace Wellbeing & Work StressMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesCHI
Holding MenstaRay: Expressing Menstrual Pain through Tactile and Knitted Soft Robotic InteractionsMenstrual pain is an embodied, unpredictable, and diverse lived experience. However, current menstrual tracking technologies mainly adopt medicalised and quantitative approaches, reducing pain to numerical data, concealing its organic and messy nature. To uncover the felt, lived experience of pain, we explored soft robotics as a tactile, dynamic medium. Through a series of material workshops, we designed MenstaRay, a novel artefact that mimics the temporality and fluctuations of menstrual pain. Findings from sensory interactions with MenstaRay show that soft robotic materials sensitise and enhance menstruators’ bodily awareness, supporting them in contextually recalling, introspecting, and reflecting on their pain experiences, and encouraging a sense of self-care, self-acceptance, and companionship toward menstrual pain. We frame MenstaRay’s dynamic entanglements with fluid bodily experiences as a meaningful material practice through a feminist lens, highlighting the creative potential of novel programmable interactions of knitted soft robotics to express nuanced pain characteristics, extending to other somatic experience design beyond menstruation.2026YLYixun Li et al.University of EdinburghShape-Changing Interfaces & Soft Robotic MaterialsHaptic WearablesAffective Feedback & Emotion Regulation InterfacesCHI
From Participation to Relational Engagement: Psychological Ownership in Digital PetitionsOnline petitions are a central tool of digital advocacy, but often collapse into “slacktivism”—minimal engagement that rarely leads to meaningful change. We use Psychological Ownership (PO) as a design lens to evaluate how the sense of “mineness” can deepen participation into richer relational engagement with a cause. Across six Research through Design (RtD) cycles, we embedded a lightweight watch-and-record video module into petition flows to map existing affordances against PO routes and motives and identify opportunities for design—grounding the programme in PO-theoretical constraints, cycle-specific design trade-offs, and structured multi-stage evaluation sessions with 13 campaigners from seven countries. We then ran a five-arm between-subjects experiment (N=499) comparing petition conditions (Read, Sign, Write, Watch, Create). Our findings show how video affordances can be deliberately structured to transform one-off participation into deeper relational engagement, positioning PO as a transferable lens for reimagining civic technologies and moving activism from shallow clicks to more sustained care.2026DSDavid Sarlos et al.Imperial College LondonCommunity Engagement & Civic TechnologySocial Platform Design & User BehaviorParticipatory DesignCHI
``It Hasn’t Lived in Our Society”: Investigating Cultural Sensitivity in LLM Chatbots for Emotional Support Large Language Models (LLMs) offer potential benefits for increasing access to digital well-being support, yet their application raises important questions about risks and responsible implementation. This paper examines a critical, often overlooked, dimension of LLM safety: cultural and social alignment in underrepresented contexts. We investigate how LLM-mediated emotional support can be adapted for a specific cultural setting, using Saudi Arabia as a case study. We present CSESC, a Culturally Sensitive Emotional Support Chatbot, developed as a technology probe to explore user perceptions of culturally sensitive responses. Our adaptation process was grounded in emotional support frameworks and guided by multicultural guidelines and local expertise. User evaluations demonstrate that cultural alignment enhances users’ sense of relatedness, while also surfacing tensions between empathy and sociocultural norms. We discuss the notion of “minimum cultural alignment,” contributing to HCI literature on culturally responsive LLM design and broadening the understanding of LLM safety.2026SASarah Aldaweesh et al.University of OxfordHuman-LLM CollaborationAI Ethics, Fairness & AccountabilityMultilingual & Cross-Cultural Voice InteractionCHI
GyFoam: Fabricating Lattice Foam with Customizable Stiffness through Uniform ExpansionWe present GyFoam, a fabrication method integrating foam material with lattice structure to enable controlled and uniform expansion, which supports high-quality forming in appearance and customizable stiffness in function, using standard 3D printers, filaments, commercially available Thermo-Expandable Microspheres and silicone. To achieve customizable stiffness, we propose two methods through experiment: modifying material concentration and adjusting lattice structural parameters. Additionally, we propose three shape control strategies for creating complex shapes: bending, wavy edges, and internal doming. Furthermore, a user-friendly design tool is established for users to construct lattice structures, preview basic deformation, and generate mold models for printing. Finally, through a series of applications, we validate GyFoam's practical usage of fabricating large objects, wearable products, enabling flexible interactions and creating aesthetic designs.2025GWGuanyun Wang et al.Desktop 3D Printing & Personal FabricationShape-Changing Materials & 4D PrintingCustomizable & Personalized ObjectsUIST
Enhancing Passenger Trust Toward Cooperative Autonomous Vehicles Using Simulated Augmented Reality DisplaysAdoption of Fully Autonomous Vehicles (FAVs) depends on trust, which is defined as confidence in a vehicle's dependability, safety, and predictability. In cooperative driving scenarios, trust must exceed ego vehicles to include other autonomous vehicles and their coordination. This is challenged by unexpected multi-agent interactions, diminishing human control, and limited system transparency. We hypothesize that enhancing transparency by providing information about ego vehicles, other cooperative vehicles, and road conditions can foster trust. This is achieved by visualizing vehicle-to-everything (V2X) information via augmented reality (AR) interfaces. To test this in a safe environment, we conducted a within-subjects experiment in a Virtual Reality (VR) driving simulator with AR overlays. Participants experienced three interface concepts: (A) no transparency, (B) system-level transparency (ego vehicle intentions only), and (C) environment-level transparency (cooperation intentions, planned paths, and infrastructure). Results show that environment-level transparency, despite the higher cognitive workload, enhanced trust in both ego and cooperating FAVs.2025HFHady Farahat et al.Head-Up Display (HUD) & Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) Communication DesignAR Navigation & Context AwarenessAutoUI
Beyond Wellbeing Apps: Co-Designing Immersive, Embodied, and Collective Digital Wellbeing Interventions for Healthcare ProfessionalsHealthcare professionals (HCPs) face increasing levels of stress and burnout. Technological wellbeing interventions provide accessible and flexible support for HCPs. While most studies have focused on mobile- and web-based programs, alternative technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), tangible interfaces, and embodied technologies are emerging as engaging and effective tools for wellbeing interventions. However, there is still a lack of research on how such technologies are perceived among HCPs. This study explored HCPs' perceptions and preferences for various types of wellbeing technologies, by conducting a 2-phase co-design study involving 26 HCPs in idea generation, concept evaluation, prototype testing, and design iteration. From our findings, HCPs highly valued the potential of technologies to support mental health with immersive, embodied, and collective experiences. Furthermore, we provided design recommendations for wellbeing technologies for HCPs that sustain user engagement by meeting their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the experiences.2025ZZZheyuan Zhang et al.VR Medical Training & RehabilitationMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesDIS
Domestic Cultures of Plant Care: A Moss Terrarium ProbeHouseplants are increasingly being used as part of interactive systems that aim to foster pro-environmental concern and awareness of more-than-human life. Yet such interventions rely on conflicting and untested assumptions about how people relate to houseplants. We therefore studied domestic plant care in 11 purposefully sampled households, applying a sensor-equipped moss terrarium as a living ‘thing ethnography’ probe, supplemented with semi-structured interviews. We find that social and intergenerational cultures of plant care inform people's individual concern and accountability through constituents and mechanisms like gift-giving, signalling, knowledge transfer, or joint practical care. We identify five domestic cultures of plant care in our sample, each of which frames plants differently and leads to different practical approaches to plant care. We propose design considerations that emphasise enculturation and shared care over individual behaviour change and reframe houseplants from decorative objects into living household members.2025NBNirit Binyamini Ben-Meir et al.Sustainable HCIHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)DIS
Promoting Cognitive Health in Elder Care with Large Language Model-Powered Socially Assistive RobotsAs the global population ages, there is increasing need for accessible technologies that promote cognitive health and detect early signs of cognitive decline. This research demonstrates the potential for in-residence monitoring and assessment of cognitive health using large language model (LLM)-powered socially assistive robots (SARs). We conducted a 5-week within-subjects study involving 22 older adults in retirement homes to investigate the feasibility of LLM-powered SARs for promoting and assessing cognitive health. We designed tasks that involved verbal dialogue based on clinically validated cognitive tools. Our findings reveal improved task performance after three robot-administered sessions, with significantly more detailed picture descriptions, fewer word repetitions in semantic fluency, and reduced need for hints. We found that older adults were more socially engaged in robot-administered tasks compared to those administered by a human, and they accepted and were willing to engage with SARs in this context, which had not been tested before.2025MLMaria R. Lima et al.Imperial College LondonHuman-LLM CollaborationElderly Care & Dementia SupportSocial Robot InteractionCHI
I-Card: A Generative AI-Supported Intelligent Design Method Card DeckA design method card deck helps designers understand and provoke thinking by presenting each method in a simple format and allow designers to switch between methods seamlessly by maintaining the same simple format across the deck. However, recent observations have shown designers hesitate to use a card deck due to the lack of support, while other tools have provided identified support with generative AI. Through a formative study, we identified the specific support designers need when applying the design method cards and intentions in integrating generative AI. Accordingly, we developed the intelligent design method card deck, I-Card, which integrates generative AI to provide applicable design methods, design knowledge and data support, and interactive and dynamic support. A user study demonstrates that I-Card improved the design efficiency and applicability by offering personalized guidance, enhanced decision-making with comprehensive data generation and provided more design inspiration via interactive support.2025LCLiuqing Chen et al.Zhejiang University, College of Computer Science and TechnologyGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Prototyping & User TestingCHI
Sonic Delights: Exploring the Design of Food as An Auditory-Gustatory InterfaceWhile interest in blending sound with culinary experiences has grown in Human-Food Interaction (HFI), the significance of food’s material properties in shaping sound-related interactions has largely been overlooked. This paper explores the opportunity to enrich the HFI experience by treating food not merely as passive nourishment but as an integral material in computational architecture with input/output capabilities. We introduce “Sonic Delights,” where food is a comestible auditory-gustatory interface to enable users to interact with and consume digital sound. This concept redefines food as a conduit for interactive auditory engagement, shedding light on the untapped multisensory possibilities of merging taste with digital sound. An associated study allowed us to articulate design insights for forthcoming HFI endeavors that seek to weave food into multisensory design, aiming to further the integration of digital interactivity with the culinary arts.2025JDJialin Deng et al.Department of Human-Centred Computing, Monash University, Exertion Games LabFood Culture & Food InteractionCHI
TH-Wood: Developing Thermo-Hygro-Coordinating Driven Wood Actuators to Enhance Human-Nature InteractionWood has become increasingly applied in shape-changing interfaces for its eco-friendly and smart responsive properties, while its applications face challenges as it remains primarily driven by humidity. We propose TH-Wood, a biodegradable actuator system composed of wood veneer and microbial polymers, driven by both temperature and humidity, and capable of functioning in complex outdoor environments. This dual-factor-driven approach enhances the sensing and response channels, allowing for more sophisticated coordinating control methods. To assist in designing and utilizing the system more effectively, we developed a structure library inspired by dynamic plant forms, conducted extensive technical evaluations, created an educational platform accessible to users, and provided a design tool for deformation adjustments and behavior previews. Finally, several ecological applications demonstrate the potential of TH-Wood to significantly enhance human interaction with natural environments and expand the boundaries of human-nature relationships.2025GWGuanyun Wang et al.Zhejiang UniversityShape-Changing Interfaces & Soft Robotic MaterialsHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)CHI
BioCosMe: Lip-based Cosmetics with Colorimetric Biosensors for Salivary AnalysisThis paper introduces a lipstick biosensor as a novel form factor for health monitoring that displays pH levels through color variation. Using the unique properties of lipstick—different colors, easy application and reapplication on lips, interaction with saliva and drinks—we aim to provide an always-available and non-invasive access to information typically obtained through lab analysis. Our skin-safe fabrication processes and technical evaluations include three lips products: lipstick, lip tint, and lip gloss, all using anthocyanin for sensing pH levels as the proof of concept biosensor. We created a mobile app with a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model to detect pH levels based on the lipstick's color changes. Our dataset involved five users under eight different lighting conditions and seven pH levels. The results showed improved detection of pH variations compared to traditional methods. A user study with 11 participants was conducted to evaluate application, comfort, and perceptions of privacy and usability. This approach offers a stylish, convenient way to monitor biochemical information, blending self-expression with health awareness.2024SSShuyi Sun et al.Diet Tracking & Nutrition ManagementBiosensors & Physiological MonitoringUbiComp