Feeling with Many: Rethinking Emotion Regulation with Swarm User InterfacesEmotion regulation (ER) is a dynamic process that often unfolds in social contexts. However, current digital ER tools predominantly rely on single-agent systems that lack the complexity of social dynamics. Swarm user interfaces present unique affordances for ER through their collective adaptability and expressive group behaviour. However, their potential in supporting ER remains underexplored. To investigate how swarm user interfaces can be designed to support ER, we conducted a series of speculative participatory design workshops with 15 participants through the Magic Machine Workshop method, where participants created and enacted interactive swarm-based artifacts with craft materials. The analysis led to diverse contexts of use, envisioned swarm framing, and interaction modes. Based on these findings, we synthesize eight interaction patterns that translate abstract user metaphors into robotic behaviors. We conclude by articulating design opportunities and challenges, positioning swarm interfaces as a novel medium for ER support.2026XZXueying Zhang et al.Simon Fraser UniversityAffective Feedback & Emotion Regulation InterfacesHuman-Robot Collaboration (HRC)Empathy & Emotional DesignCHI
Dust Off Kindle Highlights With Quologue: Surfacing Personal Data With Generative AI for Reflective ExperiencesPeople’s annotations on books can serve as valuable traces for people to revisit their past thoughts, emotions, and other experiences. For e-books, however, the lack of physicality and their e-reading infrastructure make it difficult for people to revisit them as these traces continue to accumulate in digital archives. In this paper, we describe the design and deployment of Quologue, an LLM-powered web application that allows users to reconnect with their e-book highlights through ongoing dialogue and stepwise interactions. We conducted a field study with 10 participants over 8 weeks. Our aim was to investigate the reflective and self-expressive potentialities of personal e-book metadata; and to learn about any opportunities and tensions that emerge from surfacing one’s data with a generative AI model. Findings revealed that Quologue generated diverse reflective experiences and influenced participants’ current digital highlighting practices. We conclude with implications and opportunities for future HCI studies and practice.2026SKSol Kang et al.Simon Fraser UniversityHuman-LLM CollaborationAI-Assisted Writing & Text GenerationBehavior Change & Reflection TechnologyCHI
"I Just Need GPT to Refine My Prompts”: Rethinking Onboarding and Help-Seeking with Generative 3D Modelling ToolsLearning to use feature-rich software is a persistent challenge, but generative AI tools promise to lower this barrier by replacing complex navigation with natural language prompts. We investigated how people approach prompt-based tools for 3D modeling in an observational study with 26 participants (14 casuals, 12 professionals). Consistent with earlier work, participants skipped tutorials and manuals, relying on trial and error. What differed in the generative AI context was where and how they sought support: the prompt box became the entry point for learning, collapsing onboarding into immediate action, while some casual users turned to external LLMs for prompts. Professionals used 3D expertise to refine iterations and critically evaluated outputs, often discarding models that did not meet their standards, whereas casual users settled for ``good enough.'' We contribute empirical insights into how generative AI reshapes help-seeking, highlighting new practices of onboarding, recursive AI-for-AI support, and shifting expertise in interpreting outputs.2026KGKanak Gautam et al.Simon Fraser UniversityGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Human-LLM Collaboration3D Modeling & AnimationCHI
Eyes on Many: Evaluating Gaze, Hand, and Voice for Multi-Object Selection in Extended RealityInteracting with multiple objects simultaneously makes us fast. A pre-step to this interaction is to select the objects, i.e., multi-object selection, which is enabled through two steps: (1) toggling multi-selection mode --- mode-switching --- and then (2) selecting all the intended objects --- subselection. In extended reality (XR), each step can be performed with the eyes, hands, and voice. To examine how design choices affect user performance, we evaluated four mode-switching (\Semipinch, \Fullpinch, \Doublepinch, and \Voice) and three subselection techniques (Gaze+Dwell, Gaze+Pinch, and Gaze+Voice) in a user study. Results revealed that while \Doublepinch paired with Gaze+Pinch yielded the highest overall performance, \Semipinch achieved the lowest performance. Although \Voice-based mode-switching showed benefits, Gaze+Voice subselection was less favored, as the required repetitive vocal commands were perceived as tedious. Overall, these findings provide empirical insights and inform design recommendations for multi-selection techniques in XR.2026MBMohammad Raihanul Bashar et al.Concordia UniversitySocial & Collaborative VRImmersion & Presence ResearchEye Tracking & Gaze InteractionCHI
Tracing Everyday AI Literacy Discussions at Scale: How Online Creative Communities Make Sense of Generative AIDeveloping AI literacy is increasingly urgent as generative AI reshapes creative practice. Yet most AI literacy frameworks are top-down and expert-driven, overlooking how literacy emerges organically in creative communities. To address this gap, we performed a large-scale analysis of 122k Reddit conversations from 80 creative-oriented subreddits over a time period of three years. Our analysis identified four consistent themes in AI literacy-related discussions, and we further traced how discourse shifted alongside major AI events. Surprisingly, creators primarily frame AI literacy around how to use tools effectively—foregrounding practice and task skills—while discussions of AI capabilities and ethics surge only around high-profile events. Our findings suggest that AI literacy is dynamic, practice-driven, and event-responsive rather than static or purely conceptual. This study provides insights for researchers, designers, and policymakers to develop learning resources, community support, and policies that better promote AI literacy in creative communities.2026HLHaidan Liu et al.Simon Fraser UniversityGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Human-LLM CollaborationCreative Collaboration & Feedback SystemsCHI
Becoming Watchful on the Trail and at Home: Understanding Experiential Outcomes of Capra in Long-Term UseHow might alternative encounters with personal hiking data support practices of noticing nature as well as changes in one’s self over time? To investigate this question, we conducted a multi-year first person study with Capra—a system that combines the collection and exploration of hiking experiences in nature with an emphasis on longer-term, occasional yet indefinite use. Over several years, three researchers that represented different hiking frequencies, paces, locations, and life stages concurrently and independently hiked, used, and lived with Capra. Findings revealed unique individual and collective changes in attitude among the team, from an initial interest in intentionally capturing specific natural phenomena towards a shift in attentiveness when re-exploring hikes as well as when hiking outdoors. It is these insights that emerged through our long-term experiences with Capra that we present and reflect on in this paper.2026WOWilliam Odom et al.Simon Fraser UniversityBehavior Change & Reflection TechnologyHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)Field StudiesCHI
Does a Picture Paint a Thousand Words? Using Visual and Textual Channels to Understand Attitudes and BeliefsIn Human-Computer Interaction, eliciting user attitudes and beliefs is crucial for understanding user interactions with technology. Existing elicitation methods range from expressive open-ended text to structured formats like Likert scales. Expressive methods yield rich insights but are difficult to systematically analyze. On the other hand, structured methods guide users to efficiently map attitudes and beliefs to clear visual scales, yet may oversimplify complex attitudes and beliefs. Recent work has explored alternative methods including visual elicitation techniques; however, the understanding of how users mentally represent attitudes and beliefs remains limited, making it challenging to validate the effectiveness of these techniques. Through a qualitative study of US-based participants (N=41), we captured how people mentally represent their attitudes and beliefs through free-form drawings and complementary textual descriptions. Our findings reveal how the strategies participants employed to represent attitudes and beliefs can inform the design of future visual elicitation techniques that balance both expressiveness and analyzability.2026SLShiyao Li et al.Emory UniversityUser Research Methods (Interviews, Surveys, Observation)Prototyping & User TestingInteractive Data VisualizationCHI
LLM-based Embodied Conversational Agent for Reducing Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety in Social VRForeign language speaking anxiety (FLSA) poses a major challenge for English-language learners, suppressing confidence and triggering a cycle of avoidance that hinders language acquisition. To address this, we explored the use of LLM-based embodied conversational agents (ECA) in social virtual reality (VR), which provide personalized support and multimodal interaction in a contextualized environment. We developed three English-language learning scenarios in social VR and conducted a five-day mixed-methods study where participants (N=20) engaged in daily 30-minute role-play practice with an LLM-based ECA to evaluate the efficacy of the system. Quantitative results showed a significant reduction in self-reported FLAS after 3 days, along with subtle gains in speaking proficiency measures. Qualitatively, learners perceived increased confidence, attributing it to the LLM-based ECA's non-judgmental stance, linguistic scaffolding, affective encouragement, and adaptive feedback. Our findings suggest the potential of LLM-based ECAs in social VR for language learning and offer considerations for future agent design.2026MPMengxu Pan et al.Northeastern UniversityHuman-LLM CollaborationSocial & Collaborative VRImmersion & Presence ResearchCHI
A Tree’s Perspective: Enhancing Nature Connectedness Through Transitional and Multisensory Virtual Reality ExperiencesEmbodying natural entities in Virtual Reality (VR) shows potential to enhance nature connectedness, but design factors that support such embodiment remain underexplored. This study examined whether transitional elements in the physical setting before and after VR and multisensory stimuli during VR can strengthen nature connectedness in a transformative tree-embodiment experience. Through a mixed-methods approach (N=20), where we varied the pre- and post-VR experience (Neutral vs. Transitional) and sensory modalities (Audiovisual vs. Multisensory), we found that both transitional and multisensory experiences significantly enhanced presence, embodiment, and nature connectedness, with increases in emotional connectedness sustained one week later. Drawing on interview insights and impact ratings of specific design features, we derive design recommendations for integrating transitional and multisensory elements. Our findings demonstrate the value of holistic design for enhancing the emotional and transformative potential of VR nature embodiment for fostering environmental awareness.2026LTJulian Rasch et al.TU Dortmund UniversityImmersion & Presence ResearchMultisensory Fusion ExperienceHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)CHI
SeeSawBot: An LLM-Driven Chatbot Mediating Across Private and Shared Slack Channels to Support Team DynamicsWhile conversational agents increasingly mediate teamwork, prior work has mainly focused on when, what, or to whom an intervention is directed, with little attention to where mediation occurs. Therefore, we introduce SeeSawBot, an LLM-driven chatbot that operates across private DMs and public channels. Following a formative study, we deployed SeeSawBot in student Slack teams as a technology probe for eight weeks, collecting bi-weekly reflection surveys and post-deployment interviews. Findings show that cross-space mediation fostered sense-making across private and public spaces and redistributed emotional labor through interventions that played different relational roles over team development. We discuss cross-space mediation as both a boundary object and boundary actor, and argue that future evaluation frameworks should capture relational agency by attending to the back-and-forth negotiations through which groups construct collective understanding. We conclude with design implications that foreground where as a variable for future computational mediators, a seesaw of agency and autonomy.2026YWYihe Wang et al.University of California Santa CruzHuman-LLM CollaborationCrowdsourcing Task Design & Quality ControlDistributed Team CollaborationCHI
Metacognitive Demands and Strategies While Using Off-The-Shelf AI Conversational Agents for Health Information SeekingAs Artificial Intelligence (AI) conversational agents become widespread, people are increasingly using them for health information seeking. The use of off-the-shelf conversational agents for health information seeking could place high metacognitive demands (the need for extensive monitoring and control of one's own thought process) on individuals, which could compromise their experience of seeking health information. However, currently, the specific demands that arise while using conversational agents for health information seeking, and the strategies people use to cope with those demands, remain unknown. To address these gaps, we conducted a think-aloud study with 15 participants as they sought health information using our off-the-shelf AI conversational agent. We identified the metacognitive demands such systems impose, the strategies people adopt in response, and propose considerations for designing beyond off-the-shelf interfaces to reduce these demands and support better user experiences and affordances in health information seeking.2026SRShri Harini Ramesh et al.University of CalgaryConversational ChatbotsMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesTelemedicine & Remote Patient MonitoringCHI
Living Probes in Place: Exploring More-Than-Human Care Through MycoremediationEnvironmental crises demand HCI to shift from human-centered design to more-than-human (MTH) care. Current MTH care often focuses on singular species, overlooking the role of the place in which these care relations are situated. To address this, we turn to mycoremediation—bioremediation of soil and water with fungi. We present findings from a two-week living probe study where participants (N=12) placed and cared for a living mycelium composite in a place of their choosing. Our findings show that engaging with mycoremediation fostered stewardship, extended noticing of multispecies ecologies, and made distant places proximate. Participants’ relationships evolved from expecting feedback from the fungi (a dyadic model) towards attending to their relations with the broader place (a place-based ecological model). We contribute to Bio-HCI and MTH HCI with: 1) an empirical account of mycoremediation as a situated MTH care practice, and 2) design implications for living artifacts that foster affective, ecological connections in place.2026GOGizem N Oktay et al.Eindhoven University of TechnologyHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)Sustainable HCICHI
Improving the Steering Law Throughput Calculation by Defining Effective Parameters for 3D Virtual EnvironmentsThroughput is a widely used performance metric, combining speed and accuracy into a single measure, while reducing the effect of subjective speed–accuracy trade-offs. Despite its wide application in 2D steering tasks, its direct extension to 3D presents unique challenges since 3D trajectories exhibit higher variability, and perceptual–motor factors undermine existing formulations. Consequently, throughput has not been systematically adopted for evaluating steering in 3D virtual environments. In this paper, using a controlled virtual reality user study with a ring-and-wire task, we introduce and validate a novel throughput formulation for 3D steering based on the bivariate standard deviation of the trajectory for the effective width calculation. Our results show that this formulation provides smoother throughput values across subjective speed–accuracy differences and improves model fit compared to traditional approaches. This work advances our theoretical understanding of the Steering law in 3D contexts, provides researchers and practitioners with a robust evaluation method, and establishes a foundation for future studies of complex 3D trajectory interactions.2026MAMohammadreza Amini et al.Concordia UniversityImmersion & Presence ResearchPrototyping & User TestingSocial & Collaborative VRCHI
Challenges in Synchronous & Remote Collaboration Around VisualizationWe characterize 16 challenges faced by those investigating and developing remote and synchronous collaborative experiences around visualization. Our work reflects the perspectives and prior research efforts of an international group of 29 experts from across human-computer interaction and visualization sub-communities. The challenges are anchored around five collaborative activities that exhibit a centrality of visualization and multimodal communication. These activities include exploratory data analysis, creative ideation, visualization-rich presentations, joint decision making grounded in data, and real-time data monitoring. The challenges also reflect the changing dynamics of these activities in the face of recent advances in extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI). As an organizing scheme for future research at the intersection of visualization and computer-supported cooperative work, we align the challenges with a sequence of four sets of research and development activities: technological choices, social factors, AI assistance, and evaluation.2026MBMatthew Brehmer et al.University of WaterlooInteractive Data VisualizationRemote Work Tools & ExperienceMulti-User Large Display CollaborationCHI
Representation on Our Terms: How Trans and Gender Diverse People Prioritize Inclusivity in University Information SystemsHCI research increasingly advocates for fluid models of gender to better represent trans and gender diverse people. In many organizations, such flexibility must operate within regulatory, technical, and resource constraints. For example, public universities are legally required to report gender data using binary categories for compliance and oversight. To understand how inclusivity should be implemented under these conditions, we investigated trans and gender diverse people’s representational priorities within a public university's information systems. Interviews with 23 participants revealed nuanced priorities on acceptable representational trade-offs. Participants preferred accurate representation in back-end systems and other unseen realms over inclusive user interfaces. They also desired agency in how their identities were grouped or simplified in contexts where categorical reduction was unavoidable. We argue for pragmatic notions of inclusivity that balance community values with organizational constraints. Implementing inclusivity in long-lived organizational systems requires discretion and restraint alongside affirming representational practices amid shifting sociopolitical landscapes.2026DKDrew N. Kirks-Cler et al.University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignInclusive DesignGender & Race Issues in HCITechnology Ethics & Critical HCICHI
Infrastructuring as Collective Resistance: How Disabled Students Negotiate Access Through Technology in UniversitiesUniversities in North America often frame accessibility as an individual responsibility, emphasizing individualized accommodations for disabled students. However, these systems do not always align with students’ access needs, leaving them to take on additional labour. At a Canadian university, we interviewed 13 student activists and leaders of disability-related groups. We investigate how disabled students collectively address access frictions that emerge from institutional infrastructure; adopting community practices that work with, within, and around the university to address gaps. Using the concept of 'routine infrastructuring', we demonstrate how student groups leverage technologies to mobilize and negotiate access needs through informal and formal practices as collective care infrastructure. We introduce the concept of 'counteractive frictions', which are produced collectively to disrupt and provoke negotiation with institutions. We call for scholars and designers to rethink 'infrastructuring' as adapting and maintaining, which masks the politics and generative potentialities of friction to re-imagine disability futures.2026CLCarolyn Kim Ly et al.University of TorontoCognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Inclusive DesignEmpowerment of Marginalized GroupsCHI
Diffusing Social Boundaries through Virtual Bodies: How Mixed Reality Embodied Experiences Can Foster Social Connection.Virtual and Mixed Reality (XR) offer new opportunities for supporting social connection by reshaping embodied interaction and transforming social norms. We present Body RemiXer, an asymmetric XR installation designed to foster connection by inviting interpersonal touch, abstracting identity through ethereal avatars, encouraging synchronized interaction, and enabling impossible forms of shared embodiment. Through phenomenological interviews, we investigated how these design tactics mediated participants’ sense of connection. Our analysis reveals both potentials and tensions: abstraction lowered inhibitions and highlighted shared humanness but risked depersonalization; body mixing fostered unity but challenged virtual body ownership; mediated touch evoked closeness, but reminded of physical reality; and participants navigated bifurcated social norms across physical and virtual spaces. We contribute a nuanced account of these design trade-offs, advancing understanding of how abstraction, embodiment, touch, and social norm negotiation shape connection in XR, and outlining design considerations for crafting social XR experiences.2026ESEkaterina R. Stepanova et al.KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySocial & Collaborative VRImmersion & Presence ResearchIdentity & Avatars in XRCHI
Understanding User Requirements for Creating Sensor-Powered Smart Car Cabins Through RetrofittingIn this paper, we explore a novel approach that leverages retrofitting to create sensor-powered smart car cabins. We propose that retrofitting offers a promising way to complement and extend the capabilities of built-in smart cabin sensors provided by car manufacturers. To understand how retrofitting solutions should be designed, we conducted a two-phase study. First, through semi-structured interviews with 18 participants, we examined challenges with built-in smart cabin sensors and identified opportunities where retrofitting could address these limitations. Second, through probe-based participatory design sessions with 15 participants, we identified user requirements and expectations for effective retrofit solutions. Based on our findings, we present a set of design recommendations to guide the future development of retrofit methods for smart car cabins.2026BYBofan Yu et al.Simon Fraser UniversityAutomated Driving Interface & Takeover DesignIn-Vehicle Haptic, Audio & Multimodal FeedbackCHI
A Dot on the Map: Co-Designing for Technological and Social Disconnection on an Arctic ExpeditionAboard an Arctic expedition sailing along the coast of Svalbard, there is a disconnect between the group and the rest of the world, especially when facing a lack of internet connectivity. We conducted a co-design workshop with 13 participants in a unique context - a ship in remote areas of the Arctic with limited connectivity. We see this scenario as an opportunity to research how people’s needs, behaviours, and social dynamics are influenced by digital disconnection to design better tools for connection in everyday life. Through this research, we develop themes related to social and technological connection and disconnection. We discuss a number of implications and questions for design, including suggestions to (1) Use Naturally Emerging Aspects of the Environment to Connect People without Pulling Them out of the Moment, (2) Design to Shift Expectations for Response Speed and Richness, and (3) Understand Disconnection Needs, Responsibilities, and Safeguards.2026RMReese Muntean et al.Simon Fraser UniversityParticipatory DesignField StudiesSustainable HCICHI
Navigating Neurodivergence with AI Chatbots: Benefits, Tensions, and Implications for HCIThis qualitative study examines the experiences and concerns of neurodivergent people regarding AI chatbots. Based on 23 semi-structured interviews, we found that our neurodivergent participants used AI chatbots for a diverse range of applications, including therapy, communication, education, work, and planning. Participants’ chatbot use was mainly driven by motivations specific to their condition, such as supporting working memory, regulating emotions, and sustaining self-motivation. In addition to these benefits, participants noted tensions around AI’s role in promoting masking (which involves deliberate concealment of outwardly visible neurodivergent traits), privacy concerns, and its influence on social relations. We present implications grounded in neurodivergent users’ experiences with AI chatbots and raise critical questions about authenticity, privacy, and the broader impact on their social relationships.2026DGDeepak Giri et al.Michigan State UniversityCognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Conversational ChatbotsAffective Human-Computer DialogueCHI