T1GER: An Instructional Re-Design of a Cyber Range Exercise in a Commercial Security Operations CenterThe workforce shortage in Security Operation Centers (SOCs) increases the need for effective training methods for aspiring cybersecurity analysts. Cyber ranges provide realistic environments for such training, yet many designs prioritize technical infrastructure while overlooking how trainees actually learn. Building on established instructional design principles, this study investigates how to improve learning in cyber range exercises. In collaboration with a commercial SOC, we enhanced an existing exercise for training Tier 1 analysts by integrating T1GER, a cyber range Learning Management System (LMS) that provides structured feedback, scaffolding, and competitive elements. We evaluated the approach in a randomized controlled trial with N=144 participants from cybersecurity courses at two European universities, who were randomly assigned to either the original LMS (control group) or the T1GER LMS (treatment group). Results showed that using T1GER led to significantly better learning experiences and shorter training times, while maintaining equivalent knowledge outcomes.2026MGMagdalena Glas et al.University of RegensburgCybersecurity Training & AwarenessIntelligent Tutoring Systems & Learning AnalyticsGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)CHI
Enhancing Children's Self-Reporting in Chatbot Diaries through Rhyming StyleExisting children’s self-reporting tools like surveys and diaries often feel restrictive, leading to disengagement and low-quality responses. LLM-powered chatbots can adapt with simplified wording or empathetic tone, but such adaptations remain insufficient: responses may be adult-centered, complex, or formulaic, undermining engagement and response quality. We explore rhyme as a child-centered conversational style. In a co-design workshop with 35 children, participants envisioned dialogue that was short, playful, and soothing. Building on these insights, we designed a voice-based sleep diary in rhyming style and conducted a within-subjects study (rhyming vs. prose) with 42 children. Rhyming prompts improved response quality across question types, while maintaining high engagement even among children who preferred prose. We contribute empirical evidence and design insights showing how rhyme can exemplify broader child-centered strategies beyond capability adaptation. Although limited to short-term lab sessions, this work provides a first step toward conversational style as a design lever for children’s self-reporting.2026SCShanshan Chen et al.Eindhoven University of TechnologyChild-Computer Interaction DesignAffective Human-Computer DialogueMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesCHI
Finding a Home for Voice Assistants: A Domestication Calculus Across Three Years and Thirty Households HCI has explored voice assistant (VA) use across various social settings, highlighting their impact on personal and familial dynamics. Yet, the progressive domestication of these devices over time and their longer-term impact on relationships remain underexplored. We present findings from a three-year study of 30 households using interviews and diaries. Our analysis introduces the concept of a domestication calculus that captures how VAs find—or fail to find—a home over time through shifting spatial arrangements, relational roles, and household routines. Domestication unfolded not as a linear sequence of stages but as a dynamic process in which devices were either embedded into routines, withdrawn from use, or repurposed in response to changing circumstances. Across these trajectories, participants attributed four recurring roles to their VAs: (1) negotiators, (2) separators, (3) mediators, and (4) amplifiers of shared life. We conclude with implications for designing VAs that support long-term domestication.2026MAMahla Alizadeh et al.University of SiegenIntelligent Voice Assistants (Alexa, Siri, etc.)Family Collaboration & Communication TechnologyAging-in-Place Assistance SystemsCHI
Exploring the Impacts of Background Noise on Auditory Stimuli of Audio-Visual eHMIs for Hearing, Deaf, and Hard-of-Hearing PeopleExternal Human-Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) have been proposed to enhance communication between automated vehicles (AVs) and pedestrians, with growing interest in multi-modal designs such as audio-visual eHMIs. Just as poor lighting can impair visual cues, a loud background noise may mask the auditory stimuli. However, its effects within these systems have not been examined, and little is known about how pedestrians --- particularly Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) people --- perceive different types of auditory stimuli. We conducted a virtual reality study (Hearing N=25, DHH N=11) to examine the effects of background noise (quiet and loud) on auditory stimuli (baseline, bell, speech) within an audio-visual eHMI. Results revealed that: (1) Crossing experiences of DHH pedestrians significantly differ from Hearing pedestrians. (2) Loud background noise adversely affects pedestrians' crossing experiences. (3) Providing an additional auditory eHMI (bell/speech) improves crossing experiences. We outlined four practical implications for future eHMI design and research.2026WXWenge Xu et al.Birmingham City UniversityExternal HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsAudio Accessibility (Captions, Sign Language, Vibration)CHI
Enhancing Response Quality by Children in Voice-based Sleep Diaries via AI-based Continuous FeedbackDigital sleep diaries are widely used to monitor children’s sleep, yet response quality is often low because children may not know how, or be motivated, to give detailed answers. We investigate how “live,” continuous feedback in voice-based sleep diaries can support higher-quality responses. In a co-design workshop, we explored children's preferences for different forms of feedback. We designed and compared experimentally symbolic, numeric, and no-feedback conditions, showing that both feedback types improved response quality across questions. Finally, an eight-day field study revealed that feedback resulted in higher and more consistent quality in self-report over time. Across these three studies, children valued playful and clear feedback, with preferences shifting depending on their cognitive needs. Our findings demonstrate that effective feedback must balance affective engagement with cognitive clarity and adapt to different contexts. We contribute empirically supported design insights to enhance children's adherence and response quality in voice-based self-report surveys.2026SCShanshan Chen et al.Eindhoven University of TechnologyVoice User Interface (VUI) DesignMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesMental Health Technology for YouthCHI
eHMI for All - Investigating the Effect of External Communication of Automated Vehicles on Pedestrians, Manual Drivers, and CyclistsWith automated vehicles (AVs), the absence of a human operator could necessitate external Human-Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) to communicate with other road users. Existing research primarily focuses on pedestrian-AV interactions, with limited attention given to other road users, such as cyclists and drivers of manually driven vehicles. So far, no studies have compared the effects of eHMIs across these three road user roles. Therefore, we conducted a within-subjects virtual reality experiment (N=40), evaluating the subjective and objective impact of an eHMI communicating the AV's intention to pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers under various levels of distraction (no distraction, visual noise, interference). eHMIs positively influenced safety perceptions, trust, perceived usefulness, and mental demand across all roles. While distraction and road user roles showed significant main effects, interaction effects were only observed in perceived usability. Thus, a unified eHMI design is effective, facilitating the standardization and broader adoption of eHMIs in diverse traffic.2026MCMark Colley et al.Ulm UniversityExternal HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsCHI
When Play Hurts: Understanding Common Barriers in Movement-Based GamesExergames promise enjoyable physical activity through gameplay, yet players often face barriers that undermine engagement, safety, and retention. To date, knowledge about which barriers are encountered by end-users of commercial exergames and which mitigation strategies are used is limited. To address this gap, we conducted an online survey with 174 participants and provide a comprehensive organization of 60 reported barriers across six categories: physical, mental, social, environmental, technological, and game design. Key barriers include space limitations, social discomfort, addictive gameplay, and injuries. Our analysis reveals that while players try to mitigate barriers through ad-hoc strategies, issues like embarrassment, addiction, and harassment remain difficult to overcome. These findings highlight the need for more adaptive game designs, including dynamic spatial adjustments, personalized pacing mechanisms, and supportive social features. This work advances the understanding of exergame barriers and their impact and offers actionable insights for designing more inclusive and resilient movement-based games.2026SCSebastian Cmentowski et al.Eindhoven University of TechnologyGame UX & Player BehaviorSerious & Functional GamesFitness Tracking & Physical Activity 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
Show Me How to Play: Exploring Self-Modeling for Onboarding in Virtual Reality ExergamesExergames combine motivating game elements with bodily movement to encourage physical activity. However, onboarding players to perform correct movements remains a challenge, especially in virtual reality (VR) environments where safety and performance are critical. Drawing inspiration from sports training and learning sciences, we contrast two onboarding approaches: (i) trial-and-error and (ii) observational learning via a novel self-model tutorial. In this tutorial, players temporarily lose agency and observe their own avatar performing the movements, leveraging VR’s unique affordances for embodied experiences. To explore which of these two approaches yields a better performance and player experience, we conducted a between-participants study (N=60), comparing them against a baseline condition without a tutorial. Our findings show that the self-model tutorial not only improves players' performance but also increases the perceived ease of control and progress feedback. We discuss tradeoffs and implications for the design of future onboarding experiences in VR exergames.2026SKSukran Karaosmanoglu et al.Universität HamburgSocial & Collaborative VRFitness Tracking & Physical Activity MonitoringFull-Body Interaction & Embodied InputCHI
Memory Printer: Exploring Everyday Reminiscing by Combining Slow Design with Generative AI-based Image CreationGenerative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) offers new opportunities for reconstructing these unrecorded memory scenes, yet existing web-based tools undermine users' sense of agency through disengaging and unpredictable interactions. In this work, we advance three design arguments about how slow, tangible interaction can reshape human–AI relationships by making temporality, embodied agency, and generative processes experientially legible. We instantiate these arguments by presenting Memory Printer, a tangible design exemplar that combines silk-screen printing metaphors with text-to-image generation. The design features layered reconstruction that decomposes image generation into incremental steps, a physical wooden scraper enabling embodied control over image revelation, and built-in printing that produces tangible photos. We examine these arguments through a comparative study with 24 participants, exploring how participants engage with, interpret, and respond to this interaction stance. The study surfaces both opportunities—such as vivid memory evocation, heightened sense of control, and creative exploration—and critical tensions, including risks of false memory formation, algorithmic bias, and data privacy. Together, these findings articulate important boundaries for deploying generative AI in emotionally sensitive contexts.2026ZFZhou Fang et al.Eindhoven University of TechnologyGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Tangible User Interface DesignPhysical-Digital Hybrid InteractionCHI
Shared Stories, Shared Bonds: People with Dementia Exploring Generative AI TogetherPeople with dementia often experience social isolation in daily life. Generative AI (GenAI) technologies, producing seemingly new content on the spot and tailoring it to users' wishes, open new avenues for promoting meaningful social connections in dementia care. This study involved 17 people with dementia in 6 workshops and explored how they responded to and perceived three GenAI models, Copilot, Midjourney, and Suno, with a focus on social connectedness. Our results reveal that people with dementia engage in a relational process when using GenAI together: they collectively evaluate the outcomes of the models and negotiate further prompts. Moreover, they gradually develop an understanding of GenAI and become more critical about its output. We contribute to HCI by demonstrating how GenAI can foster social bonding between people with dementia through the co-creation of shared realities, and by discussing guidelines for designing effective and ethically responsible GenAI for people with dementia.2026TATeis Arets et al.Eindhoven University of TechnologyGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Elderly Care & Dementia SupportEmpowerment of Marginalized GroupsCHI
Temporal Snapshots: Probing and Designing for Subjective Time in DementiaTime is increasingly researched in HCI, yet design often remains tied to normative temporal constructs, e.g., clocks and calendars. This is especially limiting in dementia contexts, where temporal experience is altered. Existing approaches largely enforce normative time and overlook futures, prioritizing the past for people with dementia. To explore how people with dementia and their partners experience time, we designed the Temporal Snapshots probe for 12 participants to reflect on temporal subjectivity across past and future moments. The probe surfaced layered narratives. Participants articulated fluid temporal associations, anchored narratives to personally meaningful moments, and situated themselves within future and past trajectories. We contribute empirical insights into how couples experience subjective time, a dual temporal lens for HCI, design directions for reframing time in dementia contexts, and methodological reflections on researching temporality. We foreground time as relational and co-constructed, challenging assumptions of linearity and fixed orientation in interaction design.2026RKRucha Khot et al.Eindhoven University of TechnologyElderly Care & Dementia SupportEmpathy & Emotional DesignPrototyping & User TestingCHI
Conversing with Objects toward Fluid Human and Artificial Identities during Life TransitionsPeople's identities change during life transitions (e.g., studying abroad). They bring everyday objects that embody memories and reflect their identities during such moves. To assist in these transitions, we ask how people's human identities could be supported by their objects through an artificial agent. This paper presents an exploratory research-through-design study around how people undergoing life transitions experience conversing with their everyday objects through a chatbot. Drawing on a two-week field deployment of a technology probe and interviews with 12 participants, we contribute (1) a conceptualization of "trans-embodiment" describing the asynchronous imagination of object and human identities on the chatbot, (2) empirical evidence of the resulting trans-embodied emotional and reflective experiences that supported identity processes, and (3) three types of trans-embodied object identities for designing conversational agents for human-object conversations. Our contributions sum up to triangulating human-agent-object identity as trans-embodiment in supporting life transitions.2026YXYuhui Xu et al.Eindhoven University of TechnologyConversational ChatbotsAffective Human-Computer DialogueEmpathy & Emotional DesignCHI
Rethinking External Communication of Autonomous Vehicles: Is the Field Converging, Diverging, or Stalling?As autonomous vehicles enter public spaces, external human–machine interfaces are proposed to support communication with external road users. A decade of research has produced hundreds of studies and reviews, yet it remains unclear whether the field is converging on shared principles or diverging across approaches. We present a multi-dimensional analysis of 620 publications, complemented by industry deployments and regulatory documents, to track research evolution and identify convergence. The analysis reveals several field-level patterns. First, convergence on a safety-first core: simple visual cues that clarify intent. Second, sustained divergence in necessity and implementation. Third, a progressive filtering funnel: broad exploration in research and concepts narrows in deployment and is codified by regulation into a minimal set of permitted signals. These insights point to a shift in emphasis for future work, from producing new prototypes toward consolidating evidence, clarifying points of contention, and developing frameworks that can adapt across contexts.2026TTTram Thi Minh Tran et al.School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of SydneyExternal HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsCHI
Less Supervising, More Caring: Design Recommendations for Informal Caregivers' Co-Participation in Cardiac TelerehabilitationInformal caregivers’ engagement with patient data is becoming increasingly central to CSCW and HCI research on health management. Cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR) technologies generate lifestyle and well-being data that support patients and their families in recovery management, yet informal caregivers' roles in CTR remain underexplored. Recreational athletes in rehabilitation are an especially under-researched group, despite their and their support system's unique needs. Focusing on caregivers of recreational athletes, we conducted interviews with ten participants and used six visual scenarios of a dyadic CTR system to explore their perspectives on data and information co-participation. Caregivers reported that co-participation could strengthen dyadic coping and management but emphasized the need to balance important trade-offs. We provide design recommendations for dyadic CTR systems that balance care needs and preferences, promoting caregiver involvement in a supportive, non-supervisory role. We contribute to CSCW research by proposing a conceptual shift in technology-mediated rehabilitation care: positioning caregiver-inclusive CTR systems as negotiation tools that support boundary work and balance competing care values.2025ISIrina Bianca Serban et al.Caregiving & CaregiversCSCW
In-person, Online and Back Again - A Tale of Three Hybrid HackathonsHybrid hackathons, which combine in-person and online participation, present unique challenges for organizers and participants. Although these events are increasingly conducted globally, research on them remains fragmented, with limited integration between hackathon studies and hybrid collaboration. Existing strategies for in-person or online-only events often fail to address the unique challenges of hybrid formats, such as managing communication across physical and virtual spaces and ensuring balanced participation. Our work addresses this gap by examining how hybrid hackathons function through the lens of hybrid collaboration theories, analyzing how organizers structure these events and how participants navigate hybrid-specific challenges. Drawing on established theories of hybrid collaboration, we examine key dimensions -- synchronicity, physical distribution, dynamic transitions, and technological infrastructure -- that shape collaboration in hybrid events. Through an exploratory case study of three hackathon events involving observations and interviews with organizers and participants, we analyze how these dimensions are implemented and their effects on participant experiences. Our findings reveal differing organizer considerations of the hybrid dimensions in the hackathon design, leading to distinct experiences for participants. Implementation styles -- favoring in-person, online, or balanced participation -- led to varied participant experiences, affecting access to resources, communication, and team coordination. Organizers in our study also often relied on technology to bridge hybrid interactions, but sometimes overlooked critical aspects like time-zone management, dynamic transitions, and targeted support for hybrid teams. Additionally, participants in their teams responded to gaps in event scaffolding by adapting collaboration strategies, underscoring that hybrid formats are still not fully integrated into hackathon planning and revealing gaps in organizers’ preparedness for hybrid events. Learning from our findings, we offer practical recommendations when organizing hybrid hackathon events and recommendations to participants when attending hybrid hackathon events.2025AAAbasi-Amefon Obot Affia et al.Hybrid WorkCSCW
What's Happening in the Office: Designing Information Displays for Human-Like Experience to Promote Workspace Awareness in Hybrid WorkWith the rise of hybrid office work, employees often miss workspace awareness when working remotely at home, causing feelings of isolation and preventing communication. To address this, we propose designing information displays that present office activities to promote workspace awareness for hybrid workers. We focus on creating human-like experiences—enabling users to easily perceive information, feel social presence, and make sense of information in context. Informed by previous CSCW research findings, we identified three key design considerations: social cues as information carriers, processing ambiguity, and ambient delivery. Guided by these considerations, we generated multiple designs and selected three distinct ones for evaluation of such experiences in a lab study, where 24 participants experienced and compared the designs. Our analysis shows that these designs indeed provide situational awareness and social presence. The results also offer insights into optimizing design options for different goals. Further research is needed to explore their integration with interactive features and into daily workflows.2025LLLu Liu et al.Hybrid WorkCSCW
Enhancing Cyclist Safety in the EU: A Study on Lateral Overtaking Distance Across Seven Scenarios Using Lab and Crowdsourced MethodsCyclists face significant risks from vehicles that overtake too closely. Through crowdsourcing (N = 200) and driving simulator (N = 20) experiments, this study examines driver behaviour in seven scenarios: laser projection, road sign, road marking, car projection, centre line and side line markings (baseline), cycle lane and no road markings. Crowdsourced participants consistently underestimated overtaking distances, particularly at wider gaps, despite feeling safer with greater distances. The simulation results showed that drivers maintained an average passing distance of 3.4~m when not constrained by traffic, exceeding the 1.5~m law of the European Union. However, interventions varied in effectiveness: while laser projection was preferred, it did not significantly increase passing distance. In contrast, a dedicated cycle lane and a solid centreline led to the greatest improvements. These findings highlight the discrepancies between perceived and actual safety and provide insight for policy interventions to enhance cyclist protection in the EU.2025GSGiovanni Sapienza et al.External HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsV2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) Communication DesignPedestrian & Cyclist SafetyAutoUI
Pedestrian Planet: What YouTube Driving from 233 Countries and Territories Teaches Us About the WorldPedestrian crossing behaviour varies globally. This study analyses dashcam footage from the PYT dataset, covering 133 countries, to examine decision time to cross, crossing speed, and contextual variables, including detected vehicles, traffic mortality, GDP, and Gini. Bulgaria had the longest decision time (10.50 s), while San Marino exhibited the fastest crossing speed (1.14m/s). A global negative correlation between speed and decision time (r = -0.54) suggests that more cautious or uncertain pedestrians cross more slowly. Regional differences reveal stronger inverse correlations in Europe and North America, likely due to varying infrastructure, regulation, and cultures. Pedestrian decision time is positively correlated with the presence of other road users, especially bicycles (r = 0.35). Similar crossing times in countries with different infrastructures, such as Belgium and India, underscore the complex interaction between infrastructure and behavioural adaptation. These findings emphasise the importance of culturally aware road design and the development of adaptive interfaces for vehicles.2025MAMd Shadab Alam et al.External HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsV2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) Communication DesignPedestrian & Cyclist SafetyAutoUI
Socially Adaptive Autonomous Vehicles: Effects of Contingent Driving Behavior on Drivers' ExperiencesSocial scientists have argued that autonomous vehicles (AVs) need to act as effective social agents; they have to respond implicitly to other drivers' behaviors as human drivers would. In this paper, we investigate how contingent driving behavior in AVs influences human drivers' experiences. We compared three algorithmic driving models: one trained on human driving data that responds to interactions (a familiar contingent behavior) and two artificial models that intend to either always-yield or never-yield regardless of how the interaction unfolds (non-contingent behaviors). Results show that a familiar contingent behavior significantly reduces drivers' hesitance and stress when interacting with AVs. The direct relationship between familiar contingency and positive experience indicates that AVs should incorporate socially familiar driving patterns through contextually-adaptive algorithms to improve the chances of successful deployment and acceptance in mixed human-AV traffic environments.2025CYChishang "Mario" Yang et al.Automated Driving Interface & Takeover DesignAI-Assisted Decision-Making & AutomationAutoUI