Hacking Flow: From Lived Practices to InnovationIn digital knowledge work, flow promises not just productivity; it offers a pathway to well-being. Yet despite decades of flow research in HCI, we know little about how to design digital interventions that support it. In this work, we foreground lived interventions — everyday practices workers already use to foster flow — to uncover overlooked opportunities and chart new directions for digital intervention design. Specifically, we report findings from two studies: (1) a reflexive thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses (n = 160), surfacing 38 lived interventions across four categories: environment, organization, task shaping, and personal readiness; and (2) a quantitative online survey (n = 121) that validates this repertoire, identifies which interventions are broadly endorsed versus polarizing, and elicits visions of technological support. We contribute empirical insights into how digital workers cultivate flow, situate these lived interventions within existing literature, and derive design opportunities for future digital flow interventions.2026FSFabio Stano et al.Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Knowledge Worker Tools & WorkflowsWorkplace Wellbeing & Work StressBehavior Change & Reflection TechnologyCHI
Can’t See Nature for the Trees: A Literature Review about Virtual Nature for Well-BeingHuman well-being is inseparable from environmental context, with nature long recognized for its restorative potential. As everyday life becomes increasingly mediated by technology, access to nature is reconfigured through digital media. Virtual nature is often proposed as a tool for supporting well-being, yet the assumptions guiding its design and evaluation remain under-examined. This paper presents a systematic review of 124 empirical studies on virtual nature and well-being. Results generally trend toward clear positive effects on well-being; however, the current state-of-the-art remains considerably limited. Research is dominated by short-term, passive interventions grounded in stress reduction and attention restoration theories, prioritizing affective and physiological outcomes over cognitive or relational dimensions. We conclude by outlining four design inspirations that reposition virtual nature within HCI, shifting attention from short-term relief toward more diverse forms of human–nature interaction including cultural, participatory, and more-than-human perspectives.2026BKBakhtawar Aurangzeb Khan et al.Tampere UniversityImmersion & Presence ResearchHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)Sustainable HCICHI
Understanding Spatiotemporal-Aware Multimodal Conversational Search in the Outdoor Urban SpaceEmerging multimodal conversational search (MCS) tools (e.g., Gemini Live) allow users to search for spatiotemporal information through natural language dialogues as they move through urban space. Despite the growing popularity of these tools, there is limited understanding of how people engage with this technology. To address this gap, we developed UrbanSearch, an MCS technology probe designed to capture the user's current geolocation, time, and visual surroundings. A contextual inquiry (N=23) revealed that MCS tools provide two core values: requiring low effort in forming queries while offering highly relevant responses, and functioning as a central information gateway. As a promising technology, MCS supports environmental learning, in-situ decision making, and personalized navigation. Participants also revealed unmet needs for spatial reasoning and transparent integration of multi-source information, along with concerns related to peripheral awareness, social context, and personal space. Drawing from the findings, we discuss design implications for future MCS tools in urban spaces.2026JXJiangnan Xu et al.Rochester Institute of TechnologyExploratory Search & Information SeekingConversational Search & QA SystemsContext-Aware ComputingCHI
Understanding the Dynamics of Trust in Location-Based Games as Hybrid Spaces: The Players' PerspectiveLocation-based games (LBGs) merge digital play with physical environments, creating hybrid spaces that require players to navigate complex trust dynamics. Despite their global popularity, LBGs introduce unique challenges around fairness, safety, and privacy, spanning interactions among players, game systems, local communities, and non-players in shared public spaces. To examine how trust is perceived, built, and sustained in these environments, we conducted in-depth interviews with 26 players of four major LBGs: Pokémon GO, Monster Hunter Now, Ingress, and Pikmin Bloom. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified dynamics of trust across four trustor–trustee relationships: player–system, player–player, player–community, and player–non-player in five key aspects: fair play, location privacy, online vetting, hybrid interaction, and public play. Drawing on our findings, we propose a trust model for analyzing and designing trust in LBGs as hybrid spaces, and we outline design implications aimed at strengthening trust building and sustaining trustworthy interactions across the LBG ecology.2026JXJiangnan Xu et al.Rochester Institute of TechnologyGame UX & Player BehaviorSocial Platform Design & User BehaviorPrivacy by Design & User ControlCHI
Grand Challenges around Designing Computers’ Control Over Our BodiesAdvances in emerging technologies, such as on-body mechanical actuators and electrical muscle stimulation, have allowed computers to take control over our bodies. This presents opportunities as well as challenges, raising fundamental questions about agency and the role of our body when interacting with technology. To advance this research field as a whole, we brought together expert perspectives in a week-long seminar to articulate the grand challenges that should be tackled when it comes to the design of computers’ control over our bodies. These grand challenges span technical, design, user, and ethical aspects. By articulating these grand challenges, we aim to begin initiating a research agenda that positions bodily control not only as a technical feature but as a central, experiential, and ethical concern for future human–computer interaction endeavors.2026FMFlorian 'Floyd' Mueller et al.Monash UniversityElectrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) & NeurofeedbackEmpathy & Emotional DesignCHI
Flow on Social Media? Rarer Than You'd ThinkResearchers often attribute social media’s appeal to its ability to elicit flow experiences of deep absorption and effortless engagement. Yet prolonged use has also been linked to distraction, fatigue, and lower mood. This paradox remains poorly understood, in part because prior studies rely on habitual or one-shot reports that ask participants to directly attribute flow to social media. To address this gap, we conducted a five-day field study with 40 participants, combining objective smartphone app tracking with daily reconstructions of flow-inducing activities. Across 673 reported flow occurrences, participants rarely associated flow with social media (2\%). Instead, heavier social media use predicted fewer daily flow occurrences. We further examine this relationship through the effects of social media use on fatigue, mood, and motivation. Altogether, our findings suggest that flow and social media may not align as closely as assumed - and might even compete - underscoring the need for further research.2026MKMichael T. Knierim et al.Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Social Platform Design & User BehaviorCyberbullying & Online HarassmentEmpathy & Emotional DesignCHI
Opening Up Human-Robot CollaborationAs we see robots being deployed into new places in everyday life, questions arise about what the features of `human-robot collaboration' (HRC) might look like. Recent work anticipates the need for more CSCW-oriented studies of HRC, given the increasing adoption of CSCW concepts to HRC research. We address this via an ethnomethodological study of encounters between pedestrians and food delivery robots on public streets. Our analysis---using video recorded fragments of what happens on the street---demonstrates how passers-by manage walking trajectories in ways that account for robot actions, contributing an analysis that articulates how people accomplish practices of following and overtaking robots, passing by and crossing paths with them. We show that the picture of human-robot collaboration is drawn with `unequal' asymmetries of action and intelligibility, with humans contributing considerable work to get something that looks like collaboration achieved. This raises questions for how we talk about collaboration in HRC from a CSCW perspective, and how this notion can and should be applied to groups and teams which include robots.2025SRStuart Reeves et al.Human-AI (and Robot!) CollaborationCSCW
Bridging Context and Culture: Designing Cross-Cultural Solutions for Type 2 Diabetes Care in NigeriaCulturally sensitive design is crucial for developing inclusive technologies, particularly in resource-constrained settings. However, such approaches often oversimplify culture and face challenges in cross-cultural transferability. This study addresses these issues by exploring how participatory design can be both culturally grounded and adaptable across subcultures within African communities. We conducted 13 distributed design workshops with 19 participants, including people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), caregivers, and pharmacists, from diverse ethnic groups in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. These workshops informed the design of a mobile health prototype featuring interactive flows in Pidgin English, collaborative care tools, peer support groups, and a calorie prediction feature. The prototype was evaluated by 30 participants through think-aloud sessions and interviews. Findings highlight that while some features aligned with local cultural norms, others were less effective across sociocultural boundaries, even within the same city. We offer insights and methodological guidance for developing digital health tools that are locally relevant and regionally adaptable.2025TATim Arueyingho et al.Cognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Developing Countries & HCI for Development (HCI4D)DIS
Friction in Processual Ethics: Reconfiguring Ethical Relations in Interdisciplinary ResearchFriction -- disagreement and breakdown -- is an omnipresent aspect of conducting interdisciplinary research yet is rarely presented in formal research reporting. We analyse a performance-led research process where professional dancers with different disabilities explored how to improvise with an industrial robot, with the support of an interdisciplinary team of human-computer and human-robot interaction researchers. We focus on one site of friction in our research process; how to dance -- safely -- with robots? By presenting our research process, we exemplify the different ways in which we encountered this friction and how we reconfigured the research process around it. We contribute five ways in which we arrived at a generative ethical outcome, which may be helpful in productively engaging with friction in interdisciplinary collaboration.2025RGRachael Garrett et al.KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Media Technology and Interaction DesignHuman-Robot Collaboration (HRC)Technology Ethics & Critical HCIDance & Body Movement ComputingCHI
Acceptability, Acceptance and Adoption of Telepresence Robots in Museums: The Museum Professionals' PerspectivesTelepresence robots have the potential to change our experiences in galleries and museums, allowing for a range of hybrid interactions for visitors and museum professionals, improving accessibility, offering activities or information, and providing a range of practical use cases (e.g. the robots augmenting museum exhibits). We present the results of 3 qualitative studies conducted in the UK exploring the acceptability (1 - interviews with museum professionals with no previous exposure to telepresence), acceptance (2 – focus groups for initial exposure to telepresence robots), and adoption (3 – interviews with museum professionals with long-term exposure to robots) of telepresence robots in museums. Our results identified opportunities and barriers focusing on the unique perspective of museum professionals and showed how priorities of museums shift and change according to their exposure to different technologies. We proposed a set of practical guidelines for future telepresence robots in museums, including design implications, potential applications, and integration strategies.2025HCHarriet R Cameron et al.University of Nottingham, Responsible Digital Futures Group, School of Computer Science; University of Nottingham, Mixed Reality Lab, School of Computer ScienceTeleoperation & TelepresenceMuseum & Cultural Heritage DigitizationCHI
Exploring Deaf And Hard of Hearing Peoples’ Perspectives On Tasks In Augmented Reality: Interacting With 3D Objects And Instructional ComprehensionTasks in augmented reality (AR), such as 3D interaction and instructional comprehension, are often designed for users with uniform sensory abilities. Such an approach, however, can overlook the more nuanced needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) users who might have reduced auditory perception. To better understand these challenges, our study utilized the single-player AR game Angry Birds AR as a probe to explore how 11 DHH participants and 15 hearing participants experienced AR interactions. Our findings highlight that DHH users prefer interaction based on context, effective haptic cues, audio cue substitutes, and clear instructional design. We, therefore, propose the following design recommendations to enhance the accessibility of AR for DHH users. This includes customizable UI options, modular feedback systems, and virtual avatars for sign language instructions.2025SLSanzida Mojib Luna et al.Rochester Institute of Technology, Niantic x RIT Geo Games and Media Research LabAR Navigation & Context AwarenessDeaf & Hard-of-Hearing Support (Captions, Sign Language, Vibration)CHI
Exploring Flow in Real-World Knowledge Work Using Discrete cEEGrid SensorsFlow, a state of deep task engagement, is associated with optimal experience and well-being, making its detection a prolific HCI research focus. While physiological sensors show promise for flow detection, most studies are lab-based. Furthermore, brain sensing during natural work remains unexplored due to the intrusive nature of traditional EEG setups. This study addresses this gap by using wearable, around-the-ear EEG sensors to observe flow during natural knowledge work, measuring EEG throughout an entire day. In a semi-controlled field experiment, participants engaged in academic writing or programming, with their natural flow experiences compared to those from a classic lab paradigm. Our results show that natural work tasks elicit more intense flow than artificial tasks, albeit with smaller experience contrasts. EEG results show a well-known quadratic relationship between theta power and flow across tasks, and a novel quadratic relationship between beta asymmetry and flow during complex, real-world tasks.2025MKMichael Thomas Knierim et al.Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Information Systems and Marketing (IISM)Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) & NeurofeedbackKnowledge Worker Tools & WorkflowsCHI
Objection Overruled! Lay People can Distinguish Large Language Models from Lawyers, but still Favour Advice from an LLMLarge Language Models (LLMs) are seemingly infiltrating every domain, and the legal context is no exception. In this paper, we present the results of three experiments (total N = 288) that investigated lay people's willingness to act upon, and their ability to discriminate between, LLM- and lawyer-generated legal advice. In Experiment 1, participants judged their willingness to act on legal advice when the source of the advice was either known or unknown. When the advice source was unknown, participants indicated that they were significantly more willing to act on the LLM-generated advice. The result of the source unknown condition was replicated in Experiment 2. Intriguingly, despite participants indicating higher willingness to act on LLM-generated advice in Experiments 1 and 2, participants discriminated between the LLM- and lawyer-generated texts significantly above chance-level in Experiment 3. Lastly, we discuss potential explanations and risks of our findings, limitations and future work.2025ESEike Schneiders et al.University of Nottingham, School of Computer Science; University of Southampton, School of Electronics and Computer ScienceHuman-LLM CollaborationAI-Assisted Decision-Making & AutomationAI Ethics, Fairness & AccountabilityCHI
Work Hard, Play Harder: Intense Games Enable Recovery from High Mental Workload TasksPlaying games has been shown to be an effective method of post-work recovery. Previous research has shown that gameplay with high cognitive involvement is effective for recovery. This finding conflicts with models of mental workload (MWL), which suggest that people feel best when cycling between high and low MWL. To unpack the relationship between recovery and mental workload, we designed a lab experiment where 40 participants experienced different combinations of high and low MWL while undertaking both work tasks and recovery gameplay, and we collected both self-report and physiological (fNIRS) data. Results showed that high and low MWL games created different impacts on recovery, depending on the MWL of the prior work task. While fNIRS measurements of MWL varied as expected during work tasks, experience of MWL when playing games was not evident in the prefrontal cortex. We conclude by discussing the relationship between mental workload and theories of recovery.2025LZLinqi Zhao et al.University of Nottingham, School of Computer ScienceGame UX & Player BehaviorSerious & Functional GamesCHI
Savouring Slow Gifts: Reflection from the Field Study of Hybrid GiftingDespite the prevalence of digital gifting, designing meaningful and emotionally engaging digital gifts remains a challenge. One promising approach is Hybrid gifting, which combines digital and physical elements to improve the perceived value of gifts and provide opportunities for interpersonalisation. However, there is limited understanding of how hybridity shapes the dynamics of gifting in everyday contexts. To explore this, we developed a connected coffee machine prototype as a technology probe to study how givers personalise hybrid gifts and how recipients experience them. A study with seven pairs in intimate relationships revealed key insights: hybridity fosters slow, deliberate engagement; supports personalisation aligned with daily routines; grants recipients autonomy in receiving gifts; and reveals tensions between giver anxiety and recipient enjoyment. We discuss design implications for hybrid gifting systems that encourage recipients to savour digital gifts through slow, reflective interactions.2025HKHyosun Kwon et al.Kookmin University, Department of Industrial DesignParticipatory DesignFood Culture & Food InteractionCHI
In the Moment of Glitch: Engaging with Misalignments in Ethical PracticeGlitches -- moments when technologies do not work as desired -- will become increasingly common as industrially-designed robots move into complex contexts. Taking glitches to be potential sites of critical ethical reflection, we examine a glitch that occurred in the context of a collaborative research project where professional dancers with different disabilities improvised with a robotic arm. Through a first-person account, we analyse how the dancer, the robot, and the rest of the research team enacted ethics in the moment of glitch. Through this analysis, we discovered a deep and implicit ethical misalignment wherein our enactments of ethics in response to the glitch did not align with the values of the project. This prompted a critical re-engagement with our research process through which we forged a dialogue between different ethical perspectives that acted as an invitation to bring us back into ethical alignment with the project's values.2025RGRachael Garrett et al.KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Media Technology and Interaction DesignTechnology Ethics & Critical HCIParticipatory DesignDance & Body Movement ComputingCHI
How Personal Value Orientations Influence on Behaviors in Digital Citizen ScienceWhile much research has examined motivations for contributing to citizen science projects, few studies have considered the role of personal values in directing citizen scientists' interactions and contribution patterns. We investigated whether personal values systematically influence the behaviors of individuals who use the Zooniverse platform to select and contribute to citizen science projects. In this paper, we present the results of a research study where we launched a large-scale survey (N = 2,605) to capture personal values using Schwartz's Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-21). We also extracted system log data from participant interactions on Zooniverse. Our results align with previous research suggesting intrinsic type motivators and values tend to drive specific modes of interaction, e.g., exploring projects in different disciplines. We also see that interaction in social spaces, e.g., discussion boards, is driven by values with a personal focus (e.g., self-enhancement) and social focus. Given these results, we provide several suggestions for managing these and similar projects.2024EJEunmi (Ellie) Jeong et al.Session 1d: Values and Practices in Crowdsourcing and Citizen ScienceCSCW
The Purr-suit of Happiness: A Tale of Three Kittens. Robots, Humans, Cats, and AIThis paper showcases Cat Royale, an exploration of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on animal happiness situated at the intersection of Art, Computer Science, and Animal Welfare. We argue for the inclusion of non-human actors when designing autonomous systems, as animals increasingly interact with them. In this endeavour, we emphasise multidisciplinarity when designing trustworthy autonomous system. To design, implement, and deploy such systems, diverse voices must be heard. Finally, by highlighting parallels between Cat Royale’s animal-robot interactions and human-AI interactions, this project invites reflections on the trustworthiness, risks, and the price we might pay for AI.2024ESEike Schneiders et al.Social Robot InteractionHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)HRI
Machine Learning Processes As Sources of Ambiguity: Insights from AI ArtOngoing efforts to turn Machine Learning (ML) into a design material have encountered limited success. This paper examines the burgeoning area of AI art to understand how artists incorporate ML in their creative work. Drawing upon related HCI theories, we investigate how artists create ambiguity by analyzing nine AI artworks that use computer vision and image synthesis. Our analysis shows that, in addition to the established types of ambiguity, artists worked closely with the ML process (dataset curation, model training, and application) and developed various techniques to evoke the ambiguity of processes. Our finding indicates that the current conceptualization of ML as a design material needs to reframe the ML process as design elements, instead of technical details. Finally, this paper offers reflections on commonly held assumptions in HCI about ML uncertainty, dependability, and explainability, and advocates to supplement the artifact-centered design perspective of ML with a process-centered one.2024CSChristian Sivertsen et al.IT University of CopenhagenCreative Coding & Computational ArtComputational Methods in HCICHI
SnapInflatables: Designing Inflatables with Snap-through Instability for Responsive InteractionSnap-through instability, like the rapid closure of the Venus flytrap, is gaining attention in robotics and HCI. It offers rapid shape reconfiguration, self-sensing, actuation, and enhanced haptic feedback. However, conventional snap-through structures face limitations in fabrication efficiency, scale, and tunability. We introduce SnapInflatables, enabling safe, multi-scale interaction with adjustable sensitivity and force reactions, utilizing the snap-through instability of inflatables. We designed six types of heat-sealing structures enabling versatile snap-through passive motion of inflatables with diverse reaction and trigger directions. A block structure enables ultra-sensitive states for rapid energy release and force amplification. The motion range is facilitated by geometry parameters, while force feedback properties are tunable through internal pressure settings. Based on experiments, we developed a design tool for creating desired inflatable snap-through shapes and motions, offering previews and inflation simulations. Example applications, including a self-locking medical stretcher, interactive animals, and a bounce button, demonstrate enhanced passive interaction with inflatables.2024YYYue Yang et al.Zhejiang UniversityShape-Changing Interfaces & Soft Robotic MaterialsCHI