Nudging vs. Reflection in Fitness Wearables: Evaluating the Benefits and Drawbacks of Design Strategies for Wellbeing TechnologiesWhile technology is widely recognised as a tool to enhance wellbeing, there is no clear consensus on the best practices for design. Persuasive strategies, such as nudging, are often seen as effective but raise ethical concerns. Reflection-based approaches offer a potential alternative. However, a clear understanding of the balance between these strategies is crucial for designing effective and ethically sound wellbeing technologies. We conducted two studies with a total of n=163 participants comparing nudging and reflection techniques using contrasting prototypes of fitness wearables. We verified that the prototypes represented key nudging and reflection strategies through expert feedback. Our mixed-methods inquiry shows that certain nudging strategies are perceived as more malicious and more likely to provoke rumination, i.e., negative thought cycles, compared to other wellbeing strategies. We contribute insights to inform design decisions for wellbeing technologies, balancing effectiveness with ethical considerations.2026AWAnna Walczak et al.Lodz University of TechnologyFitness Tracking & Physical Activity MonitoringBehavior Change & Reflection TechnologyCHI
"Hey Dashboard!": Supporting Voice, Text, and Pointing Modalities in Dashboard Onboarding using Large Language ModelsVisualization dashboards are regularly used for data exploration and analysis, but their complex interactions and interlinked views often require time-consuming onboarding sessions from dashboard authors. Preparing these onboarding materials is labor-intensive and requires manual updates when dashboards change. Recent advances in multimodal interaction powered by large language models (LLMs) provide ways to support self-guided onboarding. We present DIANA (Dashboard Interactive Assistant for Navigation and Analysis), a multimodal dashboard assistant that helps users for navigation and guided analysis through chat, audio, and mouse-based interactions. Users can choose any interaction modality or a combination of them to onboard themselves on the dashboard. Each modality highlights relevant dashboard features to support user orientation. Unlike typical LLM systems that rely solely on text-based chat, DIANA combines multiple modalities to provide explanations directly in the dashboard interface. We conducted a comparative qualitative user study to understand the use of different modalities for different types of onboarding tasks and their complexities.2026VDVaishali Dhanoa et al.Aarhus UniversityGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Human-LLM CollaborationInteractive Data VisualizationCHI
Calls of Care: Materializing Posthuman Personhood with Conversational Agents in Dementia CareIn designing for dementia, the concept of person-centered care (PCC) effectively shifts attention away from deficit orientations. However, it predominantly focuses on the roles of humans in sustaining personhood, leaving the roles of nonhuman actors in care assemblages under-explored. To address this, we propose a theory–method package that extends PCC with posthumanist perspectives. We applied it in a six-month participatory design process to develop a conversational agent (CA) with four people living with dementia (PlwD), their relatives, and care workers. We report both the design process and analysis of conversations between the CA and one PlwD. Tracing the socio-material and ethical assemblages that emerged in these intra-actions, we identify moments of recognition, validation, holding, and facilitation. Situating these within broader discussions of care, process-oriented ethics, and posthuman design, we illustrate opportunities and limits to design for meaningful experiences of personhood between people with dementia, CAs, and other nonhuman actors.2026RVRalf Vetter et al.Interdisciplinary Transformation UniversityElderly Care & Dementia SupportSocial Robot InteractionRobots in Education & HealthcareCHI
Decomposing Autonomy: Explaining AI Technology Acceptance Through a Liberty-Based FrameworkHuman autonomy is a core concept that helps explain the acceptance of and interaction with computer systems and AI technology. However, autonomy is often vaguely defined and conflated with related constructs. This paper disentangles autonomy by integrating the dualistic nature of positive and negative liberty from the perspective of political philosophy. Using an online vignette study with N=194 participants, we show that positive and negative liberty act as correlated but distinct dimensions of the autonomy foundation. While negative liberty predicts the sense of agency, positive liberty is a key dimension for people’s willingness to use technology. We argue that this dualistic stand - positive liberty as the freedom to pursue authentic goals, and negative liberty as the freedom from external constraints - offers a valuable and actionable perspective on human autonomy that can inform future system design and better answer the ambivalent question “how much autonomy is enough”?2026DTDinara Talypova et al.IT:U Interdisciplinary Transformation University AustriaExplainable AI (XAI)AI Ethics, Fairness & AccountabilityPrivacy by Design & User ControlCHI
Roger That: Firefighters’ Perspectives on Integrating Drones in Radio CommunicationDrones are increasingly used in firefighting to support situational awareness. Yet, current designs and existing practices hinder information flow between humans and machines. Through interviews ($N=12$), we explore firefighters' perspectives on integrating drones into their main remote communication channel, namely, the radio. We examined current radio usage, the state of drone deployment, and gathered their feedback on a futuristic drone scenario. Our findings span from existing organizational and communication strategies to how drones are, and could further be, integrated into existing practices. We uncovered structured practices that could facilitate the integration of robotic agents. Firefighters further suggested specific requirements for drone communication over the radio, such as concise and timely messaging. We propose design recommendations for drones as radio-communicating agents, bridging established low-tech practices with emerging autonomy. This work demonstrates the feasibility of drones as radio-integrated teammates and establishes principles for designing them as reliable situationally-aware agents in safety-critical contexts.2026TLTom Lautenbach et al.TU WienDrone Interaction & ControlTeleoperation & TelepresenceCHI
InkStack: A Programmable E-Paper Card System for Board GamesPlaying cards have long been a central feature in board games, despite their physical limitations, such as fragility, and repetitive content. Yet, while HCI research increasingly explores augmented board games, interactive playing cards remain underexplored. In this work, we investigate the use of e-paper displays as interactive playing cards. Based on a formative study with eight game designers, we designed and implemented InkStack---a prototype consisting of e-paper cards, a dedicated programmer, and a web application for card customisation. We then evaluated InkStack in a within-subject study with $n = 20$ participants, comparing its use across four board game mechanics against traditional paper cards and a smartphone. Results show that InkStack is preferred for more complex mechanics, whereas paper and smartphones are sufficient for simpler tasks. The findings also highlight how customisation and versatility can enhance gameplay and enable novel forms of interaction.2026JDJulia Dominiak et al.Lodz University of TechnologyDigitalization of Board & Tabletop GamesDesktop 3D Printing & Personal FabricationCustomizable & Personalized ObjectsCHI
The Nuances of Creepiness: A Systematic Literature Review of Creepy TechnologyThe ambiguity surrounding `creepy technology' in HCI poses significant challenges, as its interpretation varies considerably based on research focus. While it is often linked to the aesthetics of robots and concerns about personal data privacy and security, it is increasingly associated with functionality, unpredictability, and appropriateness. Clarifying this ambiguity is vital for designers, as design choices impact user experience and trust in technology. To address this, we undertook a systematic review of 115 papers based on content, identifying key themes related to design choices and contextual elements of creepiness. Through this review, we developed the \emph{Creepiness Framework}, which comprises two main components: the \emph{Structure of Creepiness} and \emph{Felt Creepiness}. The framework offers better understanding of the dynamics in creepy technology. Additionally, we provide insights into creepiness features that can assist in developing technologies that are more predictable and less likely to evoke unintended feelings of creepiness.2026TJTora Jarsve et al.University of OsloTechnology Ethics & Critical HCIPrivacy by Design & User ControlPrivacy Perception & Decision-MakingCHI
ENtry, Occupancy, EXit (NOX): A Model of Human-Robot Territorial DynamicsSpatial tensions in real-world deployments of autonomous robots (e.g., sidewalk conflicts, boundary violations) expose a critical oversight: the neglect of space as a social construct through which people form expectations and regulate access and behavior, that is, Territoriality. Beyond proxemics, Human–Robot Interaction lacks the theoretical models and shared vocabulary needed to support empirical research on this dimension. To address this gap, we adapt insights from environmental psychology to develop NOX (ENtry, Occupancy, EXit), a stage-based model of human–robot territorial dynamics. NOX pinpoints sources of robot territorial infringement (i.e., friction points) which were validated in a between-subjects vignette study (N = 290). Our findings indicate that mismatches between robot behavior and human expectations at these friction points are associated with more negative affect, higher defensive intent, and lower perceived appropriateness. NOX clarifies this facet of human--robot spatial relationship and identifies future directions for design and research toward harmonious integration in human environments.2026RBRobin Bretin et al.TU WienHuman-Robot Collaboration (HRC)Human Pose & Activity RecognitionSmart Cities & Urban SensingCHI
Supporting Communication and Well-being with a Multi-Stakeholder Mobile App: Lessons Learned from A Field Study with ADHD Children and their CaregiversChildren with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their caregivers face daily challenges which can adversely affect their well-being, especially regarding communication within their care ecosystems, comprising family, friends, educators, and therapists. To foster communication among children and their care ecosystem and support their well-being, we created REMEMO, a mobile app that was iteratively designed and evaluated by actively involving ADHD children and their caregivers. It supports both individual and collaborative use, offering tailored features for different user groups: children, parents, or therapists and educators. Its primary function is to enable users to record their experiences and emotions and choose whether to share these with other members of the care ecosystem. We deployed REMEMO in a multi-week field study with five groups encompassing ADHD children (total participants n=18). Our analysis showed that REMEMO can support emotional expression, regulation, reflection, and transparent and affectionate communication, addressing needs of both ADHD children and their caregivers. Our findings also highlight the critical role of mutual understanding regarding technology use and contextual challenges in shaping usage patterns. We discuss opportunities and challenges in designing technologies that cater to the varying needs of different stakeholders of ADHD children’s care ecosystems and engage in critical reflection regarding evaluating technologies with vulnerable populations, such as families of ADHD children.2025ESEvropi Stefanidi et al.Caregiving & CaregiversCSCW
Give and Take: Perceptions of a Conversational Coach Agent in Fitness TrackersWhile Personal Informatics (PI) tools utilise data visualisations to communicate behaviour, users often struggle to make sense of their data and translate it to actionable insights. Conversational Agents (CAs) offer potential for improved access to PI data, yet their role in PI tools remains under-explored. We conducted a two-week user study with journals, interviews and logging with n=36 participants using a novel commercial fitness tracker with an embedded CA. We identified the give and take principle as essential for meaningful sensemaking with a CA—a dynamic resulting in more effective interactions given users' inputs (give) are met with prompts that are sufficiently specific and built upon prior data engagement (take). A critical point was how users perceived the CA during their initial interactions, with first impressions often determining further engagement. We contribute insights into how CAs can support or hinder the PI experience, offering implications for future PI system designs.2025MLMeagan B. Loerakker et al.Conversational ChatbotsFitness Tracking & Physical Activity MonitoringMobileHCI
The Office Awakens: Building a Mobile Desk for an Adaptive Workspace with RolliDeskOver the past century, office desks have evolved with technological advancements, yet they have largely overlooked individual user preferences and diverse body types. Traditionally, desks remain static objects, forcing users to adapt their workspaces around them. This research explores how mobile desks can offer a more flexible and adaptive solution. We developed RolliDesk, a mobile desk capable of automatically moving within the workspace. Our open-source desk kit enables researchers to make desks mobile using off-the-shelf electronics and 3D printing. In a mixed-methods study (n=21), we compared three desk configurations: manually controlled via a crank, control panel-operated, and automatically adaptive. Participants found the manual desk creepy, while the automatic desk was considered the most useful, particularly for promoting healthier office habits. This paper contributes RolliDesk’s design and practical insights for advancing reconfigurable and adaptive workstations.2025JDJulia Dominiak et al.Shape-Changing Interfaces & Soft Robotic MaterialsMixed Reality WorkspacesKnowledge Worker Tools & WorkflowsDIS
Situated Artifacts Amplify Engagement in Physical ActivityIn the context of rising sedentary lifestyles, this paper investigates the efficacy of "Situated Artifacts" in promoting physical activity. We designed two artifacts that display users' physical activity data within their homes - one physical and one digital. We conducted a 9-week, counterbalanced, within-subject field study with N=24 participants to assess the impact of these artifacts on physical activity, reflection, and motivation. We collected quantitative data on physical activity and administered daily and weekly questionnaires, employing individual Likert items and standardized instruments, as well as conducted interviews post-prototype usage. Our findings indicate that while both artifacts act as reminders for physical activity, the physical artifact was superior in terms of user engagement. The study revealed that this can be attributed to the higher perceived presence and, thereby, enhanced social interaction, which acts as a motivational source for activity. In this sense, situated artifacts gently nudge toward sustainable health behavior change.2025JKJonas Keppel et al.Fitness Tracking & Physical Activity MonitoringSleep & Stress MonitoringDIS
Hackathons in Designing Robotic Technology in Dementia Care - Navigating Needs and RelationsDesigning for dementia care is challenging due to its complexity, relational nature, and diverse needs. Meaningful design outcomes require bridging a deep understanding of dementia care and the experiences of people with dementia with technological possibilities and constraints. This paper explores hackathons for facilitating such translations in the design of robotic technologies. We conducted two hackathons - one with researchers and care professionals, and another with HCI Master’s students - integrating ethnographic insights, theoretical framings, first-hand experiences, and designerly knowledge. Participants' reflections highlight how the format fostered open-ended exploration, interdisciplinary collaboration, and mutual learning through tailored inspiration materials and structured design processes. Evaluating the concepts using Kitwood’s framework of person-centred care needs, we find that the hackathons generated meaningful concepts for human and non-human care relations. However, the outcomes also surface ethical considerations related to these relations, emphasising the need for further participatory design processes to refine and situate the outcomes.2025RVRalf Vetter et al.Aging-in-Place Assistance SystemsRobots in Education & HealthcareEmpowerment of Marginalized GroupsDIS
PromptMap: An Alternative Interaction Style for AI-Based Image GenerationRecent technological advances popularized the use of image generation among the general public. Crafting effective prompts can, however, be difficult for novice users. To tackle this challenge, we developed PromptMap, a new interaction style for text-to-image AI that allows users to freely explore a vast collection of synthetic prompts through a map-like view with semantic zoom. PromptMap groups images visually by their semantic similarity, allowing users to discover relevant examples. We evaluated PromptMap in a between-subject online study (n=60) and a qualitative within-subject study (n=12). We found that PromptMap supported users in crafting prompts by providing them with examples. We also demonstrated the feasibility of using LLMs to create vast example collections. Our work contributes a new interaction style that supports users unfamiliar with prompting in achieving a satisfactory image output.2025KAKrzysztof Adamkiewicz et al.Generative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Interactive Data VisualizationIUI
Configuring Participatory Research as Give and Take Relationships: Methodological Reflections on Co-Designing Booklets with a Men ShedResearchers ask a lot from their study participants: data, time, attention, ideas, and (almost) anything that helps them to pursue their research goals. But what do they give back? This question becomes especially critical in longer-term participatory research with low-resourced communities. This paper offers methodological reflections on a collaboration with a Men’s Shed that was tailored around both my research agenda and the interests of my community partner. As part of my research, we designed a booklet that eventually became their promotion brochure. By reviewing both the trouble and the gains of this process for both partners, I argue for re-imagining community-based participatory research as an opportunity for fostering give-and-take relationships with participants. The case demonstrates the method's capacity to critically extend existing HCI work on Men’s Sheds while also making participation worthwhile for my partners. The careful documentation of this process contributes methodological nuance to discussions around configuring participation.2025JMJanis Lena MeissnerTU Wien, HCI GroupParticipatory DesignCHI
A Critical Review of Sexuality, Technology and DisabilityThe investigation of technologies facilitating sexual interactions and sexuality-related explorations is becoming more established in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), albeit with little systematic attention to the sexual lives of disabled people. In this space, we undertook a literature review utilising feminist content analysis to take stock and critically analyse the domains of sexuality, technology and disability when they intersect. Our approach aligns with the broader goals of promoting inclusivity, diversity, and equity in technology design and application. We present a descriptive and analytical outline of existing research on sexuality, technology and disability through which we identified unmarked norms governing research. These include a focus on individualised technologies oriented on heteronormative assumptions on sexual desires. In addition, we focus on common methods employed and describe the involvement, or lack thereof, of disabled people in research practice. This highlights gaps in our collective knowledge from which we can derive areas for future work2025DPDilisha Patel et al.UCL, Global Disability Innovation HubCognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Gender & Race Issues in HCIEmpowerment of Marginalized GroupsCHI
Social Media as Marginalisation Machine: The Trans Desire for Solidarity SpacesAs a marginalised group at increased risk of violence, trans people's perspectives on social media aid us in a nuanced understanding of current issues and consideration of more just futures. We conducted in-depth design interviews along participatory speculative activities around a utopian social media application with seven young trans participants to explore desirable and meaningful social media. Participants reported experiences of algorithmic and other forms of violence, and discussed frictions between safety and freedom as they described their embodied experiences of shifting spaces. We identify scale, commercialisation and automation as core issues, and challenge the potential of large-public, profile-centric social media spaces to support human flourishing. Drawing from aspects of social media participants consider desirable and meaningful, we discuss the idea of a shift towards interest-centric, community-oriented spaces that prioritise interactions based on solidarity over those based on identity.2025KKKay Kender et al.TU Wien, Human Computer Interaction GroupInclusive DesignGender & Race Issues in HCIEmpowerment of Marginalized GroupsCHI
TogetherReflect: Supporting Emotional Expression in Couples Through a Collaborative Virtual Reality ExperienceNavigating emotional conflicts within relationships can be challenging. People often struggle to express their emotions during a conflict, which can lead to misunderstandings and unresolved feelings. To facilitate deeper emotional expression, we developed TogetherReflect, a multi-user Virtual Reality (VR) experience designed for couples. Partners first draw their emotions related to a shared conflict in VR, allowing for individual expression and self-reflection. They then invite each other into their drawings to discuss their feelings, before drawing together on a shared canvas to reaffirm their love and commitment. Throughout this process, TogetherReflect provides prompts and guidance, aiming to foster self-reflection and communication skills. We exploratory evaluated the experience with 10 couples (n=20). Our findings indicate that TogetherReflect deepens personal emotional insights, fosters mutual understanding, and strengthens relational bonds. We highlight the potential of guided VR experiences to transform conflict resolution in intimate relationships and offer design considerations for future development.2025NWNadine Wagener et al.University of Bremen, HCISocial & Collaborative VRImmersion & Presence ResearchInteractive Narrative & Immersive StorytellingCHI
A Comparative Study of How People With and Without ADHD Recognise and Avoid Dark Patterns on Social MediaDark patterns are deceptive strategies that recent work in human-computer interaction (HCI) has captured throughout digital domains, including social networking sites (SNSs). While research has identified difficulties among people to recognise dark patterns effectively, few studies consider vulnerable populations and their experience in this regard, including people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who may be especially susceptible to attention-grabbing tricks. Based on an interactive web study with 135 participants, we investigate SNS users' ability to recognise and avoid dark patterns by comparing results from participants with and without ADHD. In line with prior work, we noticed overall low recognition of dark patterns with no significant differences between the two groups. Yet, ADHD individuals were able to avoid specific dark patterns more often. Our results advance previous work by understanding dark patterns in a realistic environment and offer insights into their effect on vulnerable populations.2025TMThomas Mildner et al.University of BremenCognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Dark Patterns RecognitionCHI
Speculating Deaf Tech: Reimagining Technologies Centering Deaf PeopleThis deaf-led work critically explores Deaf Tech, challenging conventional understandings of technologies 'for' deaf people as merely assistive and accessible, since these understandings are predominantly embedded in medical and audist ideologies. By employing participatory speculative workshops, deaf participants from different European countries envisioned technologies on Eyeth - a mythical planet inhabited by deaf people - centered on their perspectives and curiosities. The results present a series of alternative socio-technical narratives that illustrate qualitative aspects of technologies desired by deaf people. This study advocates for expanding the scope of deaf technological landscapes, emphasizing the needs of establishing deaf-centered HCI, including the development of methods and concepts that truly prioritize deaf experiences in the design of technologies intended for their use.2025RARobin Angelini et al.TU Wien, Crip Collective || HCI GroupDeaf & Hard-of-Hearing Support (Captions, Sign Language, Vibration)Empowerment of Marginalized GroupsParticipatory DesignCHI