How Does Delegation in Social Interaction Evolve Over Time? Navigation with a Robot for Blind PeopleAutonomy and independent navigation are vital to daily life but remain challenging for individuals with blindness. Robotic systems can enhance mobility and confidence by providing intelligent navigation assistance. However, fully autonomous systems may reduce users’ sense of control, even when they wish to remain actively involved. Although collaboration between user and robot has been recognized as important, little is known about how perceptions of this relationship change with repeated use. We present a repeated exposure study with six blind participants who interacted with a navigation-assistive robot in a real-world museum. Participants completed tasks such as navigating crowds, approaching lines, and encountering obstacles. Findings show that participants refined their strategies over time, developing clearer preferences about when to rely on the robot versus act independently. This work provides insights into how strategies and preferences evolve with repeated interaction and offers design implications for robots that adapt to user needs over time.2026RHRayna Hata et al.Carnegie Mellon UniversityRobots in Education & HealthcareCognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Elderly Care & Dementia SupportCHI
Sensing Your Vocals: Exploring the Activity of Vocal Cord Muscles for Pitch Assessment Using Electromyography and UltrasonographyVocal training is difficult because the muscles that control pitch, resonance, and phonation are internal and invisible to learners. This paper investigates how Electromyography (EMG) and ultrasonic imaging (UI) can make these muscles observable for training purposes. We report three studies. First, we analyze the EMG and UI data from 16 singers (beginners, experienced \& professionals), revealing differences among three vocal groups of the muscle control proficiency. Second, we use the collected data to create a system that visualizes an expert's muscle activity as reference. This system is tested in a user study with 12 novices, showing that EMG highlighted muscle activation nuances, while UI provided insights into vocal cord length and dynamics. Third, to compare our approach to traditional methods (audio analysis and coach instructions), we conducted a focus group study with 15 experienced singers. Our results suggest that EMG is promising for improving vocal skill development and enhancing feedback systems. We conclude the paper with a detailed comparison of the analyzed modalities (EMG, UI and traditional methods), resulting in recommendations to improve vocal muscle training systems.2026KCKanyu Chen et al.Graduate School of Media DesignBiosensors & Physiological MonitoringEmotion Recognition & DetectionAffective Feedback & Emotion Regulation InterfacesCHI
Effects of Embodied Self-Distancing in Virtual Environments on Group Decision-MakingIn organizational and team decision-making, it is critical for each member to engage in discussions from a broader perspective, without fixating on personal values and knowledge. Self-distancing has been proposed as a means of supporting such a perspective; however, its role in multiparty group discussions with decision-making remains underexplored. We applied self-distancing to immersive virtual environments to examine its effects on group decision-making. A total of 144 participants (48 triads, aged 20–49) experienced two types of decision-making tasks under either a self-distanced perspective, observing their self-avatar from behind, or a self-immersed perspective, observing it from the first person. The results showed that embodied self-distancing significantly affected decision-making quality (improved consensus agreement and opinion inference accuracy), communication behavior (increased gestures regulating conversational flow), and group members’ perceptions (reduced intragroup conflict and affective interdependence). Overall, embodied self-distancing may be suitable for situations that require the prevention or mitigation of conflict but less suitable for situations that require empathy and attentive listening.2026JIJunko Ichino et al.Waseda UniversitySocial & Collaborative VRImmersion & Presence ResearchIdentity & Avatars in XRCHI
Robot-Assisted Group Tours for Blind PeopleGroup interactions are essential to social functioning, yet effective engagement relies on the ability to recognize and interpret visual cues, making such engagement a significant challenge for blind people. In this paper, we investigate how a mobile robot can support group interactions for blind people. We used the scenario of a guided tour with mixed-visual groups involving blind and sighted visitors. Based on insights from an interview study with blind people (n=5) and museum experts (n=5), we designed and prototyped a robotic system that supported blind visitors to join group tours. We conducted a field study in a science museum where each blind participant (n=8) joined a group tour with one guide and two sighted participants (n=8). Findings indicated users' sense of safety from the robot's navigational support, concerns in the group participation, and preferences for obtaining environmental information. We present design implications for future robotic systems to support blind people's mixed-visual group participation.2026YHYaxin Hu et al.University of Wisconsin-MadisonSocial Robot InteractionRobots in Education & HealthcareVisual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)CHI
Harassment in Virtual Reality: A Systematic ReviewThis systematic review examines harassment in virtual reality (VR), synthesizing findings from 85 studies published between 2017 and 2025. We propose a nuanced typology of harassment, encompassing spatial intrusion, sexual and verbal abuse, identity-based discrimination, group-targeted harassment, and systemic harms, and demonstrate how VR’s immersive and embodied features amplify risk and impact. Marginalized users, such as women, LGBTQ+ individuals, children, and people with disabilities, face disproportionate harm. We further analyze the psychological and behavioral consequences of harassment, as well as the effectiveness and limitations of current governance, design, and AI-driven interventions. Our review identifies persistent research gaps in theory, measurement, and inclusive protection, and advocates for ethical, participatory, and preventive approaches to platform safety. This work aims to guide researchers and designers in building more equitable and safe VR environments.2026JDJiong Dong et al.Xuchang UniversitySocial & Collaborative VRIdentity & Avatars in XRTechnology Ethics & Critical HCICHI
Introspectus AI: Long-term AI-Driven Dialogue Training To Promote Self-ReflectionIntrospectusAI is a generative AI-based system designed to enhance self-reflection and support positive behavior change. By leveraging multimodal information from users' daily life recordings, it provides personalized and detailed feedback, aiming to deepen self-awareness and facilitate positive behavioral adjustments. This study explores the short-term and long-term impacts of interacting with IntrospectusAI, focusing on its potential to enhance reflective practices and improve the acceptance of generative AI tools. Following the user experience was defined through an initial round of workshops with four experts. The resulting system was evaluated through a long-term study involving 64 participants. The results demonstrate that AI-supported interventions significantly improved engagement in self-reflection, the need for reflection, and insight, while also increasing user acceptance of generative AI over time. These findings underscore the potential of generative AI as a practical tool for self-improvement, offering insights into its broader applicability in promoting well-being and personal growth.2025SLShengyin Li et al.Communicating With/Through AICSCW
Cracking Aegis: An Adversarial LLM-based Game for Raising Awareness of Vulnerabilities in Privacy ProtectionTraditional methods for raising awareness of privacy protection often fail to engage users or provide hands-on insights into how privacy vulnerabilities are exploited. To address this, we incorporate an adversarial mechanic in the design of the dialogue-based serious game Cracking Aegis. Leveraging LLMs to simulate natural interactions, the game challenges players to impersonate characters and extract sensitive information from an AI agent, Aegis. A user study (n=22) revealed that players employed diverse deceptive linguistic strategies, including storytelling and emotional rapport, to manipulate Aegis. After playing, players reported connecting in-game scenarios with real-world privacy vulnerabilities, such as phishing and impersonation, and expressed intentions to strengthen privacy control, such as avoiding oversharing personal information with AI systems. This work highlights the potential of LLMs to simulate complex relational interactions in serious games, while demonstrating how an adversarial strategy provides a unique perspective in designing for social good, particularly in privacy protection.2025JFJiaying Fu et al.Serious & Functional GamesPrivacy Perception & Decision-MakingDark Patterns RecognitionDIS
Beyond Omakase: Designing Shared Control for Navigation Robots with Blind PeopleAutonomous navigation robots can increase the independence of blind people but often limit user control—following what is called in Japanese an "omakase" approach where decisions are left to the robot. This research investigates ways to enhance user control in social robot navigation, based on two studies conducted with blind participants. The first study, involving structured interviews (N=14), identified crowded spaces as key areas with significant social challenges. The second study (N=13) explored navigation tasks with an autonomous robot in these environments and identified design strategies across different modes of autonomy. Participants preferred an active role, termed the "boss" mode, where they managed crowd interactions, while the "monitor" mode helped them assess the environment, negotiate movements, and interact with the robot. These findings highlight the importance of shared control and user involvement for blind users, offering valuable insights for designing future social navigation robots.2025RKRie Kamikubo et al.University of Maryland, College of InformationReproductive & Women's HealthSocial Robot InteractionCHI
Understanding and Supporting Formal Email Exchange by Answering AI-Generated QuestionsReplying to formal emails is time-consuming and cognitively demanding, as it requires crafting polite phrasing and providing an adequate response to the sender's demands. Although systems with Large Language Models (LLMs) were designed to simplify the email replying process, users still need to provide detailed prompts to obtain the expected output. Therefore, we propose and evaluate an LLM-powered question-and-answer (QA)-based approach for users to reply to emails by answering a set of simple and short questions generated from the incoming email. We developed a prototype system, ResQ, and conducted controlled and field experiments with 12 and 8 participants. Our results demonstrated that the QA-based approach improves the efficiency of replying to emails and reduces workload while maintaining email quality, compared to a conventional prompt-based approach that requires users to craft appropriate prompts to obtain email drafts. We discuss how the QA-based approach influences the email reply process and interpersonal relationship dynamics, as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with using a QA-based approach in AI-mediated communication.2025YMYusuke Miura et al.Waseda UniversityHuman-LLM CollaborationCHI
WanderGuide: Indoor Map-less Robotic Guide for Exploration by Blind PeopleBlind people have limited opportunities to explore an environment based on their interests. While existing navigation systems could provide them with surrounding information while navigating, they have limited scalability as they require preparing prebuilt maps. Thus, to develop a map-less robot that assists blind people in exploring, we first conducted a study with ten blind participants at a shopping mall and science museum to investigate the requirements of the system, which revealed the need for three levels of detail to describe the surroundings based on users' preferences. Then, we developed WanderGuide, with functionalities that allow users to adjust the level of detail in descriptions and verbally interact with the system to ask questions about the environment or to go to points of interest. The study with five blind participants revealed that WanderGuide could provide blind people with the enjoyable experience of wandering around without a specific destination in their minds.2025MKMasaki Kuribayashi et al.Waseda UniversityConversational ChatbotsVoice AccessibilityVisual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)CHI
Snap&Nav: Smartphone-based Indoor Navigation System For Blind People via Floor Map Analysis and Intersection DetectionWe present Snap&Nav, a navigation system for blind people in unfamiliar buildings, without prebuilt digital maps. Instead, the system utilizes the floor map as its primary information source for route guidance. The system requires a sighted assistant to capture an image of the floor map, which is analyzed to create a node map containing intersections, destinations, and current positions on the floor. The system provides turn-by-turn navigation instructions while tracking users' positions on the node map by detecting intersections. Additionally, the system estimates the scale difference of the node map to provide distance information. Our system was validated through two user studies with 20 sighted and 12 blind participants. Results showed that sighted participants processed floor map images without being accustomed to the system, while blind participants navigated with increased confidence and lower cognitive load compared to the condition using only cane, appreciating the system's potential for use in various buildings.2024MKMasaya Kubota et al.Visual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)Context-Aware ComputingMobileHCI
ChitChatGuide: Conversational Interaction Using Large Language Models for Assisting People with Visual Impairments to Explore a Shopping MallTo enable people with visual impairments (PVI) to explore shopping malls, it is important to provide information for selecting destinations and obtaining information based on the individual's interests. We achieved this through conversational interaction by integrating a large language model (LLM) with a navigation system. ChitChatGuide allows users to plan a tour through contextual conversations, receive personalized descriptions of surroundings based on transit time, and make inquiries during navigation. We conducted a study in a shopping mall with 11 PVI, and the results reveal that the system allowed them to explore the facility with increased enjoyment. The LLM-based conversational interaction, by understanding vague and context-based questions, enabled the participants to explore unfamiliar environments effectively. The personalized and in-situ information generated by the LLM was both useful and enjoyable. Considering the limitations we identified, we discuss the criteria for integrating LLMs into navigation systems to enhance the exploration experiences of PVI.2024YKYuka Kaniwa et al.Human-LLM CollaborationVisual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)MobileHCI
Synlogue with Aizuchi-bot: Investigating the Co-Adaptive and Open-Ended Interaction ParadigmIn contrast to dialogue, wherein the exchange of completed messages occurs through turn-taking, synlogue is a mode of conversation characterized by co-creative processes, such as mutually complementing incomplete utterances and cooperative overlaps of backchannelings. Such co-creative conversations have the potential to alleviate social divisions in contemporary information environments. This study proposed the design concept of a synlogue based on literature in linguistics and anthropology and explored features that facilitate synlogic interactions in computer-mediated interfaces. Through an experiment, we focused on aizuchi, an important backchanneling element that drives synlogic conversation, and compared the speech and perceptual changes of participants when a bot dynamically uttered aizuchi or otherwise silent in a situation simulating an online video call. Consequently, we discussed the implications for interaction design based on our qualitative and quantitative analysis of the experiment. The synlogic perspective presented in this study is expected to facilitate HCI researchers to achieve more convivial forms of communication.2024KYKazumi Yoshimura et al.Waseda UniversityConversational ChatbotsAgent Personality & AnthropomorphismCHI
PathFinder: Designing a Map-less Navigation System for Blind People in Unfamiliar BuildingsIndoor navigation systems with prebuilt maps have shown great potential in navigating blind people even in unfamiliar buildings. However, blind people cannot always benefit from them in every building, as prebuilt maps are expensive to build. This paper explores a map-less navigation system for blind people to reach destinations in unfamiliar buildings, which is implemented on a robot. We first conducted a participatory design with five blind people, which revealed that intersections and signs are the most relevant information in unfamiliar buildings. Then, we prototyped PathFinder, a navigation system that allows blind people to determine their way by detecting and conveying information about intersections and signs. Through a participatory study, we improved the interface of PathFinder, such as the feedback for conveying the detection results. Finally, a study with seven blind participants validated that PathFinder could assist users in navigating unfamiliar buildings with increased confidence compared to their regular aid.2023MKMasaki Kuribayashi et al.Waseda UniversityVisual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)Universal & Inclusive DesignCHI
LineChaser: A Smartphone-Based Navigation System for Blind People to Stand in LineStanding in line is one of the most common social behaviors in public spaces but can be challenging for blind people. We propose an assistive system named LineChaser, which navigates a blind user to the end of a line and continuously reports the distance and direction to the last person in the line so that they can be followed. LineChaser uses the RGB camera in a smartphone to detect nearby pedestrians, and the built-in infrared depth sensor to estimate their position. Via pedestrian position estimations, LineChaser determines whether nearby pedestrians are standing in line, and uses audio and vibration signals to notify the user when they should start/stop moving forward. In this way, users can stay correctly positioned while maintaining social distance. We have conducted a usability study with 12 blind participants. LineChaser allowed blind participants to successfully navigate lines, significantly increasing their confidence in standing in lines.2021MKMasaki Kuribayashi et al.Waseda UniversityVisual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)Universal & Inclusive DesignContext-Aware ComputingCHI
BBeep: A Sonic Collision Avoidance System for Blind Travellers and Nearby PedestriansWe present an assistive suitcase system, BBeep, for supporting blind people when walking through crowded environments. BBeep uses pre-emptive sound notifications to help clear a path by alerting both the user and nearby pedestrians about the potential risk of collision. BBeep triggers notifications by tracking pedestrians, predicting their future position in real-time, and provides sound notifications only when it anticipates a future collision. We investigate how different types and timings of sound affect nearby pedestrian behavior. In our experiments, we found that sound emission timing has a significant impact on nearby pedestrian trajectories when compared to different sound types. Based on these findings, we performed a real-world user study at an international airport, where blind participants navigated with the suitcase in crowded areas. We observed that the proposed system significantly reduces the number of imminent collisions.2019SKSeita Kayukawa et al.Carnegie Mellon University & Waseda UniversityTeleoperated DrivingDeaf & Hard-of-Hearing Support (Captions, Sign Language, Vibration)CHI