Facial expression interactions play a crucial role in fostering social bonds and expressing emotions. However, in the dynamic, fast-paced, and noisy environments of parties, various factors hinder blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals from engaging fully in facial expression interactions. While previous research has explored how BLV users can convey emotions through non-verbal visual cues, it has largely overlooked the challenges they face in engaging with facial expressions after perceiving these cues. To address this gap, we conducted a formative study with 10 BLV users to identify their challenges and expectations regarding facial expression interactions in party settings. Guided by these insights, we developed EmojiFan, an AI-powered smart fan designed to offer a personalized representation of facial expressions through dynamic, expressive emojis. Finally, we carried out an in-the-field study with 6 BLV participants and 8 sighted social partners to examine the effectiveness of EmojiFan in enhancing facial-expression interactions during parties. Overall, our goal is to empower BLV individuals’ autonomy to actively participate in social interactions through digital facial expression, thereby contributing new insights for the accessibility community on designing expressive, socially responsive assistive technologies.

Background: Sustainable software development involves creating software in a manner that meets present goals without undermining our ability to meet future goals. In a software engineering context, sustainability has at least four dimensions: ecological, economic, social, and technical. No interventions for improving social sustainability in software engineering have been tested in rigorous lab-based experiments, and little evidence-based guidance is available. Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two interventions—stakeholder maps and persona models—for improving social sustainability through software feature prioritization. Method: We conducted a randomized controlled factorial experiment with 79 undergraduate computer science students. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups and asked to prioritize a backlog of prosocial, neutral, and antisocial user stories for a shopping mall's digital screen display and facial recognition software. Participants received either persona models, a stakeholder map, both, or neither. We compared the differences in prioritization levels assigned to prosocial and antisocial user stories using Cumulative Link Mixed Model regression. Results: Participants who received persona models gave significantly lower priorities to antisocial user stories but no significant difference was evident for prosocial user stories. The effects of the stake-holder map were not significant. The interaction effects were not significant. Conclusion: Providing aspiring software professionals with well-crafted persona models causes them to de-prioritize antisocial software features. The impact of persona modelling on sustainable software development therefore warrants further study with more experience professionals. Moreover, the novel methodological strategy of assessing social sustainability behavior through backlog prioritization appears feasible in lab-based settings.

This paper presents ThermalPen, a novel device for 3D sketching that utilizes thermal feedback to allow users to feel the materiality of their sketches. The pen lets users draw using six colors and three textures mapped to different temperatures. Our goal is to investigate the influence of thermal feedback on user creativity for 3D sketching. In a user study with 24 participants, we asked them to draw with and without thermal feedback. Our results show that thermal feedback improved user creativity for specific tasks. Qualitative results also indicate an effect on the user experience. Our work contributes to understanding how thermal feedback can increase user satisfaction with 3D sketching and provide insights and directions for future work.

Modern Virtual Reality (VR) technology has enabled users to experience Real Environment (RE) sports in their homes. For VR table tennis, one of the most popular VR sports, the players have rankings and tournaments and compete for RE awards. Based on this phenomenon, this paper aims to understand the benefits of RE training in improving VR table tennis skills. In a user study with 12 novice table tennis players, we measured their performance in 16 basic skills via a pre- and post-study design using a novel training protocol designed for both RE and VR players. We also asked participants for their insights into the training and to evaluate their experience. Our results show a significant improvement in all measured skills. However, participants identified issues with the technology that caused discomfort. Our findings provide valuable insights for software developers working on VR sports applications, enabling them to create better experiences for VR table tennis players. They can also help developers of VR training applications identify areas for improvement with the current technology.

Although the significance of Mental Health (MH) is becoming increasingly more accepted worldwide, the level of MH Literacy (MHL) remains low. Individuals often find it uncomfortable to discuss this crucial topic. Unwillingness to discuss MH can be a result of the stigma surrounding the topic which results in misconceptions, discrimination, and reluctance to seek help or talk openly about MH challenges. Educating individuals about MH and encouraging open discussions are key to reducing stigma. Games have proven their effectiveness for diverse learning purposes. Our goal in this paper is to assess the potential of games and digital displays for MHL education and stigma reduction by incorporating MH educational content into a mobile game with different learning strategies and a large public display to create a community. We compare the pre and post-MHL of users before and after playing our game and the results show an improvement in the MHL of participants. Our paper contributes to game design approaches by identifying mechanisms for educating individuals about MH and our results indicate that the game helps reduce stigma through the use of large displays.

We propose CursorTap, an extension of Forlines et al.'s mixed, absolute and relative "HybridPointing" to large wall-sized multitouch displays. Our technique uses a relative pointing quasimode activated with one hand, while the other hand controls a distant cursor similar to a large touchpad. A controlled experiment compares the technique to standard absolute touch input as a baseline and a whole-display "Drag" technique representing a common alternate approach. Results show CursorTap is fastest for the common usage scenario of reaching distant targets and then returning to nearby targets. Overall, median selection times across distances are similar with CursorTap, but linearly increase with the other techniques. As further validation, a second study explore show people use CursorTap in a two-person game. The results found just over half of the participants choose to use CursorTap for half of the primary interactions where "enemies" are eliminated using a tap, drag, or lasso "tool".

As multi-touch displays grow in size and shrink in price, they are more commonly used as gaming devices. When co-located users play games on a single, large display, establishing and maintaining their physical and digital territories poses a social challenge to their interaction. To gain insight into the mechanisms of establishing and maintaining users' physical and digital territories, we analyze territorial interactions in cooperative and competitive multiplayer gameplay. Participants reported weighing each game interaction based on perceived intent to determine how socially acceptable they deemed each behaviour. In light of our observations, we contribute and discuss implications for the design of multi-user, large display, co-located, touchscreen games that consider display properties, digital and physical space, permeability of boundaries, and asymmetry of play to create interactions between players.

Sound and virtual reality (VR) are two important output modalities for creating an immersive player experience (PX). While prior research suggests that sounds might contribute to a more immersive experience in games played on screens and mobile displays, there is not yet evidence of these effects of sound on PX in VR. To address this, we conducted a within-subjects experiment using a commercial horror-adventure game to study the effects of a VR and monitor-display version of the same game on PX. Subsequently, we explored, in a between-subjects study, the effects of audio dimensionality on PX in VR. Results indicate that audio has a more implicit influence on PX in VR because of the impact of the overall sensory experience and that audio dimensionality in VR may not be a significant factor contributing to PX. Based on our findings and observations, we provide five design guidelines for VR games.

Typologies for understanding players’ preferences toward different gameplay styles have gained popularity in research. However, attempts to model players’ preferences are based on type models instead of trait models, contrary to the latest personality research. One such model, BrainHex, was designed as an interim model to enable investigations toward a definitive player trait model. However, it lacks empirical validation in support of its psychometric properties. The present work analyzed a dataset with over 50,000 respondents to devise a player traits model based off the BrainHex scale. Results indicate three player traits: action, esthetic, and goal orientation. Furthermore, we analyzed the games listed by participants as examples of what they enjoy, to understand which factors influence player preferences. Results illustrate that the emergent player traits and participants’ genders and attitudes toward story can partially explain player preferences toward certain games. Finally, we present the implications toward a definitive player traits model.

Why do we care if our teammates are not human? This study seeks to uncover whether or not the perception of other players as human or artificial entities can influence player experience. We use both deception and a between-participants blind study design to reduce bias in our experiment. Our qualitative results show that people do care about the perceived nature of other players, even though they are not always able to correctly identify them as human or as non-player character teammates. Interview data suggest believing that one is playing with other humans can positively affect a player's subjective experience. Furthermore, our qualitative results indicate that players view their non-player character teammates as humanized entities, but adopt a neo-feudalistic (i.e., an unequal rights) view of them. Based on our results, we establish game design guide- lines for non-player character teammates leading to stronger, emotional human-computer relationships in video games.

Designing difficulty levels in platformer games is a challenge for game designers. It is important because design decisions that affect difficulty also directly affect player experience. Consequently, design strategies for balancing game difficulty are discussed by both academics and game designers. In this paper, we study how manipulating the following design decisions, commonly found in platformers, moderates difficulty: Scroll Speed, Target Size, Jump Task Complexity, and Perspective. Results for Scroll Speed and Target Size indicate that errors increase as speed increases and platform size decreases. However, results for jump task complexity demonstrate a separation of errors from task complexity. Specifically, while double-jump tasks are harder than single-jump tasks, triple-jump tasks appear to be as difficult as double-jump tasks. Additionally, the study demonstrates how changes in perspective affect the errors made by players in gameplay. The study results are applicable both to automatic level generation and dynamic difficulty adjustment in platformer games.

Modern professional networking relies on social media. To take advantage of this fact, we present CHI PLAYGUE, a conference game designed to facilitate interaction among strangers and encourage social networking to create a community. The game integrates digital technology (mobile devices and large displays) within the space of the conference venue, combined with a mixed-reality narrative and people's social interactions to facilitate the emergence of social dynamics. By providing a platform for large-scale, playful interaction, the game creates an experience that fosters the development of mutually beneficial, personal, and professional relationships among players.

ABOVE WATER is a game that disseminates information about Clinical Anxiety Disorders, particularly Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. This game focuses on teaching players about treatments as well as providing a safe space for discussion of personal experiences. This game focuses on using the physical world (physical space, physical and tangible cards) and the digital world (accessible by any phone or tablet with a modern web browser) as part of its gameplay.