In this paper, we investigate browsing clutter, which refers to cluttered experiences of users due to buildup of disorganized browser elements and information. We studied what users experience as clutter, what behaviors and factors contribute to the clutter, and what users do when they experience clutter through an interview study (N = 16) and an online survey study (N = 400). Based on our studies, browsing clutter includes the amount of tabs and windows, content of the web pages and interactive elements, navigation, and search process. We identified sources of browsing clutter from task characteristics, such as importance and complexity, to user habits, such as multitasking and tab closing. To reveal the dynamics of browsing clutter, we modeled how browsing clutter is predicted by specific browsing habits and coping strategies. Our model demonstrates how individual forms of clutter are interrelated and altered by behavior. We discuss how browsing clutter relates to information overload.

Abstract The response to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has involved the creation of complex, novel public health technologies deployed at an unprecedented scale. One such technology intervention is the deployment of digital COVID certificates, applications that confirm a person’s COVID-19 immunity status via vaccination, negative tests or having contracted the disease. These certificates have formed part of governmental strategies to manage the resumption of travel and social activities. The potential impact of these technologies on daily life has led to perceived concerns regarding the fairness of the restrictions associated with these systems. These fairness concerns are intuitively understood by users, and challenges exist in conceptualizing them in a manner that is addressable with the tools available to application and system designers. In order to improve our understanding of the fairness concerns of users and how we might conceptualize them, we analysed 27 semi-structured interviews with Irish participants regarding the use of digital immunity certificates. Our results suggest that the user perceptions of the fairness of such solutions are primarily thought about at the group level, with the concerns of Anti-discrimination and Egalitarianism being the most frequently discussed. Based on our analysis, we further identify societal and technical accessibility as important factors when attempting to address these fairness concerns.

Online games engage players in sharing their personal data with the games themselves and other players, which can pose security, privacy, and integrity risks to players. This paper presents an analysis of data practices in 21 online games and a qualitative interview study (N=20) that explores players' views on sharing their data in online games. Our results show that players' willingness to share personal information is contextual and related to game settings and game design elements. Our findings also highlight players' misconceptions and concerns surrounding data collection in games, and approaches to mitigate these concerns. Finally, this work identifies questionable design practices with online games and suggests design implications that will increase transparency and player control over data sharing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led governments worldwide to introduce various measures restricting human activity and mobility. Along with the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations and rapid testing, socio-technological solutions such as digital COVID-19 certificates have been considered as a strategy to lessen these restrictions and allow the resumption of routine activities. Using a mixed-methods approach – a survey (n=1008) and 27 semi-structured interviews – this study explores the attitudes of residents in the Republic of Ireland towards the idea of introducing digital COVID-19 certificates. We examine the topics of acceptability, fairness, security and privacy of COVID-related personal data, and practical considerations for implementation. Our study reveals the conditional and contextual nature of the acceptability of digital certificates, identifying specific factors that affect it, associated data practices, and related public concerns and expectations of such technologies.