User interface personalization enhances digital efficiency, usability, and accessibility. However, in user-driven setups, limited support for identifying and evaluating worthwhile opportunities often leads to underuse. We explore a reflexive personalization approach where individuals engage with their digital interaction data to identify meaningful personalization opportunities and benefits. We interviewed 12 participants, using experimental vignettes as design probes to support reflection on different forms of using interaction data to empower decision-making in personalization and the preferred level of system support. We found that people can independently identify personalization opportunities but prefer system support through visual personalization suggestions. Interaction data can shape how users perceive and approach personalization by reinforcing the perceived value of change and data collection, helping them weigh benefits against effort, and increasing the transparency of system suggestions. We discuss opportunities for designing personalization software that raises end-users’ agency over interfaces through reflective engagement with their interaction data.

User interface (UI) personalization can improve usability and user experience. However, current systems offer limited opportunities for customization, and third-party solutions often require significant effort and technical skills beyond the reach of most users, impeding the future adoption of interface personalization. In our research, we explore the concept of UI customization for the self and others. We performed a two-week study where nine participants used a custom-designed tool that allows websites' UI customization for oneself and to create and reply to customization assistance requests from others. Results suggest that people enjoy customizing for others more than for themselves. They see requests as challenges to solve and are motivated by the positive feeling of helping others. To customize for themselves, people need help with the creative process. We discuss challenges and opportunities for future research seeking to democratize access to personalized UIs, particularly through community-based approaches.

Virtual environments for therapy are scarce and lack personalization. The creation of these environments is done by specialists, is time-consuming, and expensive. We present a smartphone tool that allows non-specialists to create navigable virtual environments by taking and linking sequences of panoramic photo spheres, analogly to Google Street View. Editing the environments is then possible in a web platform, myView, where text, images, videos, sounds, and pick-up objects can be added. myView allows users to navigate their environments as well as sharing those environments with others. In a preliminary study with two psychologists, where myView was used as an elicitation probe, the approach was found to be useful for creating meaningful activities for reminiscence and cognitive training. The platform showed to be promising in the democratization of the crafting of virtual environments.