The 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 work.

Positionality is a concept that acknowledges subjectivities, values and experiences of researchers as influencing approaches to and outcomes and implications of research; it underlines the importance of reflexivity and self-awareness. To understand how positionality is used in HCI, we conducted two studies: (i) a scoping review of positionality and reflexivity statements in the CHI papers in the last 11 years and (ii) a survey of HCI researchers (n=75). Our findings show that positionality statements are often a box-ticking exercise and their influence on the research is rarely discussed. While positionality statements are often used and requested in papers, they are often restricted to more sensitive areas of research and impact marginalised identities. We argue that positionality statements can be valuable but not as markers of methodological rigour. Our contributions include a current snapshot of positionality in HCI and reflections on the role of positionality statements in HCI.

Mobile apps which support women’s health have developed rapidly alongside the increasing de-stigmatisation of female reproductive wellbeing. However, the ubiquity of these apps has advanced the practice of intimate surveillance and the commodification of sensitive user data. While the overturning of Roe v. Wade has prompted reflection on the privacy and safety implications of female mobile health (mHealth) apps, the privacy practices of these apps have yet to be thoroughly examined in a post-Roe world. We investigated the privacy practices of 20 popular female mHealth apps, combining a thematic analysis of Data safety sections and privacy policies with a privacy-focused usability inspection. Our findings revealed problematic practices, including inconsistencies across privacy policy content and privacy-related app features, flawed consent and data deletion mechanisms, and covert gathering of sensitive data. We present recommendations for improving privacy practices, and call for a dedicated focus not only on user privacy, but also safety.

Misinformation has emerged as a significant threat to public health in recent years and has been observed across numerous health issues, the most prolific being COVID-19. Though increasing attention has been paid to women's health within the social scientific and HCI communities, very little research has holistically explored the unique challenges women face when navigating health misinformation. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative diary and interview study aimed at investigating women's perceptions and lived experiences of health misinformation on social media, and how they respond emotionally and behaviourally to health misinformation encountered in their day-to-day lives. We found that participants perceived health misinformation as ubiquitous and poorly-managed by social media platforms, resulting in a lack of trust in current moderation and fact-checking interventions. We also observed that encounters with misinformation triggered negative emotional responses, which participants attempted to navigate through ad-hoc strategies such as drawing on personal experience and reading social media comment sections, which facilitated collective sensemaking. We discuss our findings in relation to the design of targeted interventions which empower women to engage constructively with health information on social media. In particular, we underscore the importance of trust, accountability, and intersectionality in future design and research practice, and encourage a holistic view of how women are impacted by misinformation.

Many cohabiting millennials report dissatisfaction about declining levels of sexual desire. Barriers such as desire discrepancy, lack of communication, changing needs, and habituality interfere with sexual desire and relationship satisfaction. This paper explores whether technology has a role in supporting and increasing sexual desire or developing an understanding of different individual needs towards sexual desire within couples’ relationships and how it can do so. To explore this, we conducted a survey (n=77) and interview study (n=12). Results show that participants wanted a shared, dedicated, and protected space to playfully explore their individual desire with each other. They felt technology could facilitate a better understanding of their evolving needs as a couple, motivate open sexual communication, bring spontaneity, and hands-on exploration; however, technology should not inflict judgement or obligations on desire levels; it should help to understand and situate differing needs in a relationship meaningfully. We share our reflections on the role of technology and raise important considerations in such technology design.

Sexually transmitted infections are highly prevalent in the United Kingdom, and chlamydia, which is largely asymptomatic, is the most common. Digital health is being integrated into health service provision to support the increasing demand for testing and treatment. However, with this integration, there is a need to ensure that the design, development, and deployment of digital health platforms are inclusive and accessible for all. This paper explores the needs of blind and partially sighted people when using an online sexual health clinic through interviews with seven blind and partially sighted people. The findings identified key barriers and facilitators that impact the accessibility of online sexual health clinics, including the accessibility of the visual content, particularly for self-testing and the need to consider the privacy of disclosing sexual health information. We align with the principles of Universal Design and, as such, present design recommendations to inform the design of inclusive online sexual health interventions.

Menarche is an important milestone and time of transition, where children and adolescents need information and support. Parents provide significant support, but barriers such as parents’ own lack of confidence and information interfere. Existing technology for menstrual health is not always appropriate or accessible to younger adolescents and children. We ran two studies: Study1, an interview and design study explored how parents support children for menarche, their use of technology for this, and to understand the gaps. Study2 evaluated a design concept based on Study1, to gain further insights. Our findings show that menarche is an emotional time for parents and children; parents provide support and shared sensemaking but there is space for technology in providing scaffolding for parents to provide further support. However, there is a balance between sharing or support and privacy or control that needs to be negotiated between parents and children. We conclude with some reflections.

Infertility can place a significant burden on couples and individuals when trying to conceive. Approximately 20-30% of all cases of infertility are due to male-related factors. Whatever the cause of difficulty in conceiving, little is known about how men find support when dealing with fertility issues, or when or how online resources are being used. This paper reports on a qualitative study of anonymous online posts (N=603) from forums related to fertility that are used by men. We analysed this data using thematic analysis to understand how men are using online forums as a resource when experiencing fertility issues. We found that online forums play a valued role in facilitating connections between men experiencing an often stigmatised condition. These forums offer men accessible and private spaces which allow for more open discussion, helping them to make sense of their situation. We discuss our findings in relation to Genuis and Bronstein's model of finding a "new normal" and present our elaborated model of finding a "new normal" in the context of experiencing fertility problems.