Examples of low-tech projects from our interviews.

Self-tracking has the potential to help users gain self-knowledge and achieve goals, yet the rigidity of many personal informatics (PI) systems limits users' autonomy in defining personal tracking scenarios. This can lead to imposing normative views or reinforcing existing inequalities. To address these concerns, design scholars have suggested more open-ended solutions, but the operationalization of open-endedness in sensor-based tracking is still underexplored. This pictorial illustrates our research-through-design process, exploring the design space between closed-ended and open-ended sensor-designs. We contribute 1) a triadic framework of our conceptualisation of open-endedness in sensor-based PI systems, 2) insights from users interacting with 28 paper sensor prototypes to track aspects of collaboration, 3) design exemplars illustrating how designers could open-up closed-ended self-tracking designs or add guidance in open-ended ones. This more nuanced view could eventually support users in appropriating self-tracking technologies and reduce some of the negative societal implications brought by PI systems.

Manipulative and deceptive design practices are ubiquitous, impacting technology users in various ways across several domains. Certain groups are likely more susceptible to these impacts but have not received sufficient attention yet. In this paper, we seek to characterize one such understudied group, describing teenagers’ experience of manipulative design. We conducted semi-structured interviews with six teenagers between 15 and 17 years old, to understand their daily interactions with manipulative designs in three contexts: social networks, video games, and e-commerce. Using reflexive thematic analysis, our findings describe how risk is a shared experience for teenagers, and interrogate how teenagers’ personal and social context shape their experience of risk. We relate our findings to existing knowledge about how the general population is impacted by manipulative design practices and consider opportunities to further understand and support the experiences of teenagers and other vulnerable groups.

Manipulative designs — i.e., dark patterns — have pervaded online interactions in most sectors from e-commerce to social media, banking, and healthcare. Understanding how individuals experience and cope with online manipulation is essential to support evolved design practices and regulatory measures. Yet studies on populations who may be more vulnerable to online manipulation are scarce. Through a series of “magic machines” workshops, we investigated the experiences of older adults (N=31) with online manipulation, their needs, and the strategies they imagine to resist manipulative practices. Our results show that participants tend to attribute manipulation to an “unknown” person and do not distinguish platforms from content. Through their machines, they expressed four primary needs to resist manipulation: knowledge, awareness, right to sanctuary, and control. Our study contributes insights into older adults’ experiences with online manipulation and brings design challenges for effective countermeasures to manipulation that address the needs of all users.

Smart solutions provide increasing quality and availability of data. This brings new challenges for designers as it offers novel design opportunities and interlaces disciplines. At the same time, physical inactivity is a big societal challenge and dedicated urban planning and design can contribute to more active lifestyles. In this paper, we investigate how user-generated big data can support designers in shaping more activity-friendly and adaptive environments, addressing both timely challenges. Bridging the fields of HCI and urbanism, we introduce two data lenses. The individual lens primarily builds on empathic design skills and calls for a highly personal approach. The collective lens emphasizes systematic and holistic design skills, focusing on creating overview and surfacing collective interests. Through exploratory data visualizations, using a large dataset from a run-tracking smartphone application combined with public data sources, and a workshop, we investigate how these lenses can yield meaningful insights. We discuss the value of these lenses to the urban design and HCI communities and address the challenges and opportunities that arise at the cross-section of these perspectives.

The field of Sports Human-Computer Interaction (SportsHCI) investigates interaction design to support a physically active human being. Despite growing interest and dissemination of SportsHCI literature over the past years, many publications still focus on solving specific problems in a given sport. We believe in the benefit of generating fundamental knowledge for SportsHCI more broadly to advance the field as a whole. To achieve this, we aim to identify the grand challenges in SportsHCI, which can help researchers and practitioners in developing a future research agenda. Hence, this paper presents a set of grand challenges identified in a five-day workshop with 22 experts who have previously researched, designed, and deployed SportsHCI systems. Addressing these challenges will drive transformative advancements in SportsHCI, fostering better athlete performance, athlete-coach relationships, spectator engagement, but also immersive experiences for recreational sports or exercise motivation, and ultimately, improve human well-being.

Abstract To design user-centered services, it is essential to build empathy toward users. It is hence strategic to trigger empathy for users among professionals concerned with shaping service user experiences. There is, however, a lack of quantitative tools to measure empathy in design. Through two studies, we report on the development and validation of the Empathy in Design Scale (EMPA-D). The tool aims to measure service employees’ empathy toward users. Grounded in theories from psychology and design, we first generated and tested a pool of items through expert inspection and cognitive interviews. In Study 1, we administered 16 items to 406 full-time service employees from various industries, including employees in customer-facing positions. In Study 2, we iterated on additional items and administered a revised scale to 305 service employees. The selected model consists of 11 items and has a three-factor structure (Emotional interest/Perspective-taking, Personal experience and Self-awareness), which showed an adequate model fit and good internal consistency. Evidence of convergent validity was provided by moderate correlations of the EMPA-D scale with empathy measures in psychology (SITES, Empathy Quotient, Interpersonal Reactivity Index), whereas discriminant validity was demonstrated by low correlations with the narcissism measure Narcissistic Personal Inventory. We outline how this self-reported empathy measure can support organizations in enhancing their services and discuss potential limitations of quantitatively measuring empathy in service teams. Research Highlights We present the development and validation of the Empathy in Design Scale (EMPA-D), a self-report measure of employees’ empathy toward users of a service. We report on two validation studies and document the psychometric properties of the scale. The selected model consists of 11 items and a three-factor structure (Emotional interest/Perspective-taking, Personal experience and Self-awareness). The resulting EMPA-D scale contributes to filling the gap in metrics to assess empathy in the service design context. In industry, measuring employees’ empathy support the selection of appropriate empathic interventions to foster the service user-centeredness.

Welcome to Volume 36 of Interacting with Computers. As the Editor-in-Chief, Helen is thrilled to start this volume by introducing a new era for our journal. I stepped into this role during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a difficult period in every respect, but thankfully things are now settling down. As we are able to get back to face-to-face work in human–computer interaction (HCI), in teaching, research and practice, I am excited to embrace new opportunities for the journal. I am also delighted to introduce Carine Lallemand as Deputy Editor of the journal. Carine joined the journal last year, and together, we have been working on a series of innovations for the journal, which we start rolling out in this volume. We extend our gratitude to our editorial board members for their support of these developments, to all authors who submit their contributions to the journal and to the many people who review papers.

Abstract The aim of this study is to investigate the use of the sentence completion technique (SCT) as a user experience (UX) research method. We conducted an online experiment (N = 400) to test the effect of sentence stem variations on sentence completion outcomes. Using a between-subjects design, half of the participants were exposed to impersonal sentence stems that did not include pronouns while the other half were exposed to stems formulated using first-person pronouns (PR). Additional hypotheses around stem formats (use of redundant stems, imaginative stems, two blanks stems, generic stems, stems prompting others’ perception) were tested using a within-subject design. The results do not support hypothesized differences between the pronoun and no pronoun condition. Findings however show that varying the format of the stem influences response behavior, as measured by variety, quantity and novelty of ideas, as well as the length of response. This study contributes to consolidating the use of SCT as a user research method and proposes actionable recommendations on how to create optimal sentence completion surveys in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

Walking meetings are a promising way to reduce unhealthy sedentary behavior at the office. Some aspects of walking meetings are however hard to assess using traditional research approaches that do not account well for the embodied experience of walking meetings. We conducted a series of 16 bodystorming sessions, featuring unusual walking meeting situations to engage participants (N=45) in a reflective experience. After each bodystorming, participants completed three tasks: a body map, an empathy map, and a rating of workload using the NASA-TLX scale. These embodied explorations provide insights on key themes related to walking meetings: material and tools, physical and mental demand, connection with the environment, social dynamics, and privacy. We discuss the role of technology and opportunities for technology-mediated walking meetings. We draw implications for the design of walking meeting technologies or services to account for embodied experiences, and the individual, social, and environmental factors at play.

While working on a computer typically involves sitting for prolonged periods of time, sedentary work routines are associated with numerous health issues. To address this societal concern, existing solutions trigger physical activity as a break from work, rather than a part of it. In this research, we explore a vision for physically active ways of working, by transforming mundane digital tasks into physically active ones. As a research artifact and design exemplar, we present A2-I2, an innovative tangible system for sending emails. After loading their email onto a physical “letter” token, office workers must walk to a physical mailbox located in the office space. Understanding what design qualities influence the experience and acceptability of such systems is a necessary step toward the design of acceptably active interface interactions. We report on a preliminary user test with 8 participants. With this project, we aim to inspire future tangible and embodied systems addressing the timely issue of sedentary behavior at work.

Research in human–computer interaction (HCI) has identified meaning as an important, yet poorly understood concept in interaction design contexts. Central to this development is the increasing emphasis on designing products and technologies that promote leisure, personal fulfillment, and well-being. As spaces of profound historical significance and societal value, museums offer a unique perspective on how people construct meaning during their interactions in museum spaces and with collections, which may help to deepen notions of the content of meaningful interaction and support innovative design for cultural heritage contexts. The present work reports on the results of two studies that investigate meaning-making in museums. The first is an experience narrative study (N = 32) that analyzed 175 memorable museum visits, resulting in the establishment of 23 triggers that inform meaningful interaction in museums. A second study (N = 354) validated the comprehensiveness and generalisability of the triggers by asking participants to apply them to their own memorable museum experiences. We conclude with a framework of meaning in museums featuring the 23 triggers and two descriptive categories of temporality and scope. Our findings contribute to meaning research in HCI for museums through an articulation of the content of meaning-making in the cultural sector.

Sentence completion, originally a semi-projective psychological technique, has been used as an effective and lightweight user research method in UX design. More information is yet still needed to understand how different sentence stems probe users’ insights, thereby providing recommendations for effective sentence completion surveys. We used the completion method on a large-scale sample to explore (e-)readers’ experiences and needs. Depending on their reading habits, participants (N=1880) were asked to complete a set of sentences, as part of a web survey. With 14143 user ideas collected in two weeks, our results confirm that remote online sentence completion is a cost-effective data collection method able to uncover feelings, attitudes, motivations, needs, or frustrations. Variation in sentence stems affected collected data in terms of item response rate, idea quantity as well as variety and originality. Building on previous research, this paper delivers actionable insights to optimize the richness of sentence completion outputs.

Modern office environments foster sitting, a major public health risk, with physical inactivity being the fourth cause of death worldwide. This provocative pictorial presents the design explorations and bodily experimentations culminating in The Office Jungle, a critical and speculative redesign of the office environment that encourages physical activity by embracing wildness. The Office Jungle is a design exemplar of a “wild” office space presented as a suspended geodesic structure. It is built to experienc e how our office environment and our behaviour at work affect each other. We advocate that bringing wildness into office spaces will create more durable office environments that foster movement. With this pictorial, we aim to spark discussion amongst designers to think in new ways and to consider new opportunities to design for workplaces that integrate physical activity with work.

Despite an intention to exercise, it remains a challenge for many people to establish a workout routine over a period of time. Amongst identified barriers and enablers to exercise, getting dressed for a workout is considered as one of the tipping points of actually going. Implementing the Aesthetic of Friction in this specific context, could imply the right course of action for the user, while it also allows freedom and encourages meaning-making. In this Research-through-Design project, we designed an interactive shrinking hanger, that implements these key principles, to encourage exercise motivation. We followed an iterative process focusing on the aesthetics of the interaction to find out how a careful consideration of the look and feel of an interactive artefact influences the acceptance of the implemented friction. We document the design process of this aesthetics of friction exemplar, and reflect on how to implement friction in design.

The increased popularity of recreational sports, like running, led to the development of numerous technologies supporting people in their training. However, in their current form and interaction, these take a rather standardized approach focusing on quantified data tracking displayed through screens or audio. In this paper, we explore how dynamic data physicalization through a shape-changing interface can open the design space of exercise feedback. Relying on an expert study on the aesthetics of interaction (N=23), we designed Laina, a shape-changing art piece presenting physicalized running data through a slow feedback mechanism. We deployed Laina at 3 participant's home, during a series of 3-weeks field studies. Results show that Laina allows for deep reflection, anticipation and exploration of running behavior. The aim of our paper is to provide insights on the use of slow feedback mechanisms for exercise-related products, through the design of a dynamic data physicalization artefact.

Promoting healthy lifestyles is an essential endeavor for public health. The design of active urban environments can be an effective medium to nudge people into moving. With technology increasingly integrated into our daily lives, designers have access to more data than ever. In this pictorial, we explore the design space of interActive environments (contraction of ‘interactive’ and ‘active’); places designed to increase the physical activity of users or passers-by through the use of interactive technology. Through sketches, a benchmark of existing concepts and an analysis of designed artefacts, we map the different intervention levels, interaction modalities, behavior change strategies and technological opportunities to design such interActive environments. With this work, we invite the community to consider how digital technology can help understand and shape human behavior in urban environments, and provide inspiration to designers and practitioners.

This pictorial presents a design exploration of On-Skin Interfaces for recreational running. By integrating principles of interaction design, art and psychology, we explore the design of unconventional interfaces that facilitate the intuitive understanding of biofeedback and physiological-related information. We explored how principles from agency and bodily ownership can be applied in the design of sport- related wearables. Through our embodied prototyping journey, we gained insights on the implications of using the skin as an interactive design material. We focused on diverse materiality explorations to uncover and highlight the possibilities and challenges of materializing both functional and appealing On-Skin Interfaces. We synthesize and refl on our theoretical and practical explorations and deliver actionable insights for this growing fi of bodily and unconventional interfaces.

Usable privacy and security researchers have developed a variety of approaches to represent risk to research participants. To understand how these approaches are used and when each might be most appropriate, we conducted a systematic literature review of methods used in security and privacy studies with human participants. From a sample of 633 papers published at five top conferences between 2014 and 2018 that included keywords related to both security/privacy and usability, we systematically selected and analyzed 284 full-length papers that included human subjects studies. Our analysis focused on study methods; risk representation; the use of prototypes, scenarios, and educational intervention; the use of deception to simulate risk; and types of participants. We discuss benefits and shortcomings of the methods, and identify key methodological, ethical, and research challenges when representing and assessing security and privacy risk. We also provide guidelines for the reporting of user studies in security and privacy.

There is increased interest in reducing sedentary behavior of office workers to combat the negative health effects of prolonged sitting. Walking meetings offer a promising solution to this problem as they facilitate a physically active way of working. To inform future development of technologies supporting these type of meetings, in-depth qualitative insights into people's experiences of walking meetings are needed. We conducted semi-structured walking interviews (N=16) to identify key drivers and barriers for walking meetings in a living lab setting by using the 'WorkWalk'. The 'WorkWalk' is a 1.8 km walking route indicated by a dotted blue line with outdoor meeting points, integrated into the room booking system. Our findings provide insights into how walking meetings are experienced and affect the set-up and social dynamics of meetings. We offer design recommendations for the development of future technologies and service design elements to support walking meetings and active ways of working.

There is much work in the CHI community about the 'industry-academia divide', and how to bridge it. One key crossover between HCI/UX scientists and practitioners is the development and use of tools and methods-boundary objects between academia and practice. Among other forms of collaboration, there is an underdeveloped opportunity for academics to make use of industry events (conferences, meetups, design jams) as a research venue in the context of tool and method development. This paper describes three cases from work in academia-industry engagement over the last decade, in which workshops or experiments have been run at industry events as a way of trialling and developing tools directly with practitioners. We discuss advantages of this approach and extract key insights and practical implications, highlighting how the CHI community might use this method more widely, gathering relevant research outcomes while contributing to knowledge exchange between academia and practice.

A growing body of research in the usable privacy and security community addresses the question of how to best influence user behavior to reduce risk-taking. We propose to address this challenge by integrating the concept of user experience (UX) into empirical usable privacy and security studies that attempt to change risk-taking behavior. UX enables us to study the complex interplay between user-related, system-related and contextual factors and provides insights into the experiential aspects underlying behavior change, including negative experiences.

An unsolved debate in the field of usable security concerns whether security mechanisms should be visible, or black-boxed away from the user for the sake of usability. However, tying this question to pragmatic usability factors only might be simplistic. This study aims at researching the impact of displaying security mechanisms on User Experience (UX) in the context of e-voting. Two versions of an e-voting application were designed and tested using a between-group experimental protocol (N=38). Version D displayed security mechanisms, while version ND did not reveal any security-related information. We collected data on UX using stan-dardised evaluation scales and semi-structured interviews. Version D performed better overall in terms of UX and need fulfilment. Qualitative analysis of the interviews gives further insights into factors impacting perceived security. Our study adds to existing research suggesting a conceptual shift from usability to UX and discusses implications for designing and evaluating secure systems.

Autonomous vehicles have the potential to fundamentally change existing transportation systems. Beyond legal concerns, these societal evolutions will critically depend on user acceptance. As an emerging mode of public transportation [7], Autonomous mobility on demand (AMoD) is of particular interest in this context. The aim of the present study is to identify the main components of acceptability (before first use) and acceptance (after first use) of AMoD, following a user experience (UX) framework. To address this goal, we conducted three workshops (N=14) involving open discussions and a ride in an experimental autonomous shuttle. Using a mixed-methods approach, we measured pre-immersion acceptability before immersing the participants in an on-demand transport scenario, and eventually measured post-immersion acceptance of AMoD. Results show that participants were reassured about safety concerns, however they perceived the AMoD experience as ineffective. Our findings highlight key factors to be taken into account when designing AMoD experiences.

Despite technological progress, daily Human-Computer Interactions (HCI) are still encompassing moments where the interaction between the user and the system is temporarily interrupted (file download, setup of a program, etc.). These waiting times are often sources of anxiety and irritation. In order to enhance the User eXperience (UX) during waiting time in HCI, this research based on cognitive models of time perception focuses on the impact of several variables on the satisfaction and waiting time perceived by a user. Variations in waiting time duration, cognitive workload and informational level of a feedback screen are therefore experimentally created to study their impact on satisfaction and waiting time perception. The results confirm the existence of a link between cognitive workload and waiting time perception and may provide valuable information for User Interface design.