Informal caregivers, such as family members and friends, are important for maintaining the health and wellness of the elderly and the chronically ill. However, the complexity of informal caregiving has been under-studied in prior research. In this study, we attempt to answer two main questions – what makes the coordination of patient care so difficult among multiple informal caregivers, and what are the challenges that should be considered in designing technologies to facilitate informal care coordination? To answer these questions, we conducted a qualitative interview study with 15 individuals with caregiving experience. The findings of the study identified the main challenges faced by caregivers in maintaining awareness, coordinating handoffs among informal caregivers, and easing tensions among caregivers and patients. These findings revealed considerations unique for informal caregiver coordination, and helped inform the design of technologies to support the care coordination.

Health and wellness have drawn significant attention in the HCI and CSCW communities. Many prior studies have focused on designing technologies that are patient-centric, allowing caregivers to take better care of patients. Less has been done in understanding and minimizing the burden of caregiving in caregivers' own lives. We conducted a qualitative interview study to understand their experiences in caregiving. The findings reveal a great magnitude of challenges in the caregivers' day-to-day lives, ranging from the physical and social, to the personal and emotional. Caregivers have to constantly balance their personal lives with work, family, and their caregiver roles, which can be overwhelmingly stressful. We discuss how caregivers attempt maintaining this balance through two concepts: first, giving-impact, and second, visibility-invisibility. Our study's findings call for system design that focuses not only on patients but also caregivers, addressing the burdens that often impair their health and wellness.

The presence of computers - especially desktops - takes significant time and attention away from patients during medical visits. As a result, patients may feel disengaged and disregarded. In this study, we examined the impact of using "Computer-on-Wheels" (COWs) in exam-rooms. We found physicians constantly reorienting and resituating exam-room computers to different positions during the three stages of a medical visit: communication-intensive phase, lecturing phase and ordering phase. We refer to this behavior as micro-negotiation of computer-use. Analysis of its usage patterns, as well as physician and patient perceptions, show that micro-negotiations facilitate eye contact expression and encourage patient participation in medical visits. In addition, we identify two tensions and two unintended benefits resulting from micro-negotiations. These findings lead us to consider new modes of negotiation in the exam-room that could alleviate the tensions identified while enabling physicians to continue enjoying micro-negotiation benefits in their work practice.