``How would I know what I would want from or with them?'': Supporting A-Spec Approaches to Developing Relationships Through Online Platforms

Paper Title

"How would I know what I would want from or with them?': Supporting A-Spec Approaches to Developing Relationships Through Online Platforms"

Publication Info

• Topic area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and inclusive platform design for marginalized communities.
• Keywords: A-Spec community, asexuality, aromanticism, online platforms, dating apps, relationship-building, queer studies, participatory design, process-oriented design, pluralized definitions.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Existing online platforms, particularly dating apps, fail to accommodate the diverse and non-normative relationship aspirations of the A-Spec (asexual and aromantic spectrum) community. These platforms reinforce normative assumptions about relationships, leaving A-Spec users underserved and alienated.
• Significance: Addressing this gap is critical to supporting the A-Spec community in forming meaningful relationships and challenging societal norms that marginalize non-normative relationship structures.
• Motivation and related work: Prior HCI research has explored dating apps and their limitations for marginalized users, but little attention has been given to the unique needs of the A-Spec community. Existing platforms often prioritize romantic and sexual goals, failing to support alternative relationship structures such as queerplatonic relationships or lifelong platonic partnerships.

Solution

• Proposed approach: A "process-oriented" paradigm for relationship-building platforms, emphasizing gradual relationship development and co-construction of relationship properties, alongside a "pluralized" approach to defining identity and relationships.
• Novelty:
  1. Introduction of a process-oriented design paradigm that prioritizes low-stakes, gradual relationship-building over goal-oriented dating app models.
  2. Advocacy for pluralized definitions of identity and relationships, enabling users to define and express their own labels and aspirations.
  3. Design implications for creating compatible spaces and tools for co-constructing relationship properties.
  4. Empirical insights from an 8-week ARC study with 38 A-Spec participants, highlighting their unique needs and aspirations.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Conducted an 8-week Asynchronous Remote Community (ARC) study with 38 U.S.-based A-Spec participants.
  • Participants engaged in twice-weekly prompts to share experiences, aspirations, and design ideas for online platforms.
  • Analysis employed constructivist grounded theory to derive themes and insights.
  • Prototypes and design ideas were iteratively refined based on participant feedback.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • A-Spec users expressed a need for platforms that support low-stakes interactions and gradual relationship-building.
  • Participants desired tools to articulate non-normative relationship aspirations, such as queerplatonic relationships or lifelong platonic partnerships.
  • Existing dating apps were described as "exhausting" and "hopeless" due to their focus on quick decisions and normative relationship goals.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Proposed designs address gaps in current platforms by emphasizing inclusivity, flexibility, and user-defined relationship trajectories.
  • Suggested features include customizable identity labels, compatibility filters, and tools for co-constructing relationship properties.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Study involved 38 participants (33 completed Phase 1; 21 completed Phase 2) with diverse A-Spec identities.
  • Participants created prototypes and discussed barriers and solutions for implementing their ideas.
  • Findings were synthesized into actionable design implications for future platforms.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Limited representation of aromantic participants not on the asexual spectrum.
  • Study focused on U.S.-based participants, limiting cultural diversity.
  • High participant attrition during the 8-week study due to time demands and design-focused prompts.
  • Future work should explore global perspectives, intersectional identities, and broader applications of the process-oriented paradigm.

Summary

This paper investigates the unique relationship-building needs of the A-Spec community and critiques the limitations of existing dating apps. Through an 8-week ARC study with 38 participants, the authors propose a process-oriented paradigm for online platforms that supports gradual, low-stakes relationship-building and co-construction of relationship properties. They also advocate for pluralized definitions of identity and relationships, enabling users to define their own aspirations and labels. The study highlights the need for inclusive, flexible, and user-centered platform designs that challenge normative assumptions about relationships. These insights have implications not only for A-Spec users but also for broader efforts to design inclusive and meaningful online platforms.