WorkAI: A Toolkit for the Design of AI-driven Future of WorkThe proliferation of (semi-)autonomous and learning interactive systems (i.e., artificial intelligence-driven, AI) will significantly change work practices. While AI promises an immense increase in performance, it also has novel experiential, social, cultural, and ethical implications. Unlike conventional systems, AI’s potential agency and decision-making capabilities will turn AI-driven systems into counterparts and, at best, collaborators. We used a speculative, participatory approach to collect narratives about current and future work practices with AI, their conditions, and consequences. This informed "WorkAI", a card deck and a canvas to support the design of AI-driven work. The twenty cards encourage participants to apply important aspects such as reliability/trust or meaning to collaboration with AI. The toolkit was developed in two iterations. It provided structure to the discussion and stimulated questions that facilitated the development of future narratives about working with AI.2025SSShadan Sadeghian et al.Responsible and Ethical AICSCW
Living Well with Diabetes: Rethinking Digital Diabetes Management SystemsDigital diabetes management (DDM) traditionally emphasizes the monitoring of physical conditions (e.g., blood glucose, HbA1c) of people with diabetes (PwD) and often neglects the promotion of positive feelings towards diabetes to improve wellbeing. A first interview study (N=10) showed that PwD feel well in their daily diabetes management when their DDM systems are unobtrusive and flexible (autonomy), support them to attain skills to control their condition (competence), and provide a “safety net” to prevent harmful conditions (security). Based on this, we designed 10 DDM concepts to foster autonomy, competence and security and discussed them with PwD (N=10) in a second study. Participants perceived the concepts as patient-centered and reflective of their everyday experience with diabetes. PwD appreciate DDMs that help them regain control over their lives, balancing the prevention of harmful situations with avoiding overly prescriptive medical advice.2025RGRebecca Gerstenberg et al.Chronic Disease Self-Management (Diabetes, Hypertension, etc.)Diet Tracking & Nutrition ManagementSleep & Stress MonitoringDIS
Impact of Affirmative and Negating Robot Gestures on Perceived Personality, Role, and Contribution of a Human Group MemberRobots can play a role in mediating human group interactions. This study examines how robot gestures affect the perception of a human group member’s personality, role in the group, and contribution. In a vignette study (n=96), participants imagined being in a group discussion and watched a short video of another group member presenting an argument. In one condition (affirmative gesture), a robot nodded while the member spoke; in the other, it shook its head (negating gesture). A control condition featured no robot. The affirmative gesture enhanced perceptions of the speaker’s personality and role in the group, though their contribution was not affected. The negating gesture showed no adverse effects. Additionally, participants perceived the robot as a group member when it nodded but as an onlooker when it shook its head. This suggests that positive robot gestures can improve group dynamics by fostering favorable interpersonal perceptions.2025TPTuan Vu Pham et al.Social Robot InteractionHuman-Robot Collaboration (HRC)DIS
“Teach Me About Objects!” – Experience-Driven Interaction for Teachable RobotsTo adapt to specific places and people, robots must recognize objects, which are typically taught by users – a tedious process. Inspired by anecdotes of positive teaching experiences shared by educators, sports coaches, and animal trainers, we developed seven experience-driven ways to make teaching a robot more engaging. For example, one interaction involved the robot prompting users to tell personal stories about the objects. A video vignette study (N=184) showed that experience-driven teaching was perceived as more positive than the current technology-driven teaching. Participants reported feeling more competent, connected to the robot, and valued. Additionally, the robot was perceived as more extroverted, open, agreeable, and conscientious. Overall, the experience-driven design of teaching interactions enhanced engagement and persistence by fostering reciprocal exchange and mutual understanding. In addition, the study lends support to an anecdotal approach to designing positive experiences through technology.2025TPTuan Vu Pham et al.Social Robot InteractionParticipatory DesignDIS
The Quality of Speculation – A Scoping Review In Human-Computer Interaction, speculative design is widely used to explore the opportunities and challenges of future technologies. However, the criteria that define a “good” speculation are scattered throughout the literature. This challenges the application and evaluation of speculative design especially in an academic context. Through a review of 63 publications on speculative design, design fiction, and critical design, we identified nine key qualities of speculations that can be grouped in three categories: speculative, discursive, and process. Speculative qualities (i.e., fictional, critical, socio-political) reflect the fundamental characteristics of speculative design. Discursive qualities (i.e., experienceable, thought-provoking) facilitate envisioning and debate. Process qualities (i.e., grounded, participative, reflected, playful) encourage an inclusive, responsible, scientifically based and creative approach to speculative design. We propose this as a descriptive taxonomy of qualities, which can serve as a starting point for the creation and evaluation of high-quality speculative designs in diverse contexts, including academic peer review.2025RRRonda Ringfort-Felner et al.Design FictionUser Research Methods (Interviews, Surveys, Observation)DIS
Relatedness Technologies: An Online Compendium and Systematic ReviewOver the past decades, numerous concepts and prototypes for fostering emotional connections across distance (relatedness technologies) have been proposed. This has made it challenging for researchers and designers in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to maintain a comprehensive overview and effectively build on previous work. To address this, we conducted a systematic literature search (PRISMA) and collected 241 concepts and prototypes (2010-2024). We organized this corpus according to key aspects: (1) target population, (2) theoretical grounding, (3) design, (4) evaluation, and (5) ethics. Based on this, we developed the “COmpendium of RElatedness Technologies” (CORE), an open-access, searchable online database that provides researchers and practitioners with a reliable repository to inform future work. In addition, we present a systematic review of the corpus, revealing that despite its long tradition work on relatedness technologies remains characterized by limited theoretical grounding, lack of robust empirical evidence of effects, and insufficient attention to ethical considerations.2025CWChristiane Wenhart et al.University of Siegen, Ubiquitous Design | Experience & InteractionSmart Home Interaction DesignSocial Robot InteractionCHI
The Soul of Work: Evaluation of Job Meaningfulness and Accountability in Human-AI CollaborationWork is an important part of our lives – not only as a way to earn a living but as a crucial source for experiencing meaningfulness. The introduction of autonomous systems (or in the widest sense “artificial intelligence”, AI) will fundamentally impact work practices. However, while most existing models of human-AI collaboration focus on performance goals, less is known about their potential influence on job satisfaction. In this paper, we present an online experiment in which we compared the perception of job meaningfulness and accountability in a human-AI collaboration across three interaction paradigms: Supervisory, Advisory, and Interactive. Our results showed that, unlike the common notion of supervisory control, people find their job more satisfying when they directly interact with the AI and are involved and remain accountable for action and decision-making. Introducing AI as a teammate in the interactive paradigm was associated with the highest job meaningfulness.2024SSShadan Sadeghian et al.Session 2a: Collaborative WorkflowsCSCW
Embodied Mediation in Group Ideation – A Gestural Robot Can Facilitate Consensus-BuildingThis paper explores how a gesture-based robot influences human-human interaction in group ideation. The robot was mounted on a whiteboard and responded with six different gestures (e.g., nodding, following speakers with gaze) to specific situations. We coded the participants’ interactions from videos and gathered their experience through post-session interviews. The most frequently invoked robot behavior was following the speaker with gaze. As a result, participants felt socio-emotionally supported and responded by moving the ideation ahead (individual level) and consensus-building (group level). In fact, the groups with the robot showed more consensus-building than the two reference groups without the robot. Participants had different views on the role of the robot in the group, such as active outsider, supportive group member, or assistant. The latter tried to use the robot as decision-support. All in all, to include a robot to mediate human groups seems a promising future application domain.2024TPTuan Vu Pham et al.Hand Gesture RecognitionSocial Robot InteractionHuman-Robot Collaboration (HRC)DIS
Virtual Unreality: Augmentation-Oriented Ideation Through Design CardsWhile realism is a common design goal for virtual reality (VR), VR also offers opportunities that are impossible in the real world (e.g., telekinesis). So far, there is no design support to exploit the potential of such “impossible” augmentations, especially for serious applications. We developed a card set and a workshop format, which features 15 opportunities to facilitate the ideation of augmentation-oriented VR. We piloted the method in five workshops with people in the early stages of developing a VR application (N=35). Participants found the cards easy to use and to inspire viable new concepts that differed from earlier ideas. Analysis of the concepts with interaction criticism identified two strategies: (1) augmentations that are only loosely related to the purpose of the application, simply to increase “fun”, and (2) augmentations that are closely related to the core purpose and thereby subtly facilitate its fulfillment. The latter has the greater potential.2024RNRobin Neuhaus et al.University of SiegenMixed Reality WorkspacesImmersion & Presence ResearchInteractive Narrative & Immersive StorytellingCHI
Let’s Talk About Death: Existential Conversations with ChatbotsMany people prefer not to think about their own death, let alone talk about it. This contributes to fear of death and reduces the acceptance of its inevitability. We hypothesized that talking about one’s own death with a specially designed chatbot reduces fear of death and strengthens the confidence to discuss the topic further with loved ones. Participants (N=100) talked with the chatbot for an average of 25 minutes. It offered conversations about planning for one's own death, end-of-life preferences, and hopes for the afterlife. We measured participants’ fear and acceptance of death (DAP-R questionnaire) and readiness for end-of-life conversation (REOLC questionnaire) before and after the chat. Overall, attitudes toward death improved and fear decreased, while readiness for end-of-life conversations increased. Bigger changes in attitude corresponded with longer, more reflective responses in the conversations, commitment to plans, finding meaning in death, and some notion of legacy or afterlife.2024RARuben Albers et al.University of SiegenConversational ChatbotsAgent Personality & AnthropomorphismMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesCHI
Beyond Hiding and Revealing: Exploring Effects of Visibility and Form of Interaction on the Witness ExperienceOur interactions with technology do not just shape our individual experiences. They also affect people around us. Although previous research has addressed such “witness” experiences, the actual effect of interaction design on the witness experience remains largely unknown. In an online study (n = 407), we explored how witnesses perceive mid-air gesture-based interactions with a hearing aid, using four video vignettes. We studied witnesses’ subjective visibility of manipulations and effects (following Reeves and colleagues’ taxonomy), perceived form of interaction, subjective experience, and relationships between these measures. Although visibility patterns matched the intended form, they did not lead to the supposed experience (i.e., “suspenseful” gestures did not lead to suspenseful experiences). The paper illustrates gaps in current research about witness experiences, demonstrates the need to overcome basic hiding/revealing profiles, and indicates a path forward by focusing on aesthetic forms and experiences.2023AUAlarith Uhde et al.Mid-Air Haptics (Ultrasonic)MobileHCI
Design Fiction in a Corporate Setting – a Case StudyWhile speculative methods (e.g., design fiction) could help industry to reflect critically about future products and services, little is known about their potentials and limits when applied in a corporate setting. In this case, we worked with an automobile manufacturer to explore the near future of self-driving cars. For more than a year, we speculated using diverse methods, developed stories about a future with self-driving cars, and told them through 24 artifacts (e.g., city map, quick start guides). In this paper, we scrutinize the process, discuss what has worked and what not, which challenges we faced, and how corporate requirements shaped the emerging design fiction. We saw a trend toward affirmative rather than speculative design, driven by product-centricity and the need to justify process and outcome through concrete innovation. While speculation raised interesting questions about technological futures, it remained a challenge to transform them into concrete design implications.2023RRRonda Ringfort-Felner et al.Automated Driving Interface & Takeover DesignDesign FictionDIS
Designing for Integration: Promoting Self-Congruence to Sustain Behavior ChangePeople with osteoarthritis or other chronic conditions need to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors, such as physical exercises. Current behavior change technologies primarily seek to motivate this through goal setting, self-monitoring, and rewards. Based on Organismic Integration Theory (OIT), we designed Equi as a tangible alternative. Its aim is to “integrate” behavior rather than to externally control it. When behavior becomes integrated, its maintenance is based on self-congruence. Equi facilitates integration by situated reflection, symbolism, and appreciation of values. We conducted a two-week field exploration to gather osteoarthritis patients’ experiences with Equi. We identified specific features and general principles that are conducive to the pursuit of self-congruence, such as ambient visibility, reflection, insight and matching, as well as detrimental ones, such as performance orientation or controlling forces (e.g., reminders, rewards). From a theoretical perspective, OIT offers strategies for designing behavior change technologies that focus on the maintenance of newly acquired behavior.2023RGRebecca Gerstenberg et al.Mental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesChronic Disease Self-Management (Diabetes, Hypertension, etc.)DIS
Sustainability by Design. How to Encourage Users to Choose Energy-Saving Programs and Settings when Washing LaundryOne way to counteract anthropogenic climate change, is to reduce individual energy consumption. An especially energy-intensive everyday practice is doing the laundry. In Germany, laundry accounts for about 5% of domestic electricity consumption. In part, this is because users do not make use of the energy-saving programs offered by modern washing machines. Based on different principles of behavior change, we created four concepts for washing machine interfaces to encourage users to choose energy-saving programs and settings. These concepts were implemented as functional prototypes. An online experiment (N=400) showed that all concepts increased the choice of energy-saving programs compared to a standard machine. Especially effective was to interrupt impulsive actions and suggest alternative choices (concept B) and to restructure the entry of settings (concept E). This demonstrates how small changes in a standard interfaces can significantly increase the probability of energy conservation in a private setting.2023LGLaura Grönewald et al.University of SiegenSustainable HCIEcological Design & Green ComputingEnergy Conservation Behavior & InterfacesCHI
The Intricacies of Social Robots: Secondary Analysis of Fictional Documentaries to Explore the Benefits and Challenges of Robots in Complex Social SettingsIn the design of social robots, the focus is often on the robot itself rather than on the intricacies of possible application scenarios. In this paper, we examine eight fictional documentaries about social robots, such as SEYNO, a robot that promotes respect between passengers in trains, or PATO, a robot to watch movies with. Overall, robots were conceptualized either (1) to substitute humans in relationships or (2) to mediate relationships (human-human-robot-interaction). While the former is basis of many current approaches to social robotics, the latter is less common, but particularly interesting. For instance, the mediation perspective fundamentally impacts the role a robot takes (e.g., role model, black sheep, ally, opponent, moralizer) and thus its potential function and form. From the substitution perspective, robots are expected to mimic human emotions; from the mediation perspective, robots can be positive precisely because they remain objective and are neither emotional nor empathic.2023JDJudith Dörrenbächer et al.University of SiegenSocial Robot InteractionCHI
Dying, Death and the Afterlife in Human-Computer Interaction. A Scoping Review.Dying is a universal experience that entails uncertainty, loss, and termination. Often, people face death unprepared and miss out on opportunities to shape their fnal stage of life as well as their afterlife. To better understand how thanato-technology can support the dying and the bereaved, we performed a scoping review on the current state-of-art in Human Computer Interaction. Following the PRISMA-ScR procedure, we gathered and analyzed 107 relevant papers. We categorized theoretical and conceptual contributions into three overarching themes: digital remains, remembrance, and coping. We further highlight 18 practices, such as curation, honor-ing and letting go. We show that technology can help to capture the identity of the deceased, to validate the life lived, and to come to terms with death. However, available approaches focus more on the bereaved than on the dying. In addition, potentially impor-tant aspects of dying (e.g., balancing involvement and autonomy, spiritual meaning-making) remain largely unexplored.2023RARuben Albers et al.University of SiegenMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesElderly Care & Dementia SupportEmpowerment of Marginalized GroupsCHI
The "Artificial" Colleague: Evaluation of Work Satisfaction in Collaboration with Non-human CoworkersThe advance of AI-based technologies transforms work processes tremendously. Work forms a major part of life and its extent of meaningfulness can affect overall well-being. Previous research has investigated human-AI collaboration at work based on performance and cost outcomes. However, little attention is given to how collaboration with AI influences the meaningfulness of work and job satisfaction. In this paper, we present an online experiment, where we evaluated the perception of work meaningfulness and relationship to the collaborator across different task distributions and collaborators (human/AI). Our results indicate that people, in general, prefer working with a human, and having a meaningful task increases their satisfaction. Moreover, we found that people have a different perception of the relationship to their collaborator doing the same tasks with a human or an AI. These results provide preliminary implications for the design of collaboration with AI that consider job satisfaction.2022SSShadan Sadeghian et al.Generative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)AI-Assisted Decision-Making & AutomationIUI
Design and Appropriation of Computer-supported Self-scheduling Practices in Healthcare Shift WorkShift scheduling strongly impacts the job satisfaction and well-being of healthcare workers, because it heavily influences social life and recreational activities. Due to its complexity and time-consuming nature, shift scheduling becomes increasingly automated. However, existing systems are mostly directed at improving efficiency. The workers' needs and their participation in negotiating shifts do not play a pronounced role. In contrast, we present a nine month case study of an interactive, worker-centered self-scheduling system which allows healthcare workers to participate in shift planning and to negotiate scheduling conflicts autonomously. Our results show that cautiousness about social standing and differences in personal lifestyle inhibited system usage for some workers. Moreover, the workers engaged in several pro-social conflict prevention strategies instead of competitive decision-making. We conclude the paper with detailed design guidelines for computer-supported self-scheduling.2021AUAlarith Uhde et al.Workplace Challenges and Digital WellbeingCSCW
From Limitations to “Superpowers”: A Design Approach to Better Focus on the Possibilities of Virtual Reality to Augment Human CapabilitiesSerious applications in virtual reality (VR) often imitate real environments, tasks, and interaction techniques. VR however, allows to transcend reality and augment the physical, cognitive, and perceptual capabilities of users through, for example, telekinesis. In this sense, VR offers “superpowers”, which are not always considered as central and unique elements of interaction design. In a workshop with interaction designers, we emphasized the notion of “superpowers” to think less about VR limitations to imitate reality, but more about its possibilities to augment human capabilities. Consequently, we developed a design method that explicitly introduced the concept of superpowers (e.g., X-Ray-Vision, super-memory, telekinesis) and a VR application to support exploring each superpower. We evaluated this approach with designers. They responded positively. The notion of superpowers combined with the possibility to easily experience them changed and widened their perspective: away from limitations and reality, towards possibilities and the unique experience of being in VR.2021SSShadan Sadeghian et al.Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS)Immersion & Presence ResearchDIS
The Uncanny Valley Effect in Zoomorphic Robots: The U-Shaped Relationship Between Animal-Likeness and LikeabilityThe uncanny valley effect denotes a dip in the positive relation between a robot’s human likeness and likeability. This paper provides first evidence that this design-guiding effect is not limited to humanoids, but extends to zoomorphic robots. In a first online survey, a diverse group of 235 participants rated the animal likeness of 140 robots. Three predictors for high or low animal likeness emerged: surface properties, such as joint visibility; facial properties, such as presence of a pupil; animal-specific properties, such as presence of snout. In a second online survey, 187 participants rated the likeability of 53 robots of varying degrees of animal likeness drawn from the first study. The relation between animal likeness and likeability followed a U-shaped function and showed an uncanny valley effect: robots high and low in animal likeness were preferred over those mixing realistic and unrealistic features. Besides theoretical implications tentative guidelines for the design of zoomorphic robots are discussed.2020DLDiana Löffler et al.Social Robot InteractionHRI