Peek into the `White-Box': A Field Study on Bystander Engagement with Urban Robot UncertaintyUncertainty inherently exists in the autonomous decision-making process of robots. Involving humans in resolving this uncertainty not only helps robots mitigate it but is also crucial for improving human-robot interactions. However, in public urban spaces filled with unpredictability, robots often face heightened uncertainty without direct human collaborators. This study investigates how robots can engage bystanders for assistance in public spaces when encountering uncertainty and examines how these interactions impact bystanders' perceptions and attitudes towards robots. We designed and tested a speculative `peephole' concept that engages bystanders in resolving urban robot uncertainty. Our design is guided by considerations of non-intrusiveness and eliciting initiative in an implicit manner, considering bystanders' unique role as non-obligated participants in relation to urban robots. Drawing from field study findings, we highlight the potential of involving bystanders to mitigate urban robots' technological imperfections to both address operational challenges and foster public acceptance of urban robots. Furthermore, we offer design implications to encourage bystanders' involvement in mitigating the imperfections.2025XYXinyan Yu et al.School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Design LabHuman-Robot Collaboration (HRC)Community Engagement & Civic TechnologyTechnology Ethics & Critical HCICHI
Evaluating Autonomous Vehicle External Communication using a Multi-Pedestrian VR SimulatorTran等人开发多行人VR模拟器评估自动驾驶车辆外部通信效果，通过模拟真实交通场景测试车辆与行人交互的通信有效性和安全性。2024TTTram Thi Minh Tran et al.External HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsUbiComp
Exploring the Impact of Interconnected External Interfaces in Autonomous Vehicles on Pedestrian Safety and ExperiencePolicymakers advocate for the use of external Human-Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) to allow autonomous vehicles (AVs) to communicate their intentions or status. Nonetheless, scalability concerns in complex traffic scenarios arise, such as potentially increasing pedestrian cognitive load or conveying contradictory signals. Building upon precursory works, our study explores 'interconnected eHMIs,' where multiple AV interfaces are interconnected to provide pedestrians with clear and unified information. In a virtual reality study (N=32), we assessed the effectiveness of this concept in improving pedestrian safety and their crossing experience. We compared these results against two conditions: no eHMIs and unconnected eHMIs. Results indicated interconnected eHMIs enhanced safety feelings and encouraged cautious crossings. However, certain design elements, such as the use of the colour red, led to confusion and discomfort. Prior knowledge slightly influenced perceptions of interconnected eHMIs, underscoring the need for refined user education. We conclude with practical implications and future eHMI design research directions.2024TTTram Thi Minh Tran et al.School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of SydneyExternal HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsCHI
From Agent Autonomy to Casual Collaboration: A Design Investigation on Help-Seeking Urban RobotsAs intelligent agents transition from controlled to uncontrolled environments, they face challenges that sometimes exceed their operational capabilities. In many scenarios, they rely on assistance from bystanders to overcome those challenges. Using robots that get stuck in urban settings as an example, we investigate how agents can prompt bystanders into providing assistance. We conducted four focus group sessions with 17 participants that involved bodystorming, where participants assumed the role of robots and bystander pedestrians in role-playing activities. Generating insights from both assumed robot and bystander perspectives, we were able to identify potential non-verbal help-seeking strategies (i.e., addressing bystanders, cueing intentions, and displaying emotions) and factors shaping the assistive behaviours of bystanders. Drawing on these findings, we offer design considerations for help-seeking urban robots and other agents operating in uncontrolled environments to foster casual collaboration, encompass expressiveness, align with agent social categories, and curate appropriate incentives.2024XYXinyan Yu et al.School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of SydneyDomestic RobotsSocial Robot InteractionCHI
Your Way Or My Way: Improving Human-Robot Co-Navigation Through Robot Intent and Pedestrian Prediction VisualisationsAs mobile robots enter shared urban spaces, operating in close proximity to people, this raises new challenges in terms of how these robots communicate with passers-by. Following an iterative process involving expert focus groups (n=8), we designed an augmented reality concept that visualises the robot's navigation intent and the pedestrian's predicted path. To understand the impact of path visualisations on trust, sense of agency, user experience, and robot understandability, we conducted a virtual reality evaluation (n=20). We compared visualising both robot intent and pedestrian path prediction against just visualising robot intent and a baseline without augmentation. The presence of path visualisations resulted in a significant improvement of trust. Triangulation of quantitative and qualitative results further highlights the impact of pedestrian path prediction visualisation on robot understandability as it allows for exploratory interaction.2023XYXinyan Yu et al.External HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsAR Navigation & Context AwarenessHRI
Eliciting New Perspectives in RtD Projects through Annotated Portfolios: A Case Study of Robotics ArtefactsIn this paper, we investigate how to elicit new perspectives in research-through-design (RtD) studies through annotated portfolios. Situating the usage in human-robot interaction (HRI), we used two robotic artefacts as a case study: we first created our own annotated portfolio and subsequently ran online workshops during which we asked HRI experts to annotate our robotic artefacts. We report on the different aspects revealed about the value, use, and further improvements of the robotic artefacts through using the annotated portfolio technique ourselves versus using it with experts. We suggest that annotated portfolios -- when performed by external experts -- allow design researchers to obtain a form of creative and generative peer critique. % and can contribute to the broader discourse on RtD. Our paper offers methodological considerations for conducting expert annotation sessions. Further, we discuss the use of annotated portfolios to unveil designerly HRI knowledge in RtD studies.2021MHMarius Hoggenmüller et al.Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC)User Research Methods (Interviews, Surveys, Observation)Prototyping & User TestingDIS
Context-Based Interface Prototyping: Understanding the Effect of Prototype Representation on User FeedbackThe rise of autonomous systems in cities, such as automated vehicles (AVs), requires new approaches for prototyping and evaluating how people interact with those systems through context-based user interfaces, such as external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs). In this paper, we present a comparative study of three prototype representations (real-world VR, computer-generated VR, real-world video) of an eHMI in a mixed-methods study with 42 participants. Quantitative results show that while the real-world VR representation results in higher sense of presence, no significant differences in user experience and trust towards the AV itself were found. However, interview data shows that participants focused on different experiential and perceptual aspects in each of the prototype representations. These differences are linked to spatial awareness and perceived realism of the AV behaviour and its context, affecting in turn how participants assess trust and the eHMI. The paper offers guidelines for prototyping and evaluating context-based interfaces through simulations.2021MHMarius Hoggenmüller et al.School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of SydneyExternal HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsPrototyping & User TestingField StudiesCHI
Foundations for Designing Public Interactive Displays that Provide Value to UsersPublic interactive displays (PID) are a promising technology for providing information and collecting feedback in public spaces. Research on PIDs has shown that, like all public displays, their efficacy is reduced by display blindness. Rather than increase the visual attention-grabbing nature of PIDs, we propose that additional understanding is required around how and when these displays are able to offer value to users. We tackle this through a systematic analysis of PID studies published in the literature, which led to 9 aspects of value across 4 factors: people, location, community, and time. We discuss the identified aspects and their utility for the design of PIDs through a review of our own deployments carried out by 4 different labs across 5 countries. We conclude with a set of recommendations for identifying and optimising the intended value of future PIDs.2020CPCallum Parker et al.The University of SydneyContext-Aware ComputingSmart Cities & Urban SensingCHI
Stop and Smell the Chalk Flowers: A Robotic Probe for Investigating Urban Interaction with Physicalised DisplaysHCI researchers have begun to more systematically study non-digital transient approaches for displaying information in public space, for example, in the form of chalk infographics. These approaches provide several benefits compared to digital displays, such as: ad-hoc deployment, barrier-free interaction, and being more sustainable. However, one limitation is their hyperlocal scale and impact. Speculating on urban robots as agents for scaling up physicalised displays, we describe the exploratory design and deployment of Woodie, a slow-moving robot that draws on the ground using conventional chalk sticks. We deployed Woodie for three weeks in a quiet laneway situated within a highly urbanised area. Data collected from observations, video logs and interviews revealed that Woodie successfully attracted people's attention and acted as a facilitator for collaborative, creative placemaking. Furthermore, Woodie provoked emotional responses and was perceived as a living being. Findings are interpreted to describe opportunities urban robots provide for the design of future pervasive urban displays.2020MHMarius Hoggenmueller et al.The University of SydneyHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)Museum & Cultural Heritage DigitizationCHI
Designing for Projection-based Communication between Autonomous Vehicles and PedestriansRecent studies have investigated new approaches for communicating an autonomous vehicle's (AV) intent and awareness to pedestrians. This paper adds to this body of work by presenting the design and evaluation of in-situ projections on the road. Our design combines common traffic light patterns with aesthetic visual elements. We describe the iterative design process and the prototyping methods used in each stage. The final design concept was represented as a virtual reality simulation and evaluated with 18 participants in four different street crossing scenarios, which included three scenarios that simulated various degrees of system errors. We found that different design elements were able to support participants' confidence in their decision even when the AV failed to correctly detect their presence. We also identified elements in our design that needed to be more clearly communicated. Based on these findings, the paper presents a series of design recommendations for projection-based communication between AVs and pedestrians.2019TNTrung Thanh Nguyen et al.External HMI (eHMI) — Communication with Pedestrians & CyclistsAutoUI
A Study of Urban Heat: Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities for Addressing Wicked Problems in HCIThe Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI) is a phenomenon whereby cities tend to be hotter than suburbs. We frame the UHI as a “wicked problem” that poses a range of economic, healthcare, and social challenges. Our paper examines how different stakeholders negotiate complex value systems, collect data, and rely on collaborative platforms to address the problem of urban heat. Using documentary filmmaking as a research method, we conducted ethnographically-oriented interviews with participants including vulnerable communities, urban architects, microclimate researchers, and grassroots activists. Our findings reveal that unlike problems that can be solved using traditional HCI paradigms of distributed work, the UHI presents an entanglement of challenges that do not necessarily converge on a single solution. We conclude by discussing two opportunities for addressing wicked problems through social computing: knowledge systems for sharing hybrid data across domains and interactive forums for discourse among diverse actors.2018SKStacey Kuznetsov et al.Arizona State UniversityCommunity Engagement & Civic TechnologySustainable HCIHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)CHI
Understanding Artefact and Process Challenges for Designing Low-Res Lighting DisplaysLow-resolution (low-res) lighting displays are increasingly used by HCI researchers, designers, and in the industry as a versatile and aesthetic medium for deploying ambient interfaces in various contexts. These display types distinguish themselves from conventional high-res screens through: high contrasts, hi-power LED technology which allows visibility even in bright environments, and their ability to take on three-dimensional free forms. However, to date most work on low-res displays has been either of experimental nature or carried out in isolated industry contexts. This paper addresses this gap through an analysis of our own experiences from previous experimental design studies and related work, which led us to five domain challenges for designing low-res displays. We then describe how we approached these challenges in a deployment study, which involved the implementation of a prototype guided by a low-res prototyping toolkit. Based on an analysis of our design process and findings from the deployment study, we present ten design recommendations for low-res lighting displays.2018MHMarius Hoggenmueller et al.University of Munich (LMU), The University of SydneyData PhysicalizationPrototyping & User TestingDigital Art Installations & Interactive PerformanceCHI