DataPhysIT an image-schema-based Data Physicalisation Design Toolkit developed by Research through Design Data physicalisation has the potential to enhance communication and comprehension of data, as well as interaction with data. However, most current physicalisations do not exploit the full potential of this medium, remaining generic, passive and visual. We present image schemas as a design approach to address this and to promote data physicalisation design. Image schemas are abstract representations of multisensory experiences that promise to support the design process and encourage more intuitive, innovative, (inter)active, and multimodal designs. We conducted a research through design process to combine previously developed image-schema-based tools into a toolkit to increase their ease of use and efficiency. Our contribution are the emerging Data Physicalisation Inspiration Toolkit (DataPhysIT) and preliminary findings on how the toolkit influences the data physicalisation design process and design ideas.2025CBCordula Baur et al.Data PhysicalizationVisualization Perception & CognitionC&C
Evaluating DataPhysIT: An Image-Schema-based Toolkit to support Data Physicalisation Design A physical data representation may facilitate a more meaningful communication and understanding of data. Nevertheless, existing data physicalisations do not fully realise their potential. To foster the design of data physicalisations, we recommend image schemas. Image schemas are abstract representations of experienced interactions with the environment and showed to support interface design. Incorporated in the Data Physicalisation Inspiration Toolkit (DataPhysIT), image schemas may also work as tool to facilitate data physicalisation design. In this paper we present the evaluation of the DataPhysIT employed in the data physicalisation design process. To research the toolkit's utilisation, effect on design action, and generated ideas, both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered. The results demonstrate that the toolkit was widely accepted, works as inspiration and provides structure to the design process. It reduces the perceived effort and facilitates more intuitive and tangible ideas.2025CBCordula Baur et al.Data PhysicalizationC&C
LINKING THEORY AND PRACTICE: Developing an Image-Schema-based Design Tool for Closeness TechnologiesPeople use technology to stay in touch with their family and friends. To design novel technologies that bring us closer, the theoretical concept of image schemas is a perfect fit. Image schemas are abstract representations of embodied experiences which can be used to design intuitive, inclusive and innovative technologies. However, their application in design processes requires additional effort and time, while existing design tools often lack a theoretical foundation for social closeness. To address this gap, we sourced domain specific image schemas and conducted iterative user-centred research through design, to create an easy-to-use image schema design tool which facilitates the creation of closeness technologies. In this pictorial, we document our process and provide a design tool that connects theory with actionable design strategies, providing designers with clear guidance and a practical tool for metaphorical integration. The tool can be found at https://osf.io/twndg/.2025CBCordula Baur et al.Graphic Design & Typography ToolsCreative Coding & Computational ArtInclusive DesignDIS
How a Clinical Decision Support System Changed the Diagnosis Process: Insights from an Experimental Mixed-Method Study in a Full-Scale Anesthesiology SimulationRecent advancements in artificial intelligence have sparked discussions on how clinical decision-making can be supported. New clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) have been developed and evaluated through workshops and interviews. However, limited research exists on how CDSSs affect decision-making as it unfolds, particularly in settings such as acute care, where decisions are made collaboratively under time pressure and uncertainty. Using a mixed-method study, we explored the impact of a CDSS on decision-making in anesthetic teams during simulated operating room crises. Fourteen anesthetic teams participated in high-fidelity simulations, half using a CDSS prototype for comparative analysis. Qualitative findings from conversation analysis and quantitative results on decision-making efficiency and workload revealed that the CDSS changed team structure, communication, and diagnostic processes. It homogenized decision-making, empowered nursing staff, and introduced friction between analytical and intuitive thinking. We discuss whether these changes are beneficial or detrimental and offer insights to guide future CDSS design.2025SWSara Wolf et al.Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Chair of Psychological ErgonomicsEV Charging & Eco-Driving InterfacesAI-Assisted Decision-Making & AutomationCHI
Owning the (Virtual) World: A Systematic Review of Psychological Ownership of Interactive Virtual Objects and EnvironmentsIn this systematic review, we analyze the literature on psychological ownership of virtual objects and environments according to the PRISMA statement. Psychological ownership describes the feelings of possession towards an object which are independent of legal possession. The construct stems from organizational management literature, but is gaining in importance in Human-Computer-Interaction as users invest billions to own virtual objects. The analysis of 21 research papers reveals how and why ownership emerges and presents the dimensions and consequences of such feelings. In addition, we relate these variables to the classic psychological ownership motives of self-efficacy, self-identity, and belonging, as well as the routes of control, identity transfer, and intimate knowledge. We outline why designers should pay attention to the phenomenon and how it can be utilized in different contexts. Finally, the paper concludes by outlining why and what research will be needed in the future.2025JKJana Krauss et al.University of Würzburg, Psychology of Intelligent Interactive Systems; University of Würzburg, Human-Computer-InteractionImmersion & Presence ResearchIdentity & Avatars in XRInteractive Narrative & Immersive StorytellingCHI
AR Cue Reliability for Interrupted Task Resumption Affects Users' Resumption Strategies and PerformanceReliable augmented reality (AR) cues can support the resumption of interrupted tasks. We investigated how sub-optimal AR cue reliability (100%, 86%, 64%, or no cue) affected users’ resumption performance and strategies. In a between-subjects experiment, 120 participants conducted a physical sorting task including interruptions, and we manipulated AR cue reliability (i.e., the AR cue was present or absent at the end of interruptions). In trials with AR cue, performance with 86% and 64% reliable AR cues was as well as with 100% reliable cues. In trials without AR cue, performance with suboptimal AR cue reliability declined but was still better than with no cue. Cue reliability affected task resumption strategies of the 86% (slow but no increase in errors) and the 64% (fast but increase in errors) reliability groups differently. Our results extend reliability research to interruptions and the observed efficiency-thoroughness trade-offs in resumption strategies provide insight for design2025KBKilian L Bahnsen et al.Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Chair of Psychological ErgonomicsAR Navigation & Context AwarenessNotification & Interruption ManagementCHI
Patient Handover in the Emergency Department Is Not Just a Point Event: Insights for Designing Information Support ToolsEffective information support tools are challenging to design for fast-paced, information rich, and difficult to predict circumstances, particularly when information is fragmented and sources are dispersed. To explore, we conducted a field study on handover and the associated information work, which included 40 visits and 75 hours of observation and interviews with doctors in a metropolitan emergency department (ED). Beyond information exchange, we found that handovers highlight doctors' proactive approach by anticipating information needs, managing uncertainties arising from dynamic information, and developing patient care plans through multiple contingencies. Expanding on the idea of handover as a multifaceted process rather than a single event, we reinforce existing calls for greater flexibility emphasising that the ascertainment of pertinent information is an ongoing, adaptive process. This work demonstrates that deciding what constitutes relevant information is a priori indeterminate when designing information systems and support tools in environments such as EDs. We propose the preservation of specific ‘relativities’ of information—such as uncertainty, particularity, incompleteness, and temporality—in designing information support tools for dynamic, critical and multi-disciplinary work environments.2025AAAloha Hufana Ambe et al.The University of Queensland, Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceEV Charging & Eco-Driving InterfacesMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesTelemedicine & Remote Patient MonitoringCHI
Promoting Eco-Friendly Behaviour through Virtual Reality - Implementation and Evaluation of Immersive Feedback Conditions of a Virtual CO2 CalculatorClimate change is one of the most pressing global challenges in the 21st century. Urgent actions favoring the environment's well-being are essential to mitigate its potentially irreversible consequences. However, the delayed and often distant nature of the effects of sustainable behavior makes it challenging for individuals to connect with the issue personally. Immersive media are an opportunity to introduce innovative feedback mechanisms to highlight the urgency of behavior effects. We introduce a VR carbon calculator that visualizes users' annual carbon footprint as CO2-filled balloons over multiple periods. In a 2 x 2 design, participants calculated and visualized their carbon footprint numerically or as balloons over one or three years. We found no effect of our visualization but a significant impact of the visualized period on participants' environmental self-efficacy. These findings emphasize the importance of target-oriented design in VR behavior interventions.2024CWCarolin Wienrich et al.University of WürzburgImmersion & Presence ResearchSustainable HCIEcological Design & Green ComputingCHI
Virtual Body Swapping: A VR-Based Approach to Embodied Third-Person Self-Processing in Mind-Body TherapyVirtual reality (VR) offers various opportunities for innovative therapeutic approaches, especially regarding self-related mind-body interventions. We introduce a VR body swap system enabling multiple users to swap their perspectives and appearances and evaluate its effects on virtual sense of embodiment (SoE) and perception- and cognition-based self-related processes. In a self-compassion-framed scenario, twenty participants embodied their personalized, photorealistic avatar, swapped bodies with an unfamiliar peer, and reported their SoE, interoceptive awareness (perception), and self-compassion (cognition). Participants' experiences differed between bottom-up and top-down processes. Regarding SoE, their agency and self-location shifted to the swap avatar, while their top-down self-identification remained with their personalized avatar. Further, the experience positively affected interoceptive awareness but not self-compassion. Our outcomes offer novel insights into the SoE in a multiple-embodiment scenario and highlight the need to differentiate between the different processes in intervention design. They raise concerns and requirements for future research on avatar-based mind-body interventions.2024NDNina Döllinger et al.University of WürzburgImmersion & Presence ResearchIdentity & Avatars in XRVR Medical Training & RehabilitationCHI
Combining Emotional Gestures, Sound Effects, and Background Music for Robotic Storytelling - Effects on Storytelling Experience, Emotion Induction, and Robot PerceptionStorytelling is a long-established human tradition for entertainment and knowledge transfer. Social robots are emerging as a new storytelling medium, being able to imitate human storytelling using gestures but also extend it by adding, e.g., sound effects to the experience. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we conducted an online video-based study to investigate the effects of congruent respectively incongruent or no gesture usage in combination with additional non-speech sounds, i.e. sound effects and background music, on recipients' transportation into the story told, emotion induction, and perception of the robot. Results indicate no effect of additional non-speech sound integration on the variables listed above. Contradicting with related findings from in-person studies, we found a no significant differences between congruent, incongruent and no gesture usage. Last, no interplay of additional sounds and gesture congruence was identified. Future studies should provide deeper insights into the importance of multimodal congruence in video-taped robots and the possible advantages of adding non-speech sounds to online but also in-person robotic storytelling as well as their interplay in in-person HRI.2024SSSophia C. Steinhaeusser et al.Social Robot InteractionInteractive Narrative & Immersive StorytellingHRI
"When the beeping stops, you completely freak out" - How acute care teams experience and use technologyTechnology use in acute care has so far been studied with a predominant focus on safety and efficiency rather than the experience of acute care staff. In the present paper, we report a qualitative study including 130 hours of participant observation on acute care teams and retrospective interviews with nine anesthesiologists on their experiences with technology. Our approach is theoretically guided by four modern HCI perspectives, namely psychological need satisfaction, activity theory, embodied interaction, and media equation theory. We analyzed the interview and observation data using a reflexive thematic analysis and identified four themes. Technology as necessary (evil) describes the pervasiveness of technology and how acute care teams depend on technology. While technology as second patient covers the additional load for anesthesiologists on a functional and emotional level, technology as problem solver and safety net highlights relieving aspects of technology use. Technology as artificial limb focuses on so-called transparent tools that extend the body and capabilities of users. We then discuss the identified themes concerning the previously presented theories. Based on our findings and theoretical perspectives, we report general insights for research and design in acute care, such as the benefits of mixed methods or the importance of the gut feelings of experts. Finally, we propose possible directions for future work, such as developing a UX questionnaire adapted to the context of safety-critical domains, such as acute care.2023AHAnna Hohm et al.Care WorkCSCW
The God-I-Box: Iteratively Provotyping Technology-Mediated Worship ServicesThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of alternative formats for religious rituals, such as Protestant online worship services. However, current design approaches focus on problem-solving, and the resulting online solutions merely imitate the offline status quo. To overcome these limitations, we suggest adopting a provotype approach that allows for a more holistic, open-ended dialogue with those affected. We iteratively developed a first provotype in response to tensions found in observation-based field research, aiming to test whether and how it can trigger productive impulses for exploring future technology-mediated worship services based on existing experiences and perspectives. The resulting God-I-Box exaggerates individuality and allows congregants to act almost like liturgists. An analysis of congregants' and pastors' (online) first encounters with the God-I-Box revealed three reaction modes: spontaneous emotions, reflective coping, and exploratory imagination. We conclude with reflections and recommendations for provocative research and design in this context and beyond.2023SWSara Wolf et al.Mental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesDesign FictionDIS
"hubbel": A Hybrid Letterbox That Stimulates Civic Participation Through Local Information Sharing in NeighbourhoodsLocal civic participation is essential to democracy. Yet, citizens need to be informed about local matters to get involved. Becoming and staying informed about developments in one's neighbourhood is difficult as local knowledge is scattered among online and offline sources, hard to find and understand. Using participatory Contextual Design we curated a novel form of participation with the interactive artifact "hubbel", which combines the digital and the analogue through a hybrid letterbox to crowd-source local knowledge. During our two-month in-the-wild evaluation, the hubbel was heavily used (260 postcards, 2067 visits). It stimulated democratic discourse and (offline) political participation by rendering tacit local issues visible. We propose ways to improve the hubbel's design so that citizens can more easily share their expertise with others and to avoid harmful consequences like pseudo-participation. Finally, the hubbel demonstrates why analogue components are indispensable for civic participation tools. Supplements and open-source code: https://osf.io/jcgue/2023FMFranzisca Maas et al.Smart Cities & Urban SensingCommunity Engagement & Civic TechnologySustainable HCIDIS
Empathic Accuracy and Mental Effort during Remote Assessments of EmotionsObserving users in remote settings is unfavorable because it adds filters altering the information that underlie judgement. Still, the COVID pandemic led to an unprecedented popularity of remote user experience tests. In this work, we revisited the question, which information is most important for evaluators to assess users’ emotions successfully and efficiently. In an online study, we asked N=55 participants to assess users’ emotions from short videos of 30 interaction situations. As independent variable, we manipulated the combination of the information channels video of users, video of the interactive technology, and audio within subjects. Our findings indicate that empathic accuracy is highest and mental effort is lowest when all stimuli are present. Surprisingly, empathic accuracy was lowest and mental effort highest, when only video of users was available. We discuss these findings in the light of emotion literature focusing on persons’ facial expressions and derive practical implications for remote observations.2023SHStephan Huber et al.Julius-Maximilians-UniversitätMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesUser Research Methods (Interviews, Surveys, Observation)CHI
Designing for Uncontrollability: Drawing Inspiration from the Blessing CompanionThis paper presents an inspirational concept for companion technology design, uncontrollability, and a corresponding artefact, the Blessing Companion. Both originated from a research through design project exploring companion technologies for blessing rituals. We established an exchange with Protestant theologians, explored believers' experiences of blessings, co-speculated on potential technologies, and refined the resulting ideas through ideation, prototyping, and testing. Inspired by believers' descriptions of blessing experiences as not plannable, predictable, controllable, or enforceable, we adopted the concept of uncontrollability, explored how it might be implemented in companion technologies, and designed the Blessing Companion. The Blessing Companion embodies uncontrollability through its ambiguous appearance and (partly) uncontrollable behaviour. It thus stands in contrast to the prevailing on-demand and user-driven interaction paradigms. We discuss how uncontrollability can be reflected in content, form, and interaction, highlight respective possibilities for companion technologies, and reflect on the Blessing Companion as an example of designing for religious rituals.2023SWSara Wolf et al.Institute Human-Computer Media, Julius-Maximilians-UniversitätDesign FictionHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)Interactive Narrative & Immersive StorytellingCHI
Are Embodied Avatars Harmful to our Self-Experience? The Impact of Virtual Embodiment on Body AwarenessVirtual Reality (VR) allows us to replace our visible body with a virtual self-representation (avatar) and to explore its effects on our body perception. While the feeling of owning and controlling a virtual body is widely researched, how VR affects the awareness of internal body signals (body awareness) remains open. Forty participants performed moving meditation tasks in reality and VR, either facing their mirror image or not. Both the virtual environment and avatars photorealistically matched their real counterparts. We found a negative effect of VR on body awareness, mediated by feeling embodied in and changed by the avatar. Further, we revealed a negative effect of a mirror on body awareness. Our results indicate that assessing body awareness should be essential in evaluating VR designs and avatar embodiment aiming at mental health, as even a scenario as close to reality as possible can distract users from their internal body signals.2023NDNina Döllinger et al.University of WürzburgImmersion & Presence ResearchIdentity & Avatars in XRCHI
Why Drivers Feel the Way They Do: An On-the-road Study Using Self-Reports and Geo-TaggingIn automotive research, the current hot topic of emotion recognition is mainly technology-driven, focusing on the development of sensors and algorithms that ensure recognition accuracy and reliability. Often, a subjective reference, i.e., information about what drivers actually feel, is missing for the interpretation of the data collected. Thus, this paper explores the subjective component of drivers’ emotions, focusing on when, where, and why they occur. In an on-the-road study, 34 drivers tracked their emotions and the triggers of these experiences in-situ. In total, 367 verbal self-reports were captured, providing insights into the spatial-temporal distribution of drivers’ emotions and their determinants. Results show, for example, that intersections are emotional hotspots, and that positive emotions arise especially at the beginning and at the end of the drive. The results can help to understand emotion recognition data and to infer drivers’ emotions from contextual information if no emotion data is available.2021MDMonique DittrichHead-Up Display (HUD) & Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)Human Pose & Activity RecognitionAutoUI
Comparing Apples and Oranges: Human and Computer Clustered Affinity Diagrams Under the MicroscopeAffinity diagramming is a crucial yet time-consuming part of user research in human-centered design. To support designers in this process, as a first contribution, we explored seven models for pre-clustering affinity notes and suggest fastText as most appropriate. Since affinity diagrams are not deterministic, there is no established measure to assess their quality. Our second contribution is, therefore, a thorough examination of the potential of fastText-clusters for design teams regarding technical, psychological and performance-related measures. Compared to reference human built affinity diagrams, the fastText-clusters resulted in an overlap index of M = .694 (SD = .034). A study with four design teams clustering small sets (112 notes) of pre-clustered or randomized affinity notes indicated an increased discussion overhead caused by algorithmic support that led to a decrease in both, efficiency and quality. As a third contribution, we report qualitative data from the instances, where algorithmic support failed human expectations. We conclude that more research on the appropriate time and manner of pre-clustered data presentation is required to harness the full potential of algorithmic support while preserving the spirit of affinity diagramming.2021PBParzival Borlinghaus et al.Explainable AI (XAI)Prototyping & User TestingIUI
Visual Interactive Privacy Policy: The Better Choice?Online privacy policies should enable users to make informed decisions. Current text policies, however, lack usability: users often miss crucial information and consent to them without reading. Visual representation formats may increase comprehension, but are rarely used in practice. In an iterative design process we gathered qualitative feedback on typical policy contents and on existing and newly designed representation formats. We developed design guidelines and a Visual Interactive Privacy Policy based on the Privacy Policy Nutrition Label enriched with control options and further interactive elements. In an empirical evaluation, both visual representations received higher ratings of attractiveness, stimulation, novelty and transparency compared to a standard policy long text. Interactivity improved time spent with the policy. There were no effects on conversion rate, perceived control or perceived trust, efficiency and perspicuity. More research is needed, especially with regard to the cost-benefit ratio of visual privacy policies.2021DRDaniel Reinhardt et al.Julius-Maximilians-Universität WürzburgUncertainty VisualizationPrivacy by Design & User ControlPrivacy Perception & Decision-MakingCHI
From Paper Flight Strips to Digital Strip Systems: Changes and Similarities in Air Traffic Control Work PracticesTo increase capacity and safety in air traffic control, digital strip systems have superseded paper strips in lower airspace control centers in Europe. Previous ethnographic studies on paper strip systems anticipated a radical change in work practices with digital strip systems, but we are not aware of any studies that evaluated these predictions. We carried out contextual inquiries with controllers and focused on face-to-face and radio communication, interactions with the digital strip system and the workspace in general. In turn, we contribute (1) detailed descriptions of controllers’ work practices, such as using tacit information from radio communication and ‘standard advocates vs. tinkerers’ operation modes, (2) respective implications for design and (3) discuss how the observed work practices are similar or different from the reported practices in the literature of the two preceding decades. Our key insights are, that documentation speed is faster with digital strips, although a high load in the case of radio frequency persists. Controllers retrieve tacit information from the radio communication and combine it with scattered cues from several displays to form empathic decisions that sometimes exceed the standard protocol. We conclude that the role of tacit information holds opportunities for future flight systems and should be considered in a holistic approach to individualized workspaces for controllers.2020SHStephan Huber et al.Physical Interaction & RobotsCSCW