Flipping Perspectives: Visualising Digital Smell TrainingRecovering a lost ability is rarely easy, but unlike strengthening a muscle, progress in smell training, repeated exposure to specific scents to support recovery or maintain function, is often invisible. For those undergoing Digital Smell Training (DST), data visualisations may be the only markers of change. But how can graphs and numbers sustain motivation over months of slow, unpredictable recovery? This pictorial adopts a Research through Design approach to explore how data visualisations might better support motivation, adherence, and long-term engagement in DST. We draw on a six-month in-home study with 18 participants with varying olfactory abilities using a technology probe. Following initial feedback, we ran a co-design workshop to understand participants’ visualisation needs. These insights informed eight design directions and three visualisation concepts, later evaluated in a focus group. We explore how visualisations help "flip perspectives", from tracking outcomes to nurturing perseverance across the uncertain journey of smell rehabilitation.2025CBCeylan Beşevli et al.Interactive Data VisualizationMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesSleep & Stress MonitoringDIS
SqueezeMe: Creating Soft Inductive Pressure Sensors with Ferromagnetic ElastomersWe introduce SqueezeMe, a soft and flexible inductive pressure sensor with high sensitivity made from ferromagnetic elastomers for wearable and embedded applications. Constructed with silicone polymers and ferromagnetic particles, this biocompatible sensor responds to pressure and deformation by varying inductance through ferromagnetic particle density changes, enabling precise measurements. We detail the fabrication process and demonstrate how silicones with varying Shore hardness and different ferromagnetic fillers affect the sensor's sensitivity. Applications like weight, air pressure, and pulse measurements showcase the sensor’s versatility for integration into soft robotics and flexible electronics.2025TPThomas Preindl et al.Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Faculty of EngineeringHaptic WearablesShape-Changing Interfaces & Soft Robotic MaterialsCHI
Exploring the Needs of Practising Musicians in Co-Creative AI Through Co-DesignRecent advances in generative AI music have resulted in new technologies that are being framed as co-creative tools for musicians with early work demonstrating their potential to add to music practice. While the field has seen many valuable contributions, work that involves practising musicians in the design and development of these tools is limited, with the majority of work including them only once a tool has been developed. In this paper, we present a case study that explores the needs of practising musicians through the co-design of a musical variation system, highlighting the importance of involving a diverse range of musicians throughout the design process and uncovering various design insights. This was achieved through two workshops and a two week ecological evaluation, where musicians from different musical backgrounds offered valuable insights not only on a musical system's design but also on how a musical AI could be integrated into their musical practices.2025SKStephen James Krol et al.Monash University, SensiLabGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Creative Collaboration & Feedback SystemsInteractive Narrative & Immersive StorytellingCHI
Movement Sonification of Familiar Music to Support the Agency of People with Chronic PainFFAME (Filtering Familiar Audio for Movement Exploration) is a novel sonification framework aiming to facilitate movement in individuals with chronic back pain. Our personalised, music-based approach contrasts and extends prior work with predetermined tonal sonification. FFAME progressively filters selected music based on angles of the trunk. Through a qualitative analysis of reported experience of 15 participants with chronic pain and 5 physiotherapists, we identify how sonification parameters and musical characteristics affect movement and meaning-making. Music-based movement sonification proved impactful across multiple dimensions: (1) encouraging movement, (2) escaping pain-related rumination, (3) externalizing pain experiences, and (4) scaffolding physical activities. Drawing on enactivism and related philosophies, the study highlights how the semantic indeterminacy of music, combined with real-time movement sonification, created a rich, open-ended environment that supported user agency and exploration. Sonification for pain management can be creative and expressive, enabling people with pain to extend challenging movements and build movement confidence.2025KPKyrill Potapov et al.University College London, UCL Interaction CentreVibrotactile Feedback & Skin StimulationMental Health Apps & Online Support CommunitiesCHI
Preferences for AI Explanations Based on Cognitive Style and Socio-Cultural FactorsDesigning AI systems with the capacity to explain their behaviour is paramount to enable human oversight, facilitate trust, promote acceptance of technology and, ultimately, empower users and improve their experience. There are, however, several challenges to explainable AI, one of which is the generation and selection of explanations from the causal history of a given event. Causal attribution, among other cognitive processes, has been found to be influenced by socio-cultural factors, which suggests that there could be systematic differences in preferences for AI explanations between communities of users according to their cognitive style and socio-cultural characteristics. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between preferences in the explanations provided by belief-desire-intention AI agents, cognitive style (holistic vs analytical), and socio-cultural factors, such as gender, education, social class, and political and religious beliefs. We found a relationship between explanation preference, cognitive style and various socio-cultural characteristics. Holistic cognitive style is associated with preference for goal explanations while analytic cognitive style is associated with preference for belief explanations. Socio-cultural variables that affect explanation preference are gender, religious beliefs, educational attainment, some fields of education, and political party affiliation.2024HKHana Kopecka et al.Session 3e: Trust and Understanding in Explainable AICSCW
IrOnTex: Using Ironable 3D Printed Objects to Fabricate and Prototype Customizable Interactive TextilesYu等人提出IrOnTex，利用可熨烫3D打印对象制作定制交互式纺织品，实现快速原型设计。2024JYJiakun Yu et al.Desktop 3D Printing & Personal FabricationTextile Art & Craft DigitizationUbiComp
A Human Information Processing Theory of the Interpretation of Visualizations: Demonstrating Its UtilityProviding an approach to model the memory structures that humans build as they use visualizations could be useful for researchers, designers and educators in the field of information visualization. Cheng and colleagues formulated Representation Interpretive Structure Theory (RIST) for that purpose. RIST adopts a human information processing perspective in order to address the immediate, short timescale, cognitive load likely to be experienced by visualization users. RIST is operationalized in a graphical modeling notation and browser-based editor. This paper demonstrates the utility of RIST by showing that (a): RIST models are compatible with established empirical and computational cognitive findings about differences in human performance on alternative representations; (b) they can encompass existing explanations from the literature; and, (c) they provide new explanations about causes of those performance differences.2024PCPeter Cheng et al.University of SussexVisualization Perception & CognitionComputational Methods in HCICHI
V-FRAMER: Visualization Framework for Mitigating Reasoning Errors in Public PolicyExisting data visualization design guidelines focus primarily on constructing grammatically-correct visualizations that faithfully convey the values and relationships in the underlying data. However, a designer may create a grammatically-correct visualization that still leaves audiences susceptible to reasoning misleaders, e.g. by failing to normalize data or using unrepresentative samples. Reasoning misleaders are especially pernicious when presenting public policy data, where data-driven decisions can affect public health, safety, and economic development. Through textual analysis, a formative evaluation, and iterative design with 19 policy communicators, we construct an actionable visualization design framework, V-FRAMER, that effectively synthesizes ways of mitigating reasoning misleaders. We discuss important design considerations for frameworks like V-FRAMER, including using concrete examples to help designers understand reasoning misleaders, and using a hierarchical structure to support example-based accessing. We further describe V-FRAMER's congruence with current practice and how practitioners might integrate the framework into their existing workflows. Related materials available at: https://osf.io/q3uta/.2024LGLily W. Ge et al.Northwestern UniversityExplainable AI (XAI)Uncertainty VisualizationCHI
A novel interaction for competence assessment using micro-behaviors: Extending CACHET to graphs and chartsCompetence Assessment by Chunk Hierarchy Evaluation with Transcription-tasks (CACHET) was proposed by Cheng [14]. It analyses micro-behaviors captured during cycles of stimulus viewing and copying in order to probe chunk structures in memory. This study extends CACHET by applying it to the domain of graphs and charts. Since drawing strategies are diverse, a new interactive stimulus presentation method is introduced: Transcription with Incremental Presentation of the Stimulus (TIPS). TIPS aims to reduce strategy variations that mask the chunking signal by giving users manual element-by-element control over the display of the stimulus. The potential of TIPS, is shown by the analysis of six participants transcriptions of stimuli of different levels of familiarity and complexity that reveal clear signals of chunking. To understand how the chunk size and individual differences drive TIPS measurements, a CPM-GOMS model was constructed to formalize the cognitive process involved in stimulus comprehension and chunk creation.2023FCFiorenzo Colarusso et al.University of SussexTime-Series & Network Graph VisualizationVisualization Perception & CognitionMultiplayer & Social GamesCHI
ADHD and Technology Research -- Investigated by Neurodivergent ReadersTechnology research for neurodivergent conditions is largely shaped by research aims which privilege neuro-normative outcomes. As such, there is an epistemic imbalance in meaning making about these technologies. We conducted a critical literature review of technologies designed for people with ADHD, focusing on how ADHD is framed, the research aims and approaches, the role of people with ADHD within the research process, and the types of systems being developed within Computing and HCI. Our analysis and review is conducted explicitly from an insider perspective, bringing our perspectives as neurodivergent researchers to the topic of technologies in the context of ADHD. We found that 1) technologies are largely used to `mitigate' the experiences of ADHD which are perceived as disruptive to neurotypical standards of behaviour; 2) little HCI research in the area invites this population to co-construct the technologies or to leverage neurodivergent experiences in the construction of research aims; and 3) participant resistance to deficit frames can be read within the researchers' own accounts of participant actions. We discuss the implications of this status quo for disabled people and technology researchers alike, and close with a set of recommendations for future work in this area.2022KSKatta Spiel et al.TU WienCognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Universal & Inclusive DesignTechnology Ethics & Critical HCICHI
Classroom Dandelions: Visualising Participants' Position, Trajectories and Body Orientation Augments Teachers' SensemakingDespite the digital revolution, physical space remains the site for teaching and learning embodied knowledge and skills. Both teachers and students must develop spatial competencies to effectively use classroom spaces, enabling fluid verbal and non-verbal interaction. While video permits rich activity capture, it provides no support for quickly seeing activity patterns that can assist learning. In contrast, position tracking systems permit the automated modelling of spatial behaviour, opening new possibilities for feedback. This paper introduces the design rationale for "Dandelion Diagrams" that integrate participant location, trajectory and body orientation over a variable period. Applied in two authentic teaching contexts (a science laboratory, and a nursing simulation) we show how heatmaps showing only teacher/student location led to misinterpretations that were resolved by overlaying Dandelion Diagrams. Teachers also identified a variety of ways they could aid professional development. We conclude Dandelion Diagrams assisted sensemaking, but discuss the ethical risks of over-interpretation.2022GFGloria Fernandez-Nieto et al.University of Technology SydneyVisualization Perception & CognitionCollaborative Learning & Peer TeachingUser Research Methods (Interviews, Surveys, Observation)CHI
Designing for Transformative Futures: Creative Practice, Social Change and Climate EmergencyWe discuss three cases of transformative creative practice that aim to address large-scale societal issues related to the climate emergency by taking a series of interconnected, small-scale actions. Drawing on our first-hand perspectives, we reflect on how the cases address such issues by proliferating across different social contexts and supporting creative engagements of diverse stakeholders. We offer this empirical reflection at a time of rapid social and ecological change that has affected all life on the planet. Eco-social challenges and structural inequalities caused by shifts in global economic, political and technological power require new approaches and transformative actions to stabilize and restore ecosystems on which life depends. Our research shows that creative practice in art and design has a critical role to play in these processes of transformation. By discussing the opportunities and challenges encountered by our three cases within their transformative efforts and analyzing how they proliferate across diverse scales, we aim to expand the emerging scholarship on the transformative potential of creative practice.2021MDMarkéta Dolejšová et al.Sustainable HCIEcological Design & Green ComputingHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)C&C
Wanting To Live Here: Design After Anthropocentric FunctionalismDesign research has recently turned to theoretical perspectives, including care ethics and posthumanism, to counter the industrial processes that have led to climate crisis. As design theorists and ethnographers of interaction, we researched experimental eco-farming in a community that shared many of these theoretical and ideological commitments. Our goal was not to offer an account of use and provide design implications in support of it. Instead, we chose to identify concrete practices and artifacts that embody the sorts of industrial transformations that we are seeking—even if they are manifest in an imperfect or partial form. We encountered practices focused on community building, local resilience to climate disruptions, experiments in eco-farming, economic survival, and attracting the next generation. One interlocutor translated these concerns into a simple binary, asking, “do we want to live here?” This paper contributes to a design research agenda that might (eventually) provide an affirmative answer.2021JBJeffrey Bardzell et al.The Pennsylvania State UniversitySustainable HCIHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)CHI
Algorithmic Food Justice: Co-Designing More-than-Human Blockchain Futures for the Food CommonsThe relationships that constitute the global industrial food system tend towards two dominant values that are creating unsustainable social and environmental inequalities. The first is a human-centered perspective on food that privileges humans over all other species. The second is a view of food as a commodity to be traded for maximum economic value, rewarding a small number of shareholders. We present work that explores the unique algorithmic affordances of blockchain to create new types of value exchange and governance in the food system. We describe a project that used roleplay with urban agricultural communities to co-design blockchain-based food futures and explore the conditions for creating a thriving multispecies food commons. We discuss how the project helped rethink algorithmic food justice by reconfiguring more-than-human values and reconfiguring food as more-than-human commons. We also discuss some of the challenges and tensions arising from these explorations.2021SHSara Heitlinger et al.City, University of LondonSustainable HCIHuman-Nature Relationships (More-than-Human Design)CHI
"Beyond 3D printers": Understanding Digital Fabrication Practices for the Education of Visually Impaired or Blind YouthDisability professionals could use digital fabrication tools to provide customised assistive technologies or accessible media beneficial to the education of Blind or visually impaired youth. However, there is little documentation of long-term practices with these tools by professionals in this field, limiting our ability to support their work. We report on such practices in a French organisation, providing disability educational services and using digital fabrication since 2013, for six years. We trace how professionals defined how digital fabrication could and should be used through a range of projects, based on pedagogical uses and the constraints in creation, production and maintenance. We outline new research perspectives going beyond 3D printers and its promises of automation to embrace hybrid approaches currently supported by laser cutters, the learning and documentation process, and the production of accessible tactile media at a regional or national scale.2021EBEmeline Brulé et al.University of SussexSpecial Education TechnologyCircuit Making & Hardware PrototypingCHI
Tricky Design Probes: Triggering Reflection on Design Research Methods in Service DesignDesign research methods are increasingly used as ready-made recipes for success in a variety of fields and multidisciplinary teams. Yet as any tools, they shape the gaze, attitudes, and behaviors of designers. Moreover their generic nature tends to obscure the specific situations in which they were created. In reaction, grounding our work in adversarial design, we propose four tricky probes: believable design tools, which appear to be innocuous, but progressively engage designers in crossing boundaries of what should be acceptable. This is done by slowly derailing design research activities, leading to trigger reflection on the part of designers on their beliefs, practice, and the tools they use. Our probes raise issues at the intersection of design research and gender in urban service design, such as the use of pre-made algorithms to understand gendered patterns in urban movements.2020ABAnaëlle Beignon et al.Gender & Race Issues in HCIParticipatory DesignDIS
Canine Co-design: Investigating Buttons as an Input Modality for DogsMulti-species interfaces, where users consist of both human and non-human animals, continue to emerge in many application areas, such as zoos shared spaces between humans and domesticated animals. Within this, new instances of Canine-Computer Interaction are rapidly being developed, including applications that support assistance dogs in helping their handlers with disabilities, and interfaces that support human and dog bonding. Regardless of the specific application, many canine interfaces rely on a pressure-activated interaction for the canine input modality. We report on a two-phase study that explored the current practices of assistance dogs using pressure-activated switches (buttons) and aimed to understand canine experiences using different types of buttons. We discuss not only the practical design implications for designers developing canine interfaces, but also methodological findings in regard to conducting research with both canine and human participants. We aim to continue to extend design practices to include non-human animals as co-designers.2020CRCharlotte Robinson et al.Teleoperation & TelepresenceParticipatory DesignDIS
CARoma Therapy: Pleasant Scents Promote Safer Driving, Better Mood, and Improved Well-Being in Angry DriversDriving is a task that is often affected by emotions. The effect of emotions on driving has been extensively studied. Anger is an emotion that dominates in such investigations. Despite the knowledge on strong links between scents and emotions, few studies have explored the effect of olfactory stimulation in a context of driving. Such an outcome provides HCI practitioners very little knowledge on how to design for emotions using olfactory stimulation in the car. We carried out three studies to select scents of different valence and arousal levels (i.e. rose, peppermint, and civet) and anger eliciting stimuli (i.e. affective pictures and on-road events). We used this knowledge to conduct the fourth user study investigating how the selected scents change the emotional state, well-being, and driving behaviour of drivers in an induced angry state. Our findings enable better decisions on what scents to choose when designing interactions for angry drivers.2020DDDmitrijs Dmitrenko et al.University of SussexIn-Vehicle Haptic, Audio & Multimodal FeedbackCHI
HapBead: On-Skin Microfluidic Haptic Interface using Tunable BeadOn-skin haptic interfaces using soft elastomers which are thin and flexible have significantly improved in recent years. Many are focused on vibrotactile feedback that requires complicated parameter tuning. Another approach is based on mechanical forces created via piezoelectric devices and other methods for non-vibratory haptic sensations like stretching, twisting. These are often bulky with electronic components and associated drivers are complicated with limited control of timing and precision. This paper proposes HapBead, a new on-skin haptic interface that is capable of rendering vibration like tactile feedback using microfluidics. HapBead leverages a microfluidic channel to precisely and agilely oscillate a small bead via liquid flow, which then generates various motion patterns in channel that creates highly tunable haptic sensations on skin. We developed a proof-of-concept design to implement thin, flexible and easily affordable HapBead platform, and verified its haptic rendering capabilities via attaching it to users' fingertips. A study was carried out and confirmed that participants could accurately tell six different haptic patterns rendered by HapBead. HapBead enables new wearable display applications with multiple integrated functionalities such as on-skin haptic doodles, visuo-haptic displays and haptic illusions.2020THTeng Han et al.Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences & University of Chinese Academy of SciencesVibrotactile Feedback & Skin StimulationHaptic WearablesBiosensors & Physiological MonitoringCHI
Review of Quantitative Empirical Evaluations of Technology for People with Visual ImpairmentsAddressing the needs of visually impaired people is of continued interest in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research. Yet, one of the major challenges facing researchers in this field continues to be how to design adequate quantitative empirical evaluation for these users in HCI. In this paper, we analyse a corpus of 178 papers on technologies designed for people with visual impairments, published since 1988, and including at least one quantitative empirical evaluation (243 evaluations in total). To inform future research in this area, we provide an overview, historic trends and a unified terminology to design and report quantitative empirical evaluations. We identify open issues and propose a set of guidelines to address them. Our analysis aims to facilitate and stimulate future research on this topic.2020EBEmeline Brulé et al.University of SussexVisual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)User Research Methods (Interviews, Surveys, Observation)Prototyping & User TestingCHI