Pub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1145/3706598.3714404
Elliot G Mitchell, Pooja Desai, Arlene Smaldone, Andrea Cassells, Jonathan N Tobin, David Albers, Matthew Levine, Lena Mamykina
Computational intelligence is increasingly common in interactive systems in many domains, including health. Health coaching with conversational agents (CA) can reach wide populations, but the level of computational intelligence needed for a positive coaching experience is unclear. We conducted a study with sixteen individuals with diabetes and prediabetes who used a CA for health coaching, T2 Coach. Qualitative interviews revealed that participants saw T2 Coach as reliable in helping them stay on track with self-management, appreciated the flexibility in choosing personally meaningful goals and engaging on their own terms, and felt it provided encouragement and even compared it favorably with human coaches. However, they also noted that coaching experience could be improved with more fluid conversations, more tailoring to their personal preferences and lifestyles, and more sensitivity to specific contexts, all of which require more computational intelligence. We discuss implications and design directions for more intelligent coaching CA in health.
{"title":"T2 Coach: A Qualitative Study of an Automated Health Coach for Diabetes Self-Management.","authors":"Elliot G Mitchell, Pooja Desai, Arlene Smaldone, Andrea Cassells, Jonathan N Tobin, David Albers, Matthew Levine, Lena Mamykina","doi":"10.1145/3706598.3714404","DOIUrl":"10.1145/3706598.3714404","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Computational intelligence is increasingly common in interactive systems in many domains, including health. Health coaching with conversational agents (CA) can reach wide populations, but the level of computational intelligence needed for a positive coaching experience is unclear. We conducted a study with sixteen individuals with diabetes and prediabetes who used a CA for health coaching, T2 Coach. Qualitative interviews revealed that participants saw T2 Coach as reliable in helping them stay on track with self-management, appreciated the flexibility in choosing personally meaningful goals and engaging on their own terms, and felt it provided encouragement and even compared it favorably with human coaches. However, they also noted that coaching experience could be improved with more fluid conversations, more tailoring to their personal preferences and lifestyles, and more sensitivity to specific contexts, all of which require more computational intelligence. We discuss implications and design directions for more intelligent coaching CA in health.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12587852/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145460794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1145/3706598.3714314
Yan Ma, I V Ramakrishnan, Dan Zhang, Xiaojun Bi
Large language models (LLMs) have shown exceptional performance in various language-related tasks. However, their application in keyboard decoding, which involves converting input signals (e.g. taps and gestures) into text, remains underexplored. This paper presents a fine-tuned FLAN-T5 model for decoding. It achieves 93.1% top-1 accuracy on user-drawn gestures, outperforming the widely adopted SHARK2 decoder, and 95.4% on real-word tap typing data. In particular, our decoder supports Flexible Typing, allowing users to enter a word with taps, gestures, multi-stroke gestures, and tap-gesture combinations. User study results show that Flexible Typing is beneficial and well-received by participants, where 35.9% of words were entered using word gestures, 29.0% with taps, 6.1% with multi-stroke gestures, and the remaining 29.0% using tap-gestures. Our investigation suggests that the LLM-based decoder improves decoding accuracy over existing word gesture decoders while enabling the Flexible Typing method, which enhances the overall typing experience and accommodates diverse user preferences.
{"title":"LLM Powered Text Entry Decoding and Flexible Typing on Smartphones.","authors":"Yan Ma, I V Ramakrishnan, Dan Zhang, Xiaojun Bi","doi":"10.1145/3706598.3714314","DOIUrl":"10.1145/3706598.3714314","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Large language models (LLMs) have shown exceptional performance in various language-related tasks. However, their application in keyboard decoding, which involves converting input signals (e.g. taps and gestures) into text, remains underexplored. This paper presents a fine-tuned FLAN-T5 model for decoding. It achieves 93.1% top-1 accuracy on user-drawn gestures, outperforming the widely adopted <i>SHARK</i> <sup>2</sup> decoder, and 95.4% on real-word tap typing data. In particular, our decoder supports Flexible Typing, allowing users to enter a word with taps, gestures, multi-stroke gestures, and tap-gesture combinations. User study results show that Flexible Typing is beneficial and well-received by participants, where 35.9% of words were entered using word gestures, 29.0% with taps, 6.1% with multi-stroke gestures, and the remaining 29.0% using tap-gestures. Our investigation suggests that the LLM-based decoder improves decoding accuracy over existing word gesture decoders while enabling the Flexible Typing method, which enhances the overall typing experience and accommodates diverse user preferences.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12723528/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145829293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aaleyah Lewis, Jesse J Martinez, Maitraye Das, James Fogarty
Deceptive design patterns manipulate people into actions to which they would otherwise object. Despite growing research on deceptive design patterns, limited research examines their interplay with accessibility and visual accessibility technology (e.g., screen readers, screen magnification, braille displays). We present an interview and diary study with 16 people who use visual accessibility technology to better understand experiences with accessibility and deceptive design. We report participant experiences with six deceptive design patterns, including designs that are intentionally deceptive and designs where participants describe accessibility barriers unintentionally manifesting as deceptive, together with direct and indirect consequences of deceptive patterns. We discuss intent versus impact in accessibility and deceptive design, how access barriers exacerbate harms of deceptive design patterns, and impacts of deceptive design from a perspective of consequence-based accessibility. We propose that accessibility tools could help address deceptive design patterns by offering higher-level feedback to well-intentioned designers.
{"title":"Inaccessible and Deceptive: Examining Experiences of Deceptive Design with People Who Use Visual Accessibility Technology.","authors":"Aaleyah Lewis, Jesse J Martinez, Maitraye Das, James Fogarty","doi":"10.1145/3706598.3713784","DOIUrl":"10.1145/3706598.3713784","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Deceptive design patterns manipulate people into actions to which they would otherwise object. Despite growing research on deceptive design patterns, limited research examines their interplay with accessibility and visual accessibility technology (e.g., screen readers, screen magnification, braille displays). We present an interview and diary study with 16 people who use visual accessibility technology to better understand experiences with accessibility and deceptive design. We report participant experiences with six deceptive design patterns, including designs that are intentionally deceptive and designs where participants describe accessibility barriers unintentionally manifesting as deceptive, together with direct and indirect consequences of deceptive patterns. We discuss intent versus impact in accessibility and deceptive design, how access barriers exacerbate harms of deceptive design patterns, and impacts of deceptive design from a perspective of consequence-based accessibility. We propose that accessibility tools could help address deceptive design patterns by offering higher-level feedback to well-intentioned designers.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12188898/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144499718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Computational thinking (CT) is regarded as a fundamental twenty-first century skill and has been implemented in many early childhood education curriculum. Yet, the needs of neurodivergent children have remained largely overlooked in the extensive research and technologies built to foster CT among children. To address this, we investigated how to support neurodiverse (i.e., groups involving neurodivergent and neurotypical) preschoolers aged 3-5 in learning CT concepts. Grounded in interviews with six teachers, we deployed an age-appropriate, programmable robot called KIBO in two preschool classrooms involving 12 neurodivergent and 17 neurotypical children for eight weeks. Using interaction analysis, we illustrate how neurodivergent children found enjoyment in assembling KIBO and learned to code with it while engaging in cooperative and competitive play with neurotypical peers and the adults. Through this, we discuss accessible adaptations needed to enhance CT among neurodivergent preschoolers and ways to reimagine technology-mediated social play for them.
{"title":"Cultivating Computational Thinking and Social Play among Neurodiverse Preschoolers in Inclusive Classrooms.","authors":"Maitraye Das, Megan Tran, Amanda Chih-Han Ong, Julie A Kientz, Heather Feldner","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Computational thinking (CT) is regarded as a fundamental twenty-first century skill and has been implemented in many early childhood education curriculum. Yet, the needs of neurodivergent children have remained largely overlooked in the extensive research and technologies built to foster CT among children. To address this, we investigated how to support neurodiverse (i.e., groups involving neurodivergent and neurotypical) preschoolers aged 3-5 in learning CT concepts. Grounded in interviews with six teachers, we deployed an age-appropriate, programmable robot called KIBO in two preschool classrooms involving 12 neurodivergent and 17 neurotypical children for eight weeks. Using interaction analysis, we illustrate how neurodivergent children found enjoyment in assembling KIBO and learned to code with it while engaging in cooperative and competitive play with neurotypical peers and the adults. Through this, we discuss accessible adaptations needed to enhance CT among neurodivergent preschoolers and ways to reimagine technology-mediated social play for them.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"2025 ","pages":"1-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12188882/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144499717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1145/3706598.3714272
Siyi Wu, Weidan Cao, Shihan Fu, Bingsheng Yao, Ziqi Yang, Changchang Yin, Varun Mishra, Daniel Addison, Ping Zhang, Dakuo Wang
Despite recent advances in cancer treatments that prolong patients' lives, treatment-induced cardiotoxicity (i.e., the various heart damages caused by cancer treatments) emerges as one major side effect. The clinical decision-making process of cardiotoxicity is challenging, as early symptoms may happen in non-clinical settings and are too subtle to be noticed until life-threatening events occur at a later stage; clinicians already have a high workload focusing on the cancer treatment, no additional effort to spare on the cardiotoxicity side effect. Our project starts with a participatory design study with 11 clinicians to understand their decision-making practices and their feedback on an initial design of an AI-based decision-support system. Based on their feedback, we then propose a multimodal AI system, CardioAI, that can integrate wearables data and voice assistant data to model a patient's cardiotoxicity risk to support clinicians' decision-making. We conclude our paper with a small-scale heuristic evaluation with four experts and the discussion of future design considerations.
{"title":"CardioAI: A Multimodal AI-based System to Support Symptom Monitoring and Risk Prediction of Cancer Treatment-Induced Cardiotoxicity.","authors":"Siyi Wu, Weidan Cao, Shihan Fu, Bingsheng Yao, Ziqi Yang, Changchang Yin, Varun Mishra, Daniel Addison, Ping Zhang, Dakuo Wang","doi":"10.1145/3706598.3714272","DOIUrl":"10.1145/3706598.3714272","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite recent advances in cancer treatments that prolong patients' lives, treatment-induced cardiotoxicity (i.e., the various heart damages caused by cancer treatments) emerges as one major side effect. The clinical decision-making process of cardiotoxicity is challenging, as early symptoms may happen in non-clinical settings and are too subtle to be noticed until life-threatening events occur at a later stage; clinicians already have a high workload focusing on the cancer treatment, no additional effort to spare on the cardiotoxicity side effect. Our project starts with a participatory design study with 11 clinicians to understand their decision-making practices and their feedback on an initial design of an AI-based decision-support system. Based on their feedback, we then propose a multimodal AI system, CardioAI, that can integrate wearables data and voice assistant data to model a patient's cardiotoxicity risk to support clinicians' decision-making. We conclude our paper with a small-scale heuristic evaluation with four experts and the discussion of future design considerations.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12087674/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144103312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amelia Short, Norman Makoto Su, Ruipu Hu, Eun Kyoung Choe, Hernisa Kacorri, Margaret Danilovich, David E Conroy, Shannon Jette, Beth Barnett, Amanda Lazar
Much research on older people with memory concerns is focused on tracking and informed by the priorities of others. In this paper, we seek to understand the potential that people with memory concerns see in tracking. We conducted interviews with 29 participants with concerns about their memory and engaged in an affective writing approach. We find a range of potentials that can be traced to how participants are already self-tracking. Emotions associated with these potentials vary: from acceptance to resistance, and positive anticipation to aversion. Participants are emotionally motivated to foreclose possibilities in some instances and keep them open in others. While individual and unique, potential is structured by forces that include individual routines, relationships with others, and macro-level institutions and cultural contexts. We reflect on these findings in the context of research on self-tracking with older adults, designing with ambiguity, and forces that structure the experience of living with memory concerns.
{"title":"Tracking and its Potential for Older Adults with Memory Concerns.","authors":"Amelia Short, Norman Makoto Su, Ruipu Hu, Eun Kyoung Choe, Hernisa Kacorri, Margaret Danilovich, David E Conroy, Shannon Jette, Beth Barnett, Amanda Lazar","doi":"10.1145/3706598.3714093","DOIUrl":"10.1145/3706598.3714093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Much research on older people with memory concerns is focused on tracking and informed by the priorities of others. In this paper, we seek to understand the potential that people with memory concerns see in tracking. We conducted interviews with 29 participants with concerns about their memory and engaged in an affective writing approach. We find a range of potentials that can be traced to how participants are already self-tracking. Emotions associated with these potentials vary: from acceptance to resistance, and positive anticipation to aversion. Participants are emotionally motivated to foreclose possibilities in some instances and keep them open in others. While individual and unique, potential is structured by forces that include individual routines, relationships with others, and macro-level institutions and cultural contexts. We reflect on these findings in the context of research on self-tracking with older adults, designing with ambiguity, and forces that structure the experience of living with memory concerns.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12188979/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144499720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Autonomous navigation robots can increase the independence of blind people but often limit user control-following what is called in Japanese an "omakase" approach where decisions are left to the robot. This research investigates ways to enhance user control in social robot navigation, based on two studies conducted with blind participants. The first study, involving structured interviews (N=14), identified crowded spaces as key areas with significant social challenges. The second study (N=13) explored navigation tasks with an autonomous robot in these environments and identified design strategies across different modes of autonomy. Participants preferred an active role, termed the "boss" mode, where they managed crowd interactions, while the "monitor" mode helped them assess the environment, negotiate movements, and interact with the robot. These findings highlight the importance of shared control and user involvement for blind users, offering valuable insights for designing future social navigation robots.
{"title":"Beyond <i>Omakase</i>: Designing Shared Control for Navigation Robots with Blind People.","authors":"Rie Kamikubo, Seita Kayukawa, Yuka Kaniwa, Allan Wang, Hernisa Kacorri, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa","doi":"10.1145/3706598.3714112","DOIUrl":"10.1145/3706598.3714112","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Autonomous navigation robots can increase the independence of blind people but often limit user control-following what is called in Japanese an \"omakase\" approach where decisions are left to the robot. This research investigates ways to enhance user control in social robot navigation, based on two studies conducted with blind participants. The first study, involving structured interviews (N=14), identified crowded spaces as key areas with significant social challenges. The second study (N=13) explored navigation tasks with an autonomous robot in these environments and identified design strategies across different modes of autonomy. Participants preferred an active role, termed the \"boss\" mode, where they managed crowd interactions, while the \"monitor\" mode helped them assess the environment, negotiate movements, and interact with the robot. These findings highlight the importance of shared control and user involvement for blind users, offering valuable insights for designing future social navigation robots.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12188963/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144499716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
HCI research increasingly focuses on everyday life to inform technology design for older adults. Routines, a key aspect of everyday life, have been studied to contextualize technology use. Our work brings attention to understanding of routines around videoconferencing technology among older adults with cognitive concerns. We conducted a week-long study involving observations, interviews, and a modified diary study with six older adults with cognitive concerns who videoconference at least once a week. Our analysis revealed how routines helped people adapt to videoconferencing constraints, how participants navigated disruptions to their videoconferencing routines, and the kinds of routines that were more challenging to manage when faced disruptions. In the discussion, we describe why routines are particularly important to study and support for people with cognitive concerns, the importance of studying older adults' routines to support technology use in HCI, and methods that can enrich HCI research by uncovering insights into routines.
{"title":"Surfacing Technology Routines While Studying Videoconferencing Among Older Adults with Cognitive Concerns.","authors":"Ruipu Hu, Amanda Lazar","doi":"10.1145/3706598.3714207","DOIUrl":"10.1145/3706598.3714207","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>HCI research increasingly focuses on everyday life to inform technology design for older adults. Routines, a key aspect of everyday life, have been studied to contextualize technology use. Our work brings attention to understanding of routines around videoconferencing technology among older adults with cognitive concerns. We conducted a week-long study involving observations, interviews, and a modified diary study with six older adults with cognitive concerns who videoconference at least once a week. Our analysis revealed how routines helped people adapt to videoconferencing constraints, how participants navigated disruptions to their videoconferencing routines, and the kinds of routines that were more challenging to manage when faced disruptions. In the discussion, we describe why routines are particularly important to study and support for people with cognitive concerns, the importance of studying older adults' routines to support technology use in HCI, and methods that can enrich HCI research by uncovering insights into routines.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12188981/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144499719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alisha Pradhan, Ben Jelen, Ramprabu Thangaraj, Katie A Siek, Shannon Jette, Amanda Lazar
Design workshops are a popular approach to include older adults in the technology design process. However, formative design sessions with older adults have had unexpected outcomes such as the non-use of traditional design materials like craft-based prototyping supplies or disengagement from design activities. Analyzing the engagement of 32 older adults across two design workshops, this paper sheds insights on some of these outcomes. Contributing to a growing body of HCI research on understanding older adults' participation in design, we provide an understanding of how design materials can shape older adults' engagement in formative design activities. Our discussion furthers research on understanding who older adults design for and why, argues for a different understanding of creative expression, and offers considerations for choosing design materials.
{"title":"Understanding Older Adults' (Dis)Engagement with Design Materials.","authors":"Alisha Pradhan, Ben Jelen, Ramprabu Thangaraj, Katie A Siek, Shannon Jette, Amanda Lazar","doi":"10.1145/3706598.3713846","DOIUrl":"10.1145/3706598.3713846","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Design workshops are a popular approach to include older adults in the technology design process. However, formative design sessions with older adults have had unexpected outcomes such as the non-use of traditional design materials like craft-based prototyping supplies or disengagement from design activities. Analyzing the engagement of 32 older adults across two design workshops, this paper sheds insights on some of these outcomes. Contributing to a growing body of HCI research on understanding older adults' participation in design, we provide an understanding of how design materials can shape older adults' engagement in formative design activities. Our discussion furthers research on understanding who older adults design for and why, argues for a different understanding of creative expression, and offers considerations for choosing design materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12188980/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144499721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kate Glazko, JunHyeok Cha, Aaleyah Lewis, Ben Kosa, Brianna L Wimer, Andrew Zheng, Yiwei Zheng, Jennifer Mankoff
Generative AI (AI) has become ubiquitous in both daily and professional life, with emerging research demonstrating its potential as a tool for accessibility. Neurodivergent people, often left out by existing accessibility technologies, develop their own ways of navigating normative expectations. GAI offers new opportunities for access, but it is important to understand how neurodivergent "power users"-successful early adopters-engage with it and the challenges they face. Further, we must understand how marginalization and intersectional identities influence their interactions with GAI. Our autoethnography, enhanced by privacy-preserving GAI-based diaries and interviews, reveals the intricacies of using GAI to navigate normative environments and expectations. Our findings demonstrate how GAI can both support and complicate tasks like code-switching, emotional regulation, and accessing information. We show that GAI can help neurodivergent users to reclaim their agency in systems that diminish their autonomy and self-determination. However, challenges such as balancing authentic self-expression with societal conformity, alongside other risks, create barriers to realizing GAI's full potential for accessibility.
{"title":"Autoethnographic Insights from Neurodivergent GAI \"Power Users\".","authors":"Kate Glazko, JunHyeok Cha, Aaleyah Lewis, Ben Kosa, Brianna L Wimer, Andrew Zheng, Yiwei Zheng, Jennifer Mankoff","doi":"10.1145/3706598.3713670","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713670","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Generative AI (AI) has become ubiquitous in both daily and professional life, with emerging research demonstrating its potential as a tool for accessibility. Neurodivergent people, often left out by existing accessibility technologies, develop their own ways of navigating normative expectations. GAI offers new opportunities for access, but it is important to understand how neurodivergent \"power users\"-successful early adopters-engage with it and the challenges they face. Further, we must understand how marginalization and intersectional identities influence their interactions with GAI. Our autoethnography, enhanced by privacy-preserving GAI-based diaries and interviews, reveals the intricacies of using GAI to navigate normative environments and expectations. Our findings demonstrate how GAI can both support and complicate tasks like code-switching, emotional regulation, and accessing information. We show that GAI can help neurodivergent users to reclaim their agency in systems that diminish their autonomy and self-determination. However, challenges such as balancing authentic self-expression with societal conformity, alongside other risks, create barriers to realizing GAI's full potential for accessibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":74552,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference","volume":"274 ","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12645485/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145643535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}