Moirai: Negotiation-through-Interaction for Healthy Exercizing

Scientific Conference (2023, April)

We present Moirai, a device that aids runners in self-regulating their running routine. By negotiating with the device, runners can balance their desire to achieve their goals while preventing ... [more ▼]

We present Moirai, a device that aids runners in self-regulating their running routine. By negotiating with the device, runners can balance their desire to achieve their goals while preventing overtraining injuries. The interaction relies on the strategic repertoire principle, a five-way taxonomy of strategies used in human- human negotiation. The user and the system can use the following strategies: contending, conceding, compromising, problem-solving, and avoiding. Behavior change design predominantly focuses on the first two: contending relates to hard paternalism, where the user has no choice but to accept, and conceding to soft paternalism or nudging, where the user can deviate from a default. The other three strategies are relatively underexplored, the closest to some of these being the aesthetic of friction. Relying on data and human negotiation strategies to reach a goal that is not solely one of the users, Moirai can appear as a moral agent. We envision these principles as applicable beyond the exercising context to other domains that require self-regulation, such as health, sustainability, or productivity- related applications. [less ▲]

The Framework of Security-Enhancing Friction: How UX Can Help Users Behave More Securely

in New Security Paradigms Workshop (2020, October 26)

A growing body of research in the usable privacy and security community addresses the question of how to best influence user behavior to reduce risk-taking.We propose to address this challenge by ... [more ▼]

A growing body of research in the usable privacy and security community addresses the question of how to best influence user behavior to reduce risk-taking.We propose to address this challenge by integrating the concept of user experience (UX) into empirical usable privacy and security studies that attempt to change risktaking behavior. UX enables us to study the complex interplay between user-related, system-related and contextual factors and provides insights into the experiential aspects underlying behavior change, including negative experiences. We first compare and contrast existing security-enhancing interventions (e.g., nudges, warnings, fear appeals) through the lens of friction. We then build on these insights to argue that it can be desirable to design for moments of negative UX in security-critical situations. For this purpose, we introduce the novel concept of security-enhancing friction, friction that effectively reduces the occurrence of risk-taking behavior and ensures that the overall UX (after use) is not compromised. We illustrate how security-enhancing friction provides an actionable way to systematically integrate the concept of UX into empirical usable privacy and security studies for meeting both the objectives of secure behavior and of overall acceptable experience. [less ▲]

Ivy: A qualitative interface to reduce sedentary behavior in the office context

in DIS 2020 Companion - Companion Publication of the 2020 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference (2020)

This paper describes Ivy, an office chair that represents sitting time of an office worker through growing ivy strands. The longer one sits, the more strands will grow onto the chair. By means of a ... [more ▼]

This paper describes Ivy, an office chair that represents sitting time of an office worker through growing ivy strands. The longer one sits, the more strands will grow onto the chair. By means of a qualitative interface called Ivy, we illustrate a design approach that is currently underrepresented in sedentary behavior interventions. With this approach, we counter the current trend of digitalization and quantification of health interventions. Instead of graphs and numbers, Ivy uses data physicalization as a qualitative interface that represents sitting. We describe the design, the process, and future research steps of Ivy as a critical perspective on sedentary behavior interventions. We aim to spark discussion amongst designers and researchers in the field of Human-Computer Interaction to use qualitative interfaces as a promising approach to deepen the user's relationship with the targeted behavior and enrich the ability to construct meaning from the feedback. © 2020 Owner/Author. [less ▲]

Which App to Choose? An Online Tool that Supports the Decision-making Process of Recreational Runners to Choose an App

in Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Design4Health Amsterdam 2020 (2020)

In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in the use of health and sports-related smartphone applications (apps). This is also reflected in App-stores, which are stacked with thousands of ... [more ▼]

In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in the use of health and sports-related smartphone applications (apps). This is also reflected in App-stores, which are stacked with thousands of health- and sports-apps, with new apps launched each day. These apps have great potential to monitor and support people’s physical activity and health. For users, however, it is difficult to know which app suits their needs. In this paper, we present an online tool that supports the decision-making process for choosing an appropriate app. We constructed and validated a screening instrument to assess app content quality, together with the assessment of users’ needs. Both served as input for building the tool through various iterations with prototypes and user tests. This resulted in an online tool which relies on app content quality scores to match the users’ needs with apps that score high in the screening instrument on those particular needs. Users can add new apps to the database via the screening instrument, making the tool self supportive and future proof. A feedback loop allows users to give feedback on the recommended app and how well it meets their needs. This feedback is added to the database and used in future filtering and recommendations. The principles used can be applied to other areas of sports, physical activity and health to help users to select an app that suits their needs. Potentially increasing the long-term use of apps to monitor and to support physical activity and health. [less ▲]

Eventually everything connects

Speeches/Talks (2018)

If you are reading these lines, you are probably curious about the type of experience that you would have as an attendee of this talk. You might wonder whether the topic would match your interests ... [more ▼]

If you are reading these lines, you are probably curious about the type of experience that you would have as an attendee of this talk. You might wonder whether the topic would match your interests, whether the speaker will be good enough to satisfy your expectations, whether you will feel inspired, exhilarated, or whether you will have concrete tools to bring back to your work. While you are usually the ones shaping people’s experiences, you are striving for nice experiences as well. Designing for human experiences is one of the most challenging yet fascinating activities. It is a responsibility that we should embrace with humility and dedication. To face the complexity of our mission, we need to draw on theoretical knowledge, methodological skills and of course on our shared professional expertise, as a community. While UX practitioners are working hard at the front lines to design better products or services, scientists work in the shadows to develop and consolidate a myriad of novel and highly valuable UX methods. During this talk, you will discover the ever-growing UX toolbox that could greatly support you in collecting richer, insightful and more valid data. From scientific theories to pragmatic methods, from academia to industry, from Luxembourg to Puerto Rico… Eventually everything connects. [less ▲]

A UX Approach to Privacy and Security: the Impact of User, Contextual and System-Related Factors

in CHI Workshop Exploring Individual Diffferences in Privacy (2018, April)

This position paper lays out current and future studies which we conduct on the UX aspects of security and privacy, our goal being to understand which factors influence privacy-related decision-making. We ... [more ▼]

This position paper lays out current and future studies which we conduct on the UX aspects of security and privacy, our goal being to understand which factors influence privacy-related decision-making. We advocate using UX design methods in order to study interindividual differences, system-related and contextual factors involved in privacy and security attitudes and behaviors. These results will contribute to user-tailored and personalized privacy initiatives and guide the design of future technologies. [less ▲]

Enjeux soulevés par la technologie dans l’évaluation de compétences

Scientific Conference (2018)

Towards consolidated methods for the design and evaluation of user experience

Doctoral thesis (2015)

In the “third wave” of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the emergence of User Experience (UX) as a key concept has opened up both exciting perspectives and hard challenges. The conceptual shift to a more ... [more ▼]

In the “third wave” of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the emergence of User Experience (UX) as a key concept has opened up both exciting perspectives and hard challenges. The conceptual shift to a more comprehensive and emotional view of human-computer interactions has been accompanied by the development of numerous methods and tools for the design and evaluation of interactive systems. UX research has thus been mainly driven by novelty and innovation and to date a majority of the developed tools lack validation and consolidation. UX research undoubtedly raises new concerns and challenges common conceptual and methodological practice. Thus the primary objective of this thesis is to contribute to UX consolidation. We addressed this objective by relying on a mixed-methods approach for the empirical part of this thesis, involving comparatively large and representative samples. This part encompasses six studies, representing a variety of perspectives related to UX research consolidation. More specifically, this dissertation includes a replication study (Paper A, N = 758), the translation and validation of a tool (Paper B, N = 381), the development of new design and evaluation methods (Paper C and D, N = 137 and 33), the empirical assessment of the relevance of established HCI methods for the evaluation of UX (Paper E, N = 103) and finally an investigation on how to bridge UX research and practice through a design approach (Paper F). The contributions of this thesis to UX research and practice regard both UX as a concept and its methodologies. Main findings inform about the benefits, challenges, and limitations of UX consolidation strategies as derived from our respective studies (papers A to F). Each study provides advances to both research and practice, while the combination of our studies pushes forward consolidation of UX. This is an essential step with regards to an emerging concept and informs an overarching research agenda aiming at a continuous interdisciplinary fostering of the UX field. [less ▲]