Recent innovations in digital technology offer significant opportunities for older adults to engage in meaningful activities. To investigate older adults' perceptions of using existing and emerging technologies for meaningful activities, we conducted three participatory design workshops and follow-up interviews with adults aged over 65. The workshops encompassed discussions on existing technologies for meaningful activities, demonstrations of emerging technologies such as VR, AR, and AI, and design activities including prototyping and storyboarding. Our findings show that while participants had diverse interpretations of meaningful activities, they sought to use technologies to support continuity in the pursuit of these activities. Specifically, participants highlighted the importance of safe aging at home, which provides a pathway for meaningful activities in later life. We further discuss participants' discerning attitudes when assessing the use of different technologies for meaningful activities and several values and attributes they desire when envisioning future technologies, including simplicity, positivity, proactivity, and integration.
doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3641887
Emergent technologies like artificial intelligence have been proposed to address issues of inequity in schools, yet tend to ossify the status quo because they address needs within an already inequitable system. In this paper, we draw from speculative participatory approaches across HCI and the learning sciences, and present a novel approach to co-design that forefronts supporting historically minoritized youth in developing transformative agency to change their schools based on their valued hopes, practices, and concerns. We argue that when co-design spaces forefront relational development, expansive technological objects emerge as a byproduct. We present a case study of expansive dreaming with U.S. historically minoritized students about the use of artificial intelligence to support classroom collaboration. Methodologically, we demonstrate how physically visiting spaces of collective agency serves as a powerful perceptual bridge to imagining joyful, equitable possibilities for schooling. Our approach yields new visions for schooling and new metaphors for artificial intelligence.
doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642559
Family informatics often uses shared data dashboards to promote awareness of each other's health-related behaviors. However, these interfaces often stop short of providing families with needed guidance around how to improve family functioning and health behaviors. We consider the needs of family co-regulation with ADHD children to understand how in-home displays can support family well-being. We conducted three co-design sessions with each of eight families with ADHD children who had used a smartwatch for self-tracking. Results indicate that situated displays could nudge families to jointly use their data for learning and skill-building. Accommodating individual needs and preferences when family members are alone is also important, particularly to support parents exploring their co-regulation role, and assisting children with data interpretation and guidance on self and co-regulation. We discuss opportunities for displays to nurture multiple intents of use, such as joint or independent use, while potentially connecting with external expertise.
doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642745
Value Sensitive Design (VSD) is a framework for integrating human values throughout the technology design process. In parallel, Responsible AI (RAI) advocates for the development of systems aligning with ethical values, such as fairness and transparency. In this study, we posit that a VSD approach is not only compatible, but also advantageous to the development of RAI toolkits. To empirically assess this hypothesis, we conducted four workshops involving 17 early-career AI researchers. Our aim was to establish links between VSD and RAI values while examining how existing toolkits incorporate VSD principles in their design. Our findings show that collaborative and educational design features within these toolkits, including illustrative examples and open-ended cues, facilitate an understanding of human and ethical values, and empower researchers to incorporate values into AI systems. Drawing on these insights, we formulated six design guidelines for integrating VSD values into the development of RAI toolkits.
doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642810
Sidewalk robots are increasingly common across the globe. Yet, their operation on public paths poses challenges for people with mobility disabilities (PwMD) who face barriers to accessibility, such as insufficient curb cuts. We interviewed 15 PwMD to understand how they perceive sidewalk robots. Findings indicated that PwMD feel they have to compete for space on the sidewalk when robots are introduced. We next interviewed eight robotics practitioners to learn about their attitudes towards accessibility. Practitioners described how issues often stem from robotic companies addressing accessibility only after problems arise. Both interview groups underscored the importance of integrating accessibility from the outset. Building on this finding, we held four co-design workshops with PwMD and practitioners in pairs. These convenings brought to bear accessibility needs around robots operating in public spaces and in the public interest. Our study aims to set the stage for a more inclusive future around public service robots.
doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642875