Since its introduction, the 9-1-1 emergency call system has served as a critical lifeline for individuals in urgent crises. However, the traditional audio-only model has limitations in supporting effective communication between callers and call takers. In this paper, we present a mixed-methods study—including a survey, interviews, and participatory design workshops—to examine the challenges and unmet needs of callers during medical emergencies, as well as their visions for the next generation of 9-1-1 communication. Our findings highlight key pain points, including difficulties in conveying precise location and contextual information, language and cultural barriers, a lack of transparency regarding dispatch, and challenges in providing medical history when calling on behalf of others. The study also revealed design opportunities, such as multimodal communication, AI-assisted triage and translation, mobile applications for frequent ambulance riders, and features that prioritize both informational clarity and emotional support. We conclude by discussing the design implications of these findings.
ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems