Filtered by themeUser autonomy & agency10 papersclear ✕

Inevitable challenges of autonomy: ethical concerns in personalized algorithmic decision-makingWencheng Lu · 2024Breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have transformed human decision-making processes. Individuals increasingly rely on algorithms to assist with various tasks such as searching and shopping. However, the widespread use of personalized algorithmic decisionmaking has raised numerous ethical concerns, specifically its impact on user autonomy. This article examines these concerns and argues that algorithmic decision-making presents several challenges to user autonomy that are difficult to eliminate. These challenges include the fact that algorithms deviate from a user's authentic self, create self-reinforcing loops that narrow the user's self, and lead to a decline in the user's capacities. This article attributes these challenges to the ontological differences between users and AI, as well as their unawareness regarding the ethical risks associated with algorithms, asserting that the sense of autonomy users experience in algorithmic decision-making is merely an illusion. From the perspective of human-AI interaction, it is proposed a strategy that achieves a balance between human insight and AI through a human-in-the-loop approach to mitigate these challenges. This approach maximizes the strengths of AI in processing and analyzing data while ensuring that users retain agency.

UX of AI & PersonalizationResearch Papers

How Designers Find Their Ways in Shaping Algorithmic SystemsJeremie Poiroux · 2022Digital products and services now commonly include algorithmic personalization or recommendation features. This has raised concerns of reduced user agency and their unequal treat- ment. Previous research hence called for increasing the participation of, among others, designers in the development of these features. To achieve this, researchers have suggested the development of better educational material and tools to enable prototyping with data and machine learning models. However, previous studies also suggest designers may find other ways to impact the development and implementation of such features, for instance through collaboration with data scientists. We build on that line of inquiry, through 19 in-depth interviews with designers working in small to large international companies to investigate how they actually intervene in shaping products includ- ing algorithmic features. We outline how designers intervene at different levels of the algorithmic systems: at a technical level, for instance by providing better input data ; at an interface or infor- mation architecture level, sometimes circumventing algorithmic discussions ; or at a organizational level, re-centering the outcome of algorithmic systems around product-centric questions. Building upon these results, we discuss how supporting designers engagement and influence on algorithmic systems may not only be a problem of technical literacy and adequate tooling. But that it may also involve a better awareness of the power of interface work, and a stronger negotiation skills and power literacy to engage in strategic discussions. Key Words: Agency, Artificial intelligence, Interventions, Machine learning, Design, User expe- rience, Algorithmic systems (2024) 33:173–204 J´er´emie Poiroux et al.

UX of AI & PersonalizationResearch Papers

Rise of Machine Agency: A Framework for Studying the Psychology of Human – AI Interaction (HAII)S. Shyam Sundar · 2020*Advances in personalization algorithms and other applications of machine learning have vastly enhanced the ease and convenience of our media and communication experiences, but they have also raised significant concerns about privacy, transparency of technologies and human control over their operations. Going forth, reconciling such tensions between machine agency and human agency will be important in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), as machines get more agentic and media experiences become increasingly determined by algorithms. Theory and research should be geared toward a deeper understanding of the human experience of algorithms in general and the psychology of Human–AI interaction (HAII) in particular. This article proposes some directions by applying the dual-process framework of the Theory of Interactive Media Effects (TIME) for studying the symbolic and enabling effects of the affordances of AI-driven media on user perceptions and experiences.*

UX of AI & PersonalizationResearch Papers

Towards Algorithmic Experience: Initial Efforts for Social Media ContextsOscar Alvarado · 2018Algorithms influence most of our daily activities, decisions, and they guide our behaviors. It has been argued that algorithms even have a direct impact on democratic societies. Human - Computer Interaction research needs to develop analytical tools for describing the interaction with, and experience of algorithms. Based on user participatory workshops focused on scrutinizing Facebook’s newsfeed, an algorithm-influenced social media, we propose the concept of Algorithmic Experience (AX) as an analytic framing for making the interaction with and experience of algorithms explicit. Connecting it to design, we articulate five functional categories of AX that are particularly important to cater for in social media: profiling transparency and management, algorithmic awareness and control, and selective algorithmic memory. Author Keywords Algorithms; algorithmic experience; social media; user- centered design; research through design ACM Classification Keywords H.5.2. User Interfaces: User-centered design

UX of AI & PersonalizationResearch Papers

“Algorithms ruin everything”: #RIPTwitter, Folk Theories, and Resistance to Algorithmic Change in Social MediaDarren Gergle · 2017As algorithmically-driven content curation has become an increasingly common feature of social media platforms, user resistance to algorithmic change has become more frequent and visible. These incidents of user backlash point to larger issues such as inaccurate understandings of how algorithmic systems work as well as mismatches between designer and user intent. Using a content analysis of 102,827 tweets from #RIPTwitter, a recent hashtag-based backlash to rumors about introducing algorithmic curation to Twitter’s timeline, this study addresses the nature of user resistance in the form of the complaints being expressed, folk theories of the algorithmic system espoused by users, and how these folk theories potentially frame user reactions. We find that resistance to algorithmic change largely revolves around expectation violation, with folk theories acting as frames for reactions such that more detailed folk theories are expressed through more specific reactions to algorithmic change. Author Keywords Algorithms; algorithm awareness; folk theories; technology continuance; user resistance; social media; algorithmic curation; expectation violation; machine classification ACM Classification Keywords H.5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI):

UX of AI & PersonalizationResearch Papers

The Behaviour Change Wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions2011Background: Improving the design and implementation of evidence-based practice depends on successful behaviour change interventions. This requires an appropriate method for characterising interventions and linking them to an analysis of the targeted behaviour. There exists a plethora of frameworks of behaviour change interventions, but it is not clear how well they serve this purpose. This paper evaluates these frameworks, and develops and evaluates a new framework aimed at overcoming their limitations. Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases and consultation with behaviour change experts were used to identify frameworks of behaviour change interventions. These were evaluated according to three criteria: comprehensiveness, coherence, and a clear link to an overarching model of behaviour. A new framework was developed to meet these criteria. The reliability with which it could be applied was examined in two domains of behaviour change: tobacco control and obesity. Results: Nineteen frameworks were identified covering nine intervention functions and seven policy categories that could enable those interventions. None of the frameworks reviewed covered the full range of intervention functions or policies, and only a minority met the criteria of coherence or linkage to a model of behaviour. At the centre of a proposed new framework is a ‘behaviour system’ involving three essential conditions: capability, opportunity, and motivation (what we term the ‘COM-B system’). This forms the hub of a ‘behaviour change wheel’ (BCW) around which are positioned the nine intervention functions aimed at addressing deficits in one or more of these conditions; around this are placed seven categories of policy that could enable those interventions to occur. The BCW was used reliably to characterise interventions within the English Department of Health’s 2010 tobacco control strategy and the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence’s guidance on reducing obesity. Conclusions: Interventions and policies to change behaviour can be usefully characterised by means of a BCW comprising: a ‘behaviour system’ at the hub, encircled by intervention functions and then by policy categories. Research is needed to establish how far the BCW can lead to more efficient design of effective interventions. Background Improving the implementation of evidence-based prac- tice and public health depends on behaviour change. Thus, behaviour change interventions are fundamental to

Emotional DesignResearch Papers

Exploring Collaboration Patterns and Strategies in Human-AI Co-creation through the Lens of Agency: A Scoping Review of the Top-tier HCI LiteratureShuning Zhang, Hui Wang et al. · 2025As Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly becomes an active collaborator in co-creation, understanding the distribution and dynamic of agency is paramount. The Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) perspective is crucial for this analysis, as it uniquely reveals the interaction dynamics and specific control mechanisms that dictate how agency manifests in practice. Despite this importance, a systematic synthesis mapping agency configurations and control mechanisms within the HCI/CSCW literature is lacking. Addressing this gap, we reviewed 134 papers from top-tier HCI/CSCW venues (e.g., CHI, UIST, CSCW) over the past 20 years. This review yields four primary contributions: (1) an integrated theoretical framework structuring agency patterns, control mechanisms, and interaction contexts, (2) a comprehensive operational catalog of control mechanisms detailing how agency is implemented; (3) an actionable cross-context map linking agency configurations to diverse co-creative practices; and (4) grounded implications and guidance for future CSCW research and the design of co-creative systems, addressing aspects like trust and ethics.

HCI & Adaptive InterfacesResearch Papers

Behavioural Intervention Technology in UX Design: Conceptual Review, Synthesis, and Research DirectionYoungsoo Shin, Chajoong Kim et al. · 2021The notion of Behavioural Intervention Technologies (BITs) has received increasing attention from researchers and practitioners creating design and technology to support users' behavioural change processes. However, the value of consolidating previous findings to connect insightful research and practical design works and generating new knowledge on BITs has been under-recognized in the design community. To support researchers and practitioners who struggle with creating humancentred BITs to effectively induce changes in human behaviour, this paper investigates existing literature on BITs through a systematic literature review with 28 selected publications. From this literature review process, this paper proposes a structured synthesis of extant perspectives and approaches, offering an overarching perspective for effective applications of the BIT design approach. At the end of the paper, these findings are extended to discuss further research and implementations of design practices for changes in human behaviours.

HCI & Adaptive InterfacesResearch Papers

Digital City as a Metaphor for New2020‒ In the era of already spent utopias and ideas about the city the experience of the city is transformed into a new perceptual grammar that is a consequence of the new virtual reality. With the revolutionary computerization of architecture a new architectural discourse was cre- ated that enabled virtual one ‒ cyberspace, producing a new experience of transposed reality. The concept of a digital city does not exist without a virtual community, which on the other hand problematizes the issue of digital city ethics, bearing in mind that its use is conditioned by technical and technological possibilities, which are still not available to everyone. Digitalization of space communicates the newly created virtual dialogue between the user and space, outside of his physical and sensory experience and interaction with space, thus agreeing to the digitalization of the experi- ence of space. By creating a new reality and a new era of the utopia of virtu- al architecture and virtual city, a new, cyberidentity of city was produced. Identity digitization policies in this regard will consciously use methods to promote virtual values, digitizing all aspects of identity, heritage, and even memory, and memory values of the city, producing a new, virtual identity, which largely leads to mutation of its original ‒ existing ‒ built identity. In this way, cities are positioned and valued in relation to the degree of their digitized representation, i.e., the extent to which their digitized identity is present and visible in cyberspace. The digital transition is one of the prior- ities of the "smart city" concept, which indicates that the future of cities is directed towards their digital transformation.

HCI & Adaptive InterfacesResearch Papers

Virtual Urbanism: A User-Centered ApproachMónica V. Sánchez-Sepúlveda, David Fonseca-Escudero et al. · 2019The cities in which we live are changing rapidly, presenting the scenery to debate future visions of transformative designs and its impact on the city. The decisive influence of new technologies is important for the generation of a new reality from the economic, social and urban point of view. It is a challenge for organizations and society to question the status quo and experiment often. To take advantage of the changes and opportunities offered by the inclusion of digital technologies, accommodation of the digital transformation into the visualization of Urbanism is required. The interests of citizens are coming to the forefront nowadays with the awareness that a livable city does not only consist of good infrastructure and sustainable energy supply but also citizen input and feedback. The main goal of the paper is to present the use of digital transformation in processes of urban design through Virtual Reality in which specialized users can analyze, represent and transmit ideas, problems and solutions for the design of urban space. The hypothesis is based on demonstrating the following two statements: (1) the implementation of virtual gamified strategies in the field of urban design helps to critically evaluate the result of urban design, make decisions and understand the location conditions, dimensions and relationships of urban spaces thanks to enhanced visual technologies. (2) The interactive Virtual Reality system helps for the understanding of three-dimensional space and the human scale immersive perception in Virtual Reality could be a tool to defend the arguments of urban projects. The urban project we work on, promoted by the Barcelona City Council, aims to generate spaces that are designed to meet the needs of the users. The spaces are modeled virtually, intended to be an accessible environment where users (professionals related to the construction and design field) can interact –play– with, to recreate new spaces. These spaces are meant to have maximum realism, including the materials, textures, movements, and even sounds of the environment. The system is tested on the Barcelona Building Construmat Fair using a quantitative method. The data obtained from the assessment exemplify the effectiveness of virtual systems on the urban design process. The results obtained from inquiries to 79 citizens –specialized in the construction and design field –, showed that it is possible to empower Digital Transformation as Virtual Reality systems increase th

HCI & Adaptive InterfacesResearch Papers