Related papers: "If I were in Space": Understanding and Adapting t…
Revived interest in lunar and planetary exploration is heralding a new era for human spaceflight, characterized by frequent strain on astronaut's mental well-being, which stems from increased exposure to isolated, confined, and extreme…
In this paper we explore the feasibility and design challenges in supporting co-located and virtual social interactions in residential care by building on the practice of reminiscence. Motivated by the challenges of social interaction in…
During the Covid-19 pandemic, research communities focused on collecting and understanding people's behaviours and feelings to study and tackle the pandemic indirect effects. Despite its consequences are slowly starting to fade away, such…
Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used as a platform for social interaction, including as a means for older adults to maintain engagement. However, there has been limited research to examine the features of social VR that are most…
There have been a resurge lately on virtual therapy and other virtual- and tele-medicine services due to the new normal of practicing 'shelter at home'. In this paper, we propose a creative drawing game for virtual therapy and investigate…
Amid current social distancing measures requiring people to work from home, there has been renewed interest on how to effectively converse and collaborate remotely utilizing currently available technologies. On the surface, VR provides a…
The risk of isolation in virtual reality (VR) stems from the immersive nature of the technology. VR can transport users to entirely virtual environments, often disconnecting them from the physical world and real-life interactions.…
Social media platforms are central to communication, yet their designs remain narrowly focused on engagement and scale. While researchers have proposed alternative visions for online spaces, these ideas are difficult to prototype within…
Immersive technologies are capable of transporting people to distant or inaccessible environments that they might not otherwise visit. Practitioners and researchers alike are discovering new ways to replicate and enhance existing tourism…
Home confinement, a situation experienced by individuals for reasons ranging from medical quarantines, rehabilitation needs, disability accommodations, and remote working, is a common yet impactful aspect of modern life. While essential in…
Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used as a social platform for users to interact and build connections with one another in an immersive virtual environment. Reflecting on the empirical progress in this area of study, a comprehensive…
Many people learn programming independently from online resources and often report struggles in achieving their personal learning goals. Learners frequently describe their experiences as isolating and frustrating, challenged by abundant…
We present Project IRL (In Real Life), a suite of five mobile apps we created to explore novel ways of supporting in-person social interactions with augmented reality. In recent years, the tone of public discourse surrounding digital…
Spaceflight is an isolated and confined environment (ICE) that exposes astronauts to psychological hazards, such as stress, danger, and monotony. Virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can serve as psychological…
Stress is an inevitable part of day-to-day life yet many find themselves unable to manage it themselves, particularly when professional or peer support are not always readily available. As self-care becomes increasingly vital for mental…
Although serious games have been increasingly used for mental health applications, few explicitly address coping with grief as a core mechanic and narrative experience for patients. Existing grief-related digital games often focus on…
Despite growing interest in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) for mental well-being, prior work using immersive interventions to teach mental health skills has largely focused on calming or abstract settings. As a result, little is…
We describe the design of an immersive virtual Cyberball task that included avatar customization, and user feedback on this design. We first created a prototype of an avatar customization template and added it to a Cyberball prototype built…
The metro as a form of public transportation is an important urban infrastructure that takes a large population from place A to B every day. To achieve that, it is primarily designed for extreme functionality and efficiency. However, in…
The advent of technology-enhanced interventions has significantly transformed mental health services, offering new opportunities for delivering psychotherapy, particularly in remote settings. This paper reports on a pilot study exploring…