Research Projects 

This co-design workshop is dedicated to empowering marginalized communities through participatory and co-design methodologies. A key focus of our work is developing a zine design toolkit that facilitates creative self-expression and storytelling for Southeast Asian immigrant mothers in Taiwan. This toolkit aims to foster meaningful dialogue and reciprocity in cross-cultural family interactions by combining visual and tactile storytelling elements.

Investigators: Yu-Rou Lin, En-Kai Chang, Yang Hong, Xu-Jie Lin, TingChen Chen, Kuan-Lun Ho

This project examines the challenges of applying Participatory Design (PD) with marginalized communities. Through a systematic literature review of 72 references, we identify obstacles in co-designing with marginalized groups in Western and non-Western contexts. A case study with a historically marginalized group is provided, revealing overlooked complexities in non-Western settings. We provide a nuanced reflection of traditional PD activities and encourage a culturally attuned PD approach.

Investigators: Yang Hong, En-Kai Chang, Yu-Rou Lin

Engaging diverse participants enhances inclusivity in co-design workshops. The InterAct design cards bridge intergenerational and technological gaps, providing a structured yet flexible tool for VR co-design with teenagers and older adults (50+). These cards support goal-setting and introduce key interaction techniques through two categories: "Collaboration Cards" to help define shared design goals, and "VR Function Cards" to introduce VR features.

Investigators: Ching-Yang (Roger) Lin, Yu-Shuan Lin, Kuan-Lun Ho, Yu-Rou Lin

This study explores how stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) in Taiwan use LINE chat groups for informational, emotional, and practical support in their parenting journeys. Within a patriarchal society, they create a cooperative digital space to share knowledge and experiences. Through interviews and 14-day chatbot-based diary studies, we reveal how SAHMs engage in tacit and explicit collaborative work, reinforcing their maternal identity and confidence. 

Investigators: Prof. Yi-Chieh Lee, Yu-Ju Lai, Chia-Chi Chang, Wan-Ting Dai

This study explores the learning dynamics between Southeast Asian (SEA) immigrant mothers in Taiwan, who face intersectional barriers that affect their agency in their children's education, and their bicultural children. Through interviews and diaries, we explore their engagement in home-based learning, revealing multi-dimensional challenges. Our work promotes inclusive design that supports SEA immigrant mothers at individual, familial, and societal levels.

Investigators: Prof. Yi-Chieh Lee, Yan-Rong Chen, Yang Hong

This study explores how Taiwanese families negotiate energy-saving goals and use energy-related technologies, revealing the complex interplay between technology, family roles, and cultural values. Through interviews with parents and children, we highlight the inevitability of negotiation in family daily energy-conserving practices. We call for smart home designs that go beyond energy efficiency to align with family roles, cultural values, and overall well-being.

Investigators: Yang Hong, Wei-Chien Chang, Yu-Hsin Chou

This study examines how academic pressure shapes sleep practices in Taiwanese families. Through interviews and diaries, we found that academic demands reduce children's sleep duration and disrupt schedules. We advocate for sleep-tracking technologies that balance health needs with social expectations. We contribute to a broader understanding of family dynamics in cultural contexts and inform inclusive technology design by incorporating care and attuning.

Investigators: Yang Hong, Ru-Yun Tseng

This project explores parents' and children's perceptions of morning time using a mixed design approach, integrating Research-through-Design (Rtd) and User-Centered Design. Through the Rtd approach, we built and plan to deploy a cross-device mat prototype that records audio when families step on it in the busy morning, along with an accompanying app that stores the recordings, allowing family members to edit and narrate stories based on the captured audio.

Investigators: Prof. Hao-Chuan Wang, Yang Hong, Heng Chang, Yu-Hsuan Lin, Ling-Chun Liu

This study explores how Taiwanese families engage with VR at home. Through observations, co-design, and interviews with families with children under 13, we find that VR use is child-centered but primarily directed by fathers. Spatial and cultural factors shape VR engagement, extending interactions beyond the virtual world. We propose design implications for flexible parental involvement, real-world interaction, and culturally responsive family VR systems.

Investigators: Ching-Yang (Roger) Lin, Wan-Ting Dai

Emotions are ephemeral and contextual, yet technology continuously traces them in everyday life. Using design fiction as a probe, we conduct workshops where participants create prototypes that expand design fiction on future affective technology employed in intimate contexts, like family daily life. By analyzing the iterative processes, we contribute to design methods that use fiction to reconfigure emotional interactions between humans and technologies.

Investigators: Prof. Chung-Ching Huang, Yang Hong, Ching-Yang (Roger) Lin

We developed a high-fidelity “stamp plate”, a plate that leaves food-shaped traces as food is picked up, allowing interactions after eating. In a field study, we provided children and parents with stamp plates to observe their interactions. Beyond enhancing experiences, the "stamp plate" fosters learning and creative expression, helping children understand how computational data is created, preparing them for a data-driven world through everyday activities. 

Investigators: Bonnie Chen, ChiaYu Chen, Dr. Dennis Wang

The editing process on social media is often considered private, fleeting, and even deceptive. We present "Gaze and Glow," an interactive installation that unfolds the often-invisible efforts of social media editing, and deploy it in a two-month public exhibition to collect viewers’ feedback. We discuss design implications for future interactive systems supporting selective memories, user-controlled visibility, and critical engagement with everyday digital self-presentation.

Investigators: Yang Hong, Jie-Yi Feng, I-Chun Yao, I-Hsuan Cho, Yu-Ting Lin