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Creators/Authors contains: "Mentis, Helena"

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  1. Digital technological advancements have been a driving force in the continued evolution of the modern workplace. One notable change is an increased reliance on informal chatting tools in support of both distributed and co-located work. However, while researchers have recognized the growing prominence of these tools in work, little is known about how to best support youth who have grown up with access to interconnected technologies in acquiring and practicing the relevant skills needed to effectively communicate using these tools. In this study, we studied youth's utilization of Slack, a popular workplace chatting tool, in an after-school 3D print shop. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, we uncovered the factors that supported or hindered youth employees' Slack use in a technical work context. This work offers implications for how to design youth workplace communication and coordination protocols that support the needs of this population. 
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  2. The introduction of Augmented Reality (AR) Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) in collaboration between remote and local workers, introduces new challenges given that camera views are now mobile. We introduce HoloMentor, an AR HMD-based collaborative system designed for remote instruction over live mobile views during physical tasks. Through Actionport, we provide a world-stabilized area where remote helpers can dynamically place a pointer and annotations on the physical environment. Through Actionpad, we provide an indirect input mechanism with an absolute position to the Actionport. We show how these innovations worked for participants engaged in a remote instructional task and how they supported effective and efficient communication. Finally, we provide the next steps for addressing AR on mobile views for remote instruction. 
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  3. In the following position paper we introduce the use of AR HMD for remote instruction in healthcare and present the challenges our team has faced in achieving this application in two contexts: surgical telementoring and paramedic teleconsulting. After the presentation of how these challenges come to be and indications on how to address them, we argue that those who wish to pursue this area of research must be grounded in best practices from the field of CSCW integrated with technical innovations in AR interaction development. This is a truly interdisciplinary research and development area that has many challenging topics to tackle through collaborative efforts. 
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  4. null (Ed.)
    Designing technologies that support the cybersecurity of older adults with memory concerns involves wrestling with an uncomfortable paradox between surveillance and independence and the close collaboration of couples. This research captures the interactions between older adult couples where one or both have memory concerns—a primary feature of cognitive decline—as they make decisions on how to safeguard their online activities using a Safety Setting probe we designed, and over the course of several informal interviews and a diary study. Throughout, couples demonstrated a collaborative mentality to which we apply a frame of citizenship in opensource collaboration, specifically (a) histories of participation , (b) lower barriers to participation, and (c) maintaining ongoing contribution. In this metaphor of collaborative enterprise, one partner (or member of the couple) may be the service provider and the other may be the participant, but at varying moments, they may switch roles while still maintaining a collaborative focus on preserving shared assets and freedom on the internet. We conclude with a discussion of what this service provider-contributor mentality means for empowerment through citizenship, and implications for vulnerable populations’ cybersecurity. 
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  5. null (Ed.)
    Designing technologies that support the mutual cybersecurity and autonomy of older adults facing cognitive challenges requires close collaboration of partners. As part of research to design a Safety Setting application for older adults with memory loss or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), we use a scenario-based participatory design. Our study builds on previous findings that couples’ approach to memory loss was characterized by a desire for flexibility and choice, and an embrace of role uncertainty. We find that couples don't want a system that fundamentally alters their relationship and are looking to maximize self-surveillance competence and minimize loss of autonomy for their partners. All desire Safety Settings to maintain their mutual safety rather than designating one partner as the target of oversight. Couples are open to more rigorous surveillance if they have control over what types of activities trigger various levels of oversight. 
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  6. null (Ed.)
  7. This paper investigates qualitatively what happens when couples facing a spectrum of options must arrive at consensual choices together. We conducted an observational study of couples experiencing memory concerns (one or both) while the partners engaged in the process of reviewing and selecting “Safety Setting” options for online activities. Couples’ choices tended to be influenced by a desire to secure shared assets through mutual surveillance and a desire to preserve autonomy by granting freedom in social and personal activities. The availability of choice suits the uneven and unpredictable process of memory loss and couples’ acknowledged uncertainty about its trajectory, leading them to anticipate changing Safety Settings as one or both of them experience further cognitive decline. Reflecting these three decision drivers, we conclude with implications for a design system that offers flexibility and adaptability in variety of settings, accommodates the uncertainty of memory loss, preserves autonomy, and supports collaborative management of shared assets. 
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