"It’s like With the Pregnancy Tests": Co-design of Speculative Technology for Public HIV-related Stigma and its Implications for Social Media

Abstract

Public stigma on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) affects the physical and psychological wellbeing of those living with the condition in a severe way. There is work around the design of technology for medication adherence and HIV treatment. Yet, there is still a lack of empirical research that investigates how people could cope with stigma more effectively using technology. Thus, we obtained data from co-design workshops conducted remotely from the U.S. with 25 people living with HIV. Our findings foreground key needs and values via the discussion of features and functionality of speculative co-designed technologies that would allow people to leverage key stigma coping strategies. Based on these insights, we forward design implications for social media, which is the most common type of technology that people living with HIV currently use to cope with public stigma.