Conducting HCI Research on Stigma

Abstract

My research area lies at the intersection of stigma, technology, and HCI research methods. In the case of HIV, design of technology has focused on medication adherence and treatment management and less on exploring how people living with HIV can cope with HIV-related stigma more directly via the use of technology. Additionally, HCI research on HIV has relied on face-to-face studies. My dissertation work thus focuses on two aspects: (1) HCI research conducted remotely via the Internet; and (2) the design of technology that could help individuals cope with HIV-related stigma. My prior work has already explored the first aspect. At the moment, I am planning a study that would involve remote asynchronous and synchronous co-design workshops. There are several contributions of my dissertation work. First, it provides insights, lessons, and best practices to conduct HCI research with a stigmatized population remotely. Second, it explores the use of current technology to cope with public HIV-related stigma; and, third, it explores the speculative design of technology that could help people cope with HIV-related stigma more directly.