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Several paper-based approaches and software tools have been developed to support Participatory Design (PD) in research and practice. However, a formal comparison of paper and software tool is missing in the PD literature. To address this gap we present an empirical study with 28 Informatics students comparing a paper-based approach with our digital tool PDotCapturer. Results show a slight advantage of paper regarding quantitative results and a significant statistical difference in one of the 18 qualities tested (regarding aesthetics [e.g. symmetrical, creative], usability [e.g. user control and freedom, flexibility and efficiency of use], and relevancy [appropriate or not]): designs created with the tool are more ‘Pleasant’. Subjectively the participants preferred paper for some of the activities and the tool for others. The results of our comparison show that the tool could be used instead of paper to benefit from some tool-advantages over paper (e.g. digital data gathering and analysis support).

Smart heating systems that leverage complex models of user preferences and energy consumption within the home and the wider network in order to make intelligent heating decisions have started to be adopted in homes. While heating systems that allow the user to directly manipulate the heating schedule and temperature have been investigated in some detail, little is known about how to strike a balance between encouraging users to interact with the system but not to demand too much of their attention, what research has termed "constrained engagement" with calm technology. In this exploratory study, we investigated how participants responded to a number of scenarios involving a novel smart heating system in order to support controllability, intelligibility and user experience as part of a constrained engagement approach. We focused in particular on when participants wanted to engage with the smart heating system and how explanations from the system could influence user engagement. Our study contributes a better understanding of users' expectations towards smart heating systems that can form the basis of improved user interfaces.

Two key challenges in education relate to how traditional educational providers can personalise online provisions to the students’ skill level, optimise the use of tools and increase both the generation and utilisation of feedback (in terms of timing, content, and subsequent use by students). The application of traditional programmes in the online setting is often complicated by the legacy of traditional universities infrastructures, knowledge bases (or lack thereof in the human-computer-interaction/HCI realm), and pedagogical priorities. It is here that HCI experts (designers and researchers) can have real-world impact in line with macro-HCI, while also being able to test new innovations in collaboration with educators (e.g., the practitioners in such education settings). In this note, we make a case that the HCI community is in a situation where it can make a significant contribution to traditional providers in two prospective areas: personalisation, feedback generation and increased feedback utilisation.