Designing technology for societal challenges requires more than functional requirements — it requires understanding the perspectives, experiences, and emotions of the people affected. My work in this area develops empathy-centric frameworks that bridge the gap between end-users and decision-makers.
COCTEAU#
The COCTEAU (Co-Creating The European Union) tool TheWebConf is an empathy-based platform for participatory decision-making. It uses creative scenarios and role-play mechanics to help citizens and policymakers explore policy options from diverse perspectives.
COCTEAU has been applied to policy challenges in healthcare, housing, and urban planning contexts, and was validated in the context of the EU Horizon project.
EmpathiCH Workshops#
I have co-organized the EmpathiCH workshop series at CHI — one of the most competitive venues in HCI — over three consecutive years:
Policy Sandboxing#
The Policy Sandboxing framework CSCW uses empathy as an enabler for inclusive policy-making, allowing stakeholders to safely explore the impact of policy decisions before implementation. Published in CSCW 2024.
AI for Local Communities#
In collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and TU Delft, I explored how AI tools can empower local communities in civic engagement and environmental monitoring Patterns.