arXiv subjects

Jiawen Stefanie Zhu

Publications and source records attributed to Jiawen Stefanie Zhu.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Language Scent: Exploring Cross-Language Information Navigation

While multilingual users often switch between languages when seeking information, this process remains undersupported by current systems where information is typically siloed by language. Our formative study reveals that users select their search language based on its perceived value for their current information need, a concept we formalize as language scent. Language scent extends Pirolli and Card's information foraging theory - which explains how users navigate among already-encountered sources - to the multilingual case, where users' choice of query language determines which sources they can encounter in the first place. Building on this insight, we designed Niffler, a multilingual information seeking system that provides proximal cues for gauging the language scent of different languages. Finally, we conducted a lab study with 16 multilingual speakers to understand Niffler's utility, usage patterns and application contexts.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

Understanding Remote Communication between Grandparents and Grandchildren in Distributed Immigrant Families

Grandparent-grandchild bonds are crucial for both parties. Many immigrant families are geographically dispersed, and the grandparents and grandchildren need to rely on remote communication to maintain their relationships. In addition to geographical separation, grandparents and grandchildren in such families also face language and culture barriers during remote communication. The associated challenges and needs remain understudied as existing research primarily focuses on non-immigrant families or co-located immigrant families. To address this gap, we conducted interviews with six Chinese immigrant families in Canada. Our findings highlight unique challenges faced by immigrant families during remote communication, such as amplified language and cultural barriers due to geographic separation, and provide insights into how technology can better support remote communication. This work offers empirical knowledge about the communication needs of distributed immigrant families and provides directions for future research and design to support grandparent-grandchild remote communication in these families.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2024

Facilitating Mixed-Methods Analysis with Computational Notebooks

Data exploration is an important aspect of the workflow of mixed-methods researchers, who conduct both qualitative and quantitative analysis. However, there currently exists few tools that adequately support both types of analysis simultaneously, forcing researchers to context-switch between different tools and increasing their mental burden when integrating the results. To address this gap, we propose a unified environment that facilitates mixed-methods analysis in a computational notebook-based settings. We conduct a scenario study with three HCI mixed-methods researchers to gather feedback on our design concept and to understand our users' needs and requirements.

cs.HC↗