David Coyle

University College Dublin | UCD · School of Computer Science

The sense of agency is the experience of controlling both one's body and the external environment. Although the sense of agency has been studied extensively, there is a paucity of studies in applied "real-life" situations. One applied domain that seems highly relevant is human-computer-interaction (HCI), as an increasing number of our everyday agen...

Community activist groups typically rely on core groups of highly motivated members. In this paper we consider how crowdsourcing strategies can be used to supplement the activities of pro-environmental community activists, thus increasing the scalability of their campaigns. We focus on mobile data collection applications and strategies that can be...

The cost to society of mental illness is substantial. A large scale international study has identified mental illnesses as the second leading cause of disability and premature mortality in the developed world [Murray, C.L., Lopez, A.D. (Eds.), 1996. The Global Burden of Disease: A comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from disease, i...

The need to provide effective mental health treatments for adolescents has been described as a global public health challenge [27]. In this paper we discuss the exploratory evaluations of the first adolescent intervention to fully integrate a computer game implementing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Three distinct studies are presented: a detailed...

Designing effective home healthcare technologies is a complex task. In order to succeed, it is important to look beyond purely technology-driven solutions and to develop technologies and services that are flexible and reflect a sensitive understanding of the diverse users of such systems. The key contribution of this paper is to introduce 15 empiri...

Smart agriculture offers the potential to analyse agricultural data at a scale not previously possible. Researchers argue that the combination of rich data and intelligent decision support has the potential to improve productivity and profitability in agriculture, whilst also improving sustainability. We argue that achieving this potential requires...

W judgments are a widely used intention timing awareness estimate. These judgments are typically obtained by using the classic Libet-style paradigm whereby participants are asked to estimate the time they become aware of their intention to act by using the location of a rotating object on a clock face. There is an inconsistency in the Libet clock p...

Background Mental disorders are recognised as the leading causes of disability worldwide. Despite high rates of incidence, few young people pursue formal help-seeking. Low levels of mental health literacy have been identified as a contributing factor to the notable lack of formal help-seeking by young people. Social media offers a potential means t...

The Internet offers help-seekers an abundance of resources that can potentially support their mental health. However, people often have trouble in finding personally relevant resources. Very few specialized mental health help-seeking technologies currently address this need. Instead, help-seeking typically begins with a known website or web-search....

The application of Self-Determination Theory to understand online help-seeking and the design of online help-seeking technologies presents an interesting avenue for investigation. Improving motivation to engage in the help-seeking process could be achieved using the Basic Psychological Needs Theory as a structure to guide the design of online help-...

This position paper describes the implementation and initial findings of a game called Personal Investigator (PI). PI is an online 3D detective game that implements a model of Brief Solution Focused Therapy (BSFT). It aims to help teenagers overcome mental health problems and engage with traditional mental health care services. It is predicted that...

W judgments are a widely used intention timing awareness estimate. These judgments are typically obtained by using the classic Libet-style paradigm whereby participants are asked to estimate the time they become aware of their intention to act by using the location of a rotating object on a clock face. There is an inconsistency in the Libet clock p...

Ethical deliberation has proved a consistent feature of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) since its earliest years, spanning the respectful involvement of research participants to design choices impacting fairness, freedom and welfare. Despite growing discussions, applied knowledge and practical approaches for navigating complex moral dilemmas remai...

Temporal binding refers to the subjective temporal compression between actions and their outcomes. It is widely used as an implicit measure of sense of agency, that is, the experience of controlling our actions and their consequences. One of the most common measures of temporal binding is the paradigm developed by Haggard, Clark and Kalogeras (2002...

This paper describes the development of a scale to measure technology acceptance in smart agriculture. The scale is intended for use in diverse situations, ranging for the evaluation of existing technologies already in widespread use, to the evaluation of prototype systems. A systematic screening of prior literature was conducted to identify initia...

The Internet of Things (IoT) facilitates real-time decision support within smart environments. Augmented Reality (AR) allows for the ubiquitous visualization of IoT-derived data, and AR visualization will simultaneously permit the cognitive and visual binding of information to the physical object(s) to which they pertain. Essential questions exist...

The Internet of Things (IoT) provides unprecedented opportunities for the access to and conflation of a myriad of heterogeneous data to support real-time decision-making within smart environments. Augmented Reality (AR) is on cusp of becoming mainstream and will allow for the ubiquitous visualization of IoT derived data. Such visualization will sim...

Young adulthood represents a sensitive period for young people's mental health. The lockdown restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have reduced young people's access to traditional sources of mental health support. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the online resources young people were using to support their mental health du...

Background Compared to the evidence base for adult populations, less is known about the effectiveness of technology-assisted CBT interventions for children aged 12 and under in real-world settings. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a technology-assisted CBT intervention called Pesky gNATs in primary care psychology services....

Food Recommender Systems (FRS) have the potential to support informed and satisfying food choices. However, to realize their full potential, FRS must engage with the complexity of the choices people make around food. For example, while taste and ingredients are important, contextual and practical factors also play a critical role in food choice. Mu...

Abstract: Aims: This scoping review intends to map out mechanisms of change, context, and outcomes of studies in which digital storytelling had been used to attempt a modification of harmful health behavior amongst populations with cardiovascular disease risk factors, as well as to identify existing gaps in the research. It also compares findings...

Accessible Summary • Sometimes people find it hard to notice what is going on in their mind, body and feelings. Mindfulness can help us with this. Some studies show that mindfulness might help people with intellectual disabilities. • We asked people to play a mindfulness computer game to see whether it helped them to notice their mind, bodies and...

BACKGROUND An acute cardiac incident is a life changing event, often necessitating surgery. While surgery has high success rates, rehabilitation, behaviour change, and self-care are critical to long-term health. Recent systematic reviews highlight the potential of technology in this area, but significant shortcomings are also identified, particular...

Background: An acute cardiac incident is a life-changing event that often necessitates surgery. Although surgery has high success rates, rehabilitation, behavioral changes, and self-care are critical to long-term health. Recent systematic reviews have highlighted the potential of technology in this area; however, significant shortcomings have also...

Background: Adherence to computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) programs in real-world settings can be poor, and in the absence of therapist support, effects are modest and short term. Moreover, because cCBT systems tend toward limited support and thus low-intensity treatment, they are typically most appropriate for people experiencing mi...

Introduction Technology-assisted cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is recognized as an evidence-based and cost-effective way to address psychological difficulties in children. Increasingly, these interventions are provided by staff with different levels of psychological training, such as assistant psychologists (APs). However, there is limited qu...

Seeking help is often an important step in addressing mental health difficulties. Evidence suggests that positive help-seeking experiences contribute to an increased likelihood of future help-seeking and achieving improved outcomes. However, help-seeking is a complex process. Alongside traditional sources, digital technologies offer many pathways t...

Traditional approaches to psychotherapy emphasise face-to-face contact between patients and therapists. In contrast, current computerised approaches tend to minimise this contact. This can limit the range of mental health difficulties for which computerised approaches are effective. Here, we explore an alternative approach that integrates face-to-f...

BACKGROUND Dealing with cardiovascular diseases is challenging and people often struggle to follow rehabilitation and self-management programmes. A number of systematic reviews have explored quantitative evidence on the potential of digital health interventions to support cardiac rehabilitation and self-management. However, while promising, evidenc...

Background Dealing with cardiovascular disease is challenging, and people often struggle to follow rehabilitation and self-management programs. Several systematic reviews have explored quantitative evidence on the potential of digital interventions to support cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and self-management. However, although promising, evidence reg...

Background Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for young people is increasingly being provided using technology-assisted formats. Although there is increasing evidence regarding the efficacy of such approaches, as illustrated by quantitative systematic reviews, the literature has also highlighted challenges with implementation factors, including hig...

Food choices are personal and complex and have a significant impact on our long-term health and quality of life. By helping users to make informed and satisfying decisions, Recommender Systems (RS) have the potential to support users in making healthier food choices. Intelligent users-modeling is a key challenge in achieving this potential. This pa...

BACKGROUND Adherence to computerized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (cCBT) programs in real world settings can be poor and, in the absence of therapist support, effects are modest and short-term. Moreover, because cCBT systems tend towards limited support and thus low-intensity treatment, they are typically most appropriate for people with mild to mo...

Background: Adherence to computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) programs in real-world settings can be poor, and in the absence of therapist support, effects are modest and short term. Moreover, because cCBT systems tend toward limited support and thus low-intensity treatment, they are typically most appropriate for people experiencing m...

Food choices are personal and complex and have a significant impact on our long-term health and quality of life. By helping users to make informed and satisfying decisions, Recommender Systems (RS) have the potential to support users in making healthier food choices. Intelligent users-modeling is a key challenge in achieving this potential. This pa...

Background: Recent research has highlighted naturalistic uptake as a key barrier to maximizing the impact of mental health technologies. Although there is increasing evidence regarding the efficacy of digital interventions for mental health, as demonstrated through randomized controlled trials, there is also evidence that technologies do not succe...

BACKGROUND Young people frequently make use of the Internet as part of their day-to-day activities and this has extended to their help-seeking behaviour. Offline help-seeking is known to be impeded by a number of barriers including stigma and a preference for self-reliance. Online help-seeking may offer an additional domain where young people can s...

Background: Young people frequently make use of the internet as part of their day-to-day activities, and this has extended to their help-seeking behavior. Offline help-seeking is known to be impeded by a number of barriers including stigma and a preference for self-reliance. Online help-seeking may offer an additional domain where young people can...

BACKGROUND Young people have been recognised as being particularly vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties during adolescence and very few seek treatment or help during this time. Online help-seeking may offer an additional domain where young people can seek help for mental health difficulties, yet our current understanding of how you...

Background Young people are particularly vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties, but very few seek treatment or help during this time. Online help-seeking may offer an additional domain where young people can seek aid for mental health difficulties, yet our current understanding of how young people seek help online is limited. Objec...

Mental health is one of the main health concerns for young people across the world. Most young people are reluctant to seek help from mental health services. The objective of the research project is to develop an online tool that facilitates help-seeking for young people. It is intended that the tool will provide a positive experience and make it e...

Most mental health issues start at a young age but are only addressed later. Addressing mental health issues early in life can prevent escalation, release the burden sooner and increase the quality of life of individuals. Unfortunately, mental health needs of young people are unmet because of limited trained professionals and low service capacity....

Background: Hundreds of mental health apps are available to the general public. With increasing pressures on health care systems, they offer a potential way for people to support their mental health and well-being. However, although many are highly rated by users, few are evidence-based. Equally, our understanding of what makes apps engaging and v...

Background Despite its evidence base in the general population, computerized cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) has not yet been adapted for use with people with intellectual disability. This study aimed to explore the experiences of adults with an intellectual disability who played a cCBT program. Method Twenty‐four adults (with a mild or moder...

Input on the skin is emerging as an interaction style. At CHI 2012, Coyle and colleagues identified an increase in the sense of agency (SoA) as one benefit of skin input. However, their study only compared skin input to button presses and has not, to our knowledge, been replicated. Therefore, we had 24 participants compare skin input to both button...

This article explores how people negotiate borders and boundaries within the home, in the context of health and the introduction of new technologies. We draw on an ethnographic study involving a socially diverse group of people, which included people with experience of telecare or smart home energy systems. Participants engaged in various strategie...

Background: As cancer survival rates increase, the challenge of ensuring that cancer survivors reclaim their quality of life (QoL) becomes more important. This paper outlines the research element of a research and training program that is designed to do just that. Objective: Bridging sectors, disciplines, and geographies, it brings together eigh...

Background The prospect of assessing cognition longitudinally and remotely is attractive to researchers, health practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies alike. However, such repeated testing regimes place a considerable burden on participants, and with cognitive tasks typically being regarded as effortful and unengaging, these studies may experi...

This position paper gives a brief overview of a long-term and ongoing series of projects focused on the design and evaluation of computer games that can support mental health interventions with young adolescents. The work has its origins in a HCI project, but has evolved into a long-term interdisciplinary collaboration involving game designers, com...

Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPAs) are widely available on devices such as smartphones. However, most people do not use them regularly. Previous research has studied the experiences of frequent IPA users. Using qualitative methods we explore the experience of infrequent users: people who have tried IPAs, but choose not to use them regularly. Un...

The prospect of assessing cognition longitudinally is attractive to researchers, health practitioners and pharmaceutical companies alike. However, such repeated-testing regimes place a considerable burden on participants, and with cognitive tasks typically being regarded as effortful and unengaging, these studies may experience high levels of parti...

Background Despite the evidence base for computer-assisted cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in the general population, it has not yet been adapted for use with adults who have an intellectual disability.AimsTo evaluate the utility of a CBT computer game for adults who have an intellectual disability.MethodA 2×3 (group×time) randomised controlled...

This paper explores ways to improve e-reading by examining the experience of people who have developed a sense of attachment to their ereaders. Nine participants who reported experiencing emotional attachment completed a semi-structured interview asking them about their experiences with e-readers and e-reading. Thematic analysis led to three main t...

Increasingly, evidence suggests that computerized Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (cCBT) is effective at reducing adolescent anxiety and depression for young people in the general population or those ‘at risk’. However, less is known about the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of cCBT for adolescents with clinically significant levels of i...

Background: The current popularity of mindfulness-based practices has coincided with the increase in access to mobile technology. This has led to many mindfulness apps and programs becoming available, some specifically for children. However, little is known about the experience of engaging with mindfulness through these mediums. Aims: To explore...

Mindful Gnats is a computer game and App that introduces mindfulness and relaxation skills to young people aged nine years and older. In this paper the authors describe their model for using technology to support children with the development of psychological skills. This model combines a computer game to introduce and practice psychological skills...

Background: Cognitive tasks are typically viewed as effortful, frustrating, and repetitive, which often leads to participant disengagement. This, in turn, may negatively impact data quality and/or reduce intervention effects. However, gamification may provide a possible solution. If game design features can be incorporated into cognitive tasks wit...

Words and language are central to most human communication. This paper explores the importance of language for the participatory design of smart home technologies for healthcare. We argue that to effectively involve a broad range of users in the design of new technologies, it is important to actively develop a shared language that is accessible to...

The sense of agency is the experience of initiating our actions in order to control the external environment. This paper explores the notion of the self and agency in the context of symbiotic computing. Symbiotic computer systems use sensors to detect psychophysiological markers and implicitly interpret our intentions in order to enhance our action...

Liveness is a well-known problem with Digital Musical Instruments (DMIs). When used in performances, DMIs provide less visual information than acoustic instruments, preventing the audience from understanding how the musicians influence the music. In this paper, we look at this issue through the lens of causality. More specifically, we investigate t...

Designers of on-body health sensing devices face a difficult choice. They must either minimise the power consumption of devices, which in reality means reducing the sensing capabilities, or build devices that require regular battery changes or recharging. Both options limit the effectiveness of devices. Here we investigate an alternative. This pape...

Current demographic and health trends mean it is becoming imperative to rethink healthcare provision worldwide. This paper introduces SPHERE, a large-scale Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration that aims to make a contribution to addressing this challenge. Specifically, SPHERE is developing a smart home system based on a common platform of non-m...

Designers of on-body health sensing devices with inductive power transfer (IPT) face a number of trade-offs. Safe exposure limits should be maintained, and protective housing and padding are generally needed; however, these impose compromises on the power-transfer-system design. This paper analyses these trade-offs and proposes a design route to ac...

While the technology underlying speech interfaces has improved in recent years, our understanding of the human side of speech interactions remains limited. This paper provides new insight on one important human aspect of speech interactions: the sense of agency -defined as the experience of controlling one's own actions and their outcomes. Two expe...

Positive social and emotional wellbeing are essential for peoples' general health and quality of life. This workshop will bring together an inter-disciplinary community of wellbeing researchers, designers and practitioners to explore how digital technology can increase wellbeing by enabling users to develop new skills, build on existing personal st...

Marionette is a haptic device designed to explore touch perception limits between real and device induced shapes. Its novelty resides in the support for 2D exploration over a flat surface and multi-finger capabilities. Marionette is able to apply inclination to four fingers with two degrees of freedom while the user moves the device as if it were a...

The Sense of Agency (SoA) is the experience of initiating actions to influence the external environment. Traditionally SoA has been investigated using experimental paradigms where a limb movement is required to initiate an action. However, verbal commands are also a prevalent mode of controlling our external environment. Examples of this are intera...

This paper describes some of the challenges set within SPHERE, a large-scale Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration that aims to develop sensor systems to monitor people's health and wellbeing in the home. In particular we discuss the dual task facing the User- Centered Design research group, to ensure the development of inclusive and desirable d...

Tabletop systems are great platforms for collaborative work and social interaction. However, many fail to also accommodate contents visible only to some users, or they do so by reducing the surface visible to the rest of the users. We present ReflectoSlates, which combines a chest mounted camera-projector system connected to the user's mobile devic...