Post by Emani Hicks, PhD

I am extremely excited to share that our paper Collaboration and Assistive Technology: Facilitating Joint Awareness for Noise Sensitivity has been conditionally accepted to #CHI2026! In this work we present findings from a deployment study of AudioBuddy, a mobile and wearable system that helps people with noise sensitivity (PWNS) and their companions jointly monitor environmental noise and psychophysiological states to facilitate joint awareness. Our key contribution is reframing noise sensitivity away from an individual pathology, to a dyadic, sociotechnical challenge and its management using AudioBuddy. A huge thank you to my co-authors (Luc Rieffel, Aehong Min, Ariya Gowda Gillian Hayes) and those who have contributed to this work in so many ways! Jesus Armando B. Franceli Linney Cibrian Jazette Johnson, Ph.D. Liz Ankrah, PhD Arturo Morales Téllez