Joanna McGrenere

This paper explores the design challenges that arise in supporting online freelancers to navigate relationships with clients. Prior studies have shown that current platform designs can lead to worker precarity in freelancer-client relationships, such as power imbalances, information asymmetry, and labor abuse. To envision alternative designs that empower workers in managing their relationships with clients, we engaged 22 Upwork freelancers in participatory speculative design activities. Through this co-design process, we identified design tensions that constrain design options as a result of conflicting values and priorities that could only be balanced and compromised rather than completely resolved. Six design tensions were identified in the context of designing for four different phases of freelancing. We observed three patterns in these tensions: 1) the freelancers' need for client involvement in their tasks and career growth, which conflicted with their skepticism that clients had sufficient incentives to be involved; 2) that there was often no viable balancing option for some tensions, but they could be addressed through changes in the platform's incentive structure; and 3) some tensions occurred not only between freelancers and clients, but also within the freelancer community. We present three approaches for addressing these design tensions and discuss how this research can support more equitable and healthy freelancer-client relationships.

Mental health problems are a serious concern among university students, and international students in Canada are known to be particularly vulnerable due to the underutilization of mental health services and unfamiliarity with Western approaches to mental health. However, international students' mental well-being remains underexplored in HCI. In this study, we conducted remote synchronous remote co-design sessions with 19 participants (14 international students, 5 mental health professionals) to understand concretely what types of designs for interactive technologies suit these students' mental health needs and challenges. Based on their brainstormed ideas and sketches, we produced a set of design dimensions that span different types of support, interaction, and safety. The dimensions were then used to develop a set of four medium-fidelity mockups that spanned these dimensions, presenting a diverse range of design features. Using these mockups, we elicited feedback in an online survey from the same participants. Findings suggest that the students negotiate a complex understanding of helpfulness, comfort, and trust when they consider what types of designs to consider using. Each mockup highlights different ways to support individual differences and preferences. Our work serves as a foundation for designing technologies that can ease issues with accessibility and be more inclusive of international students' cultural backgrounds.