The Interaction Layer: An Exploration for Co-Designing User-LLM Interactions in Parental Wellbeing Support Systems
This work addresses the problem of user adoption for AI support systems among parents, though it is incremental as it applies a co-design approach to a specific domain.
The paper tackled the challenge of low adoption in AI parental wellbeing support by co-designing NurtureBot with parents, resulting in a refined prototype with an Interaction Layer that achieved a CUQ score of 91.3/100, indicating improved user experience and usability.
Parenting brings emotional and physical challenges, from balancing work, childcare, and finances to coping with exhaustion and limited personal time. Yet, one in three parents never seek support. AI systems potentially offer stigma-free, accessible, and affordable solutions. Yet, user adoption often fails due to issues with explainability and reliability. To see if these issues could be solved using a co-design approach, we developed and tested NurtureBot, a wellbeing support assistant for new parents. 32 parents co-designed the system through Asynchronous Remote Communities method, identifying the key challenge as achieving a "successful chat." As part of co-design, parents role-played as NurtureBot, rewriting its dialogues to improve user understanding, control, and outcomes. The refined prototype, featuring an Interaction Layer, was evaluated by 32 initial and 46 new parents, showing improved user experience and usability, with final CUQ score of 91.3/100, demonstrating successful interaction patterns. Our process revealed useful interaction design lessons for effective AI parenting support.