Hi, there! Iโm a human-centered computing researcher passionate about creating safe and engaging Adolescent-AI Interactions. My mission is to enhance the way adolescents (i.e., teenagers and special education students) engage with AI. I focus on two main goals: (1) protecting their privacy and security during AI interactions, and (2) making AI more accessible for neurodiverse individuals. To promote safe usage and help articulate their accessibility challenges, I employ game design and gamification strategies. This dual focus and innovative approach drive my work toward developing AI agents that are not only safer but also more inclusive, to meet the unique needs of our younger generation! My research has been published at prestigious CS conferences such as ACM CHI, ACM ASSETS, ACM CCS, and IEEE S&P.
I am a postdoc in the Computer Science Department at Virginia Tech, working with Prof. Yaxing Yao. I am fortunate to have worked as a postdoc at the HKUST Visualization Lab. I received my Ph.D. degree in computer science from Cornell University. Before that, I recieved my joint First-class Honours bachelor degree in computer science from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K. and BUCT, Beijing, China.
๐ฅ News
- 2024.04: ย ๐๐ Iโm co-organizing a SOUPS workshop on revolutionizing privacy education by tools and experiences design. Submit by 5/23!
- 2024.03: ย ๐๐ Join my BBL Talk at HCIL UMD, April 18, 12:30 PM ET, on designing safe, engaging teen-AI interactions!
- 2023.08: ย ๐๐ I am serving as an Associate Chair of ACM CHI 2024. Please submit your amazing work here!
- 2023.06: ย ๐๐ The e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Program in which I act as a co-investigator secures 30 Million HKD funding from QEF!
๐ Selected Publications
Symbol * indicates that I am the (co-)corresponding author.
The Influence of Explanation Designs on User Understanding Differential Privacy and Making Data-sharing Decision in Information Sciences, Sep. 2023.
Authors: Zikai Alex Wen, Jingyu Jia, Hongyang Yan, Yaxing Yao, Zheli Liu, Changyu Dong
Highlights: Our explanatory illustration design simplifies the understanding of differential privacy protection of numerical data. A survey of 228 people shows visual illustration outperformed text-based explanation in understanding differential privacy. Learning about privacy-enhancing technology does not necessarily increase the willingness to share data.
CollectiAR: Computer Vision-Based Word Hunt for Children with Dyslexia in the EA of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI Play), 2022.
Authors: Danlu Fei, Ze Gao, Linping Yuan, Zikai Alex Wen*
Abstract: The existing word recognition and spelling training games for children with dyslexia were not able to leverage childrenโs immediate vicinity. Therefore, we designed an augmented reality mobile game, CollectiAR, that uses computer vision to identify objects in the playerโs immediate vicinity.
Pointers: Presentation
What.Hack: Engaging Anti-Phishing Training Through a Role-Playing Phishing Simulation Game in the proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), 2019.
Authors: Zikai Alex Wen, Zhiqiu Lin, Rowena Chen, Erik Andersen
Abstract: People being phished is due in part to insufficient and tiresome user training in cybersecurity. we designed the game What.Hack, which not only teaches phishing concepts but also simulates actual phishing attacks in a role-playing game to encourage the player to practice defending themselves.
๐ Full Publications
Symbol * indicates that I am the (co-)corresponding author. My current citation status is:
๐ Honors and Awards
- 2023 The e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Program Grantee (30 Million HKD) from QEF, Hong Kong
- 2022 The Fellowship of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation from CPSF
- 2022 AI 2000 Most Influential Scholar Award Honorable Mention in Security and Privacy from AMiner
- 2022 Outstanding Service Award from IEEE MMSP
- 2017 The Student Game Design Competition Runner-Up at ACM CHI
- 2014 The Andrew McGettrick Prize from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
- 2014 The Outstanding Graduate of Beijing from Beijing Municipal Education Commission
