Novel design research tools for emotional appraisal : a diary study on emotional appraisal and core relational themes

Alsubhi, Sumayyah and Sas, Corina (2026) Novel design research tools for emotional appraisal : a diary study on emotional appraisal and core relational themes. Interacting with Computers: iwag021. ISSN 0953-5438

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Abstract

Much HCI research has explored user experience and, in particular, emotional ones, reflected in the increasing interest in well-being and affective health technologies. While much such research has focused on emotional awareness and regulation, less work has explored how to design for emotional appraisal. We report a 2-week diary study informed by the conceptual model of Lazarus’s appraisal theory to explore emotional appraisal in the wild by proposing two novel design research methods: the Emotional Appraisal Kit and the Emotional Appraisal Diary. Findings indicate that these tools support this shifting in paradigm by providing a holistic method that considers emotional, physical, and computational elements. Findings also highlight the value of such tools in capturing the emotional process, going beyond emotional recognition to provide a deeper insights into what triggers emotions.