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HELLO
I'M MENGKE
I'm an HCI/UX researcher with design expertise, focusing on user agency and creativity support in human-AI teaming. My work explores how system functions, interface designs, and communication strategies shape trust, authorship, and empowerment when people work with intelligent systems, and how design interventions can encourage informed interaction and sustained engagement. Using mixed methods and design-led inquiry, I connect conceptual models with practical design work to improve human-centered systems that foster trust, usability, and meaningful collaboration.
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I hold an M.S. in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University and an M.S. in Integrated Design & Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Prior to my research career, I practiced as a landscape designer and a UX designer in the industry.
SELECTED RESEARCH
Here is a selected list of my work, see my cv for a completed list of publications.
Incorporating Personality into AI Writing Companions: Mapping the Design Space
Mengke Wu, Kexin Quan, Weizi Liu, Mike Yao, Jessie Chin. 2025.
In the Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Through participatory design workshops, we explored the integration of personality-based preferences into AI writing assistants, using the MBTI dimensions related to information processing as our framework. Specifically, we articulated the functions that a writing companion should have to assist users, the personality traits that should be embodied by the companion to foster engagement, and the visual design elements that contribute to user satisfaction.
Negotiating the Shared Agency between Humans & AI in the Recommender System
Mengke Wu, Weizi Liu, Yanyun Wang, Mike Yao. 2025.
In the Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Presented at the International Communication Association (ICA) Conference
Concerns about user agency arise from the algorithms’ inherent opacity (information asymmetry) and one-way output (power asymmetry). This study introduces a dual-control mechanism aimed at enhancing user agency, empowering users to manage both data collection and, novelly, the degree of algorithmically tailored content they receive. Through a between-subjects experiment with statistical analysis, we explored and evaluated users' feedback on the impact of varying levels of transparency and control.
LLM Integration in Extended Reality: A Comprehensive Review of Current Trends, Challenges, and Future Perspectives
Yiliu Tang, Jason Situ, Andrea Yaoyun Cui, Mengke Wu, Yun Huang. 2025.
In the Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
This paper presents the first comprehensive review addressing the underexplored synergy between XR and LLMs, examining how the integration of these technologies can augment various aspects of human awareness: spatial, situational, social, and self-awareness. By systematically analyzing 135 papers, we synthesize and categorize the research field into seven dimensions: 1) diverse application domains, 2) types of human awareness expanded, 3) interaction paradigms between users and systems, 4) effects of LLMs in XR, 5) practices for effectively integrating LLMs into XR environments, and 6) evaluation metrics.
Is Popularity Everything? Understanding the Role of Interface Cues in Online Shopping Decision-Making
Mengke Wu, Ewa Maslowska, Mike Yao. 2025.
In the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction
E-commerce platforms increasingly leverage product recommendation features that use interface cues—such as promotions, ratings, and scarcity indicators—to drive consumers' choice behavior. While prior research has examined the individual effects of these cues, their combined effects and relative importance remain under-explored. This study employs Choice-Based Conjoint analysis across three sequential studies to examine how various combinations of common interface cues impact product preferences.
Telepresence Robots in the Context of Dementia Caregiving: Caregivers’ and Care Recipients’ Perspectives
Shabnam FakhrHosseini, Lauren Cerino, Lisa D'Ambrosio, Lexi Balmuth, Chaiwoo Lee, Mengke Wu, Joseph Coughlin. 2024.
In the Robotics Journal
As a result of a rapidly aging population and the increasing prevalence of dementia among older adults, technological solutions are increasingly being considered to facilitate caregiving. This research investigates the perspectives of 20 caregiving dyads on VGo, a telepresence social robot with features designed to support caregiving. Care recipients (CRs), aged 65 and older, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, along with their primary caregivers (CGs), evaluated the robot through an online interview study.
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