Persuasive Technology (PT) is an interdisciplinary research field that focuses on the design and development of technologies aimed at changing users[#x02019] attitudes or behaviors through persuasion and social influence, but not through coercion or deception. Interactive systems are a kind of technology that is used increasingly for persuasive purposes in a growing number of domains, ranging from personal health and safety to corporate and governmental campaigns. This special issue of the International Journal of Human[#x02013]Computer Interaction focuses on design and evaluation aspects for interactive persuasive systems, with a special emphasis on the way in which persuasion concepts and theories are exploited, adapted, or augmented to take into account the peculiar features of such systems.
The call for papers for the special issue attracted 17 paper proposals from 12 countries. Submissions went through a rigorous reviewing process, organized in four sequential stages of iterative revision and refinement. During the process, each submission was examined by the three editors as well as two external reviewers. Only four papers passed successfully all stages of revision, resulting in a 24[#x00025] acceptance rate. The accepted papers provide a nice illustration of how interactive systems in a variety of application domains (computer-supported cooperative work, computer security, exergames for children, social interaction in older users) can be enriched with persuasive features.
The special issue opens with an introductory article from the editors ([#x0201C]Interactive Persuasive Systems: A Perspective on Theory and Evaluation[#x0201D]) that aims at familiarizing the reader with the current complex scenario of persuasive interactive systems, with emphasis on the theories that researchers are following for guidance. It then discusses criticism emerged in human[#x02013]computer interaction (HCI) against the conceptualization of the psychological process underlying many PT projects and illustrates approaches aimed at overcoming such limitations. Finally, it discusses how evaluation in HCI should be extended with both general and domain-specific constructs to properly measure changes in users[#x02019] attitudes.
The article by Vargheese, Sripada, Masthoff, and Oren ([#x0201C]Persuasive Strategies for Encouraging Social Interaction for Older Adults[#x0201D]) focuses on how PT could help in facing an important societal challenge: social isolation among older adults. Working with carers, the authors identified a set of persuasive strategies to encourage social interaction and participation in social activities that can be exploited by a persuasive interactive system. The article also proposes a strategy selection heuristic for determining the most suitable strategy to apply.
Zhang-Kennedy, Chiasson, and Biddle ([#x0201C]The Role of Instructional Design in Persuasion: A Comics Approach for Improving Cybersecurity[#x0201D]) considered instead how PT could help in tackling a serious issue for computer users[#x02014]the lack of proper computer security behavior. After an interview analysis that highlighted barriers to users[#x02019] motivation and ability to practice safe computer behavior, they propose an online persuasive interactive system based on comics and mini-games, analyzing its benefits in terms of users[#x02019] attention, comprehension, and motivation to adopt positive computer behavior.
The article by Schiavo, Cappelletti, Mencarini, Stock, and Zancanaro ([#x0201C]Influencing Participation in Group Brainstorming Through Ambient Intelligence[#x0201D]) extends the scope of investigation from influencing single users to influencing groups of users in a computer-supported cooperative work context. In particular, it deals with the exploitation of PT techniques to encourage participation in computer-supported brainstorming activities. They contrast and evaluate the effectiveness of two types of persuasive interactive systems on ambient displays, based respectively on subtle directives in the form of aesthetically pleasant visual animations and overt messages.
Collaboration is also a characteristic of the article by Cibrian, Tentori, and Mart[#x000ED]nez-Garc[#x000ED]a ([#x0201C]Hunting Relics: A Persuasive Exergame to Promote Collective Exercise in Young Children[#x0201D]), which focuses on another category of users that requires special design considerations[#x02014]children. The authors aim at addressing an important health issue (i.e., motivating children to engage in physical exercise) by proposing a persuasive game that is played collaboratively by performing physical exercises on an interactive floor. They illustrate in detail how the system was designed, deployed, and evaluated in the context of an elementary school.
In closing, we thank the authors of these articles for their willingness to undergo a multiple-stages revision process that required them considerable effort in revising and improving their work in response to reviewers[#x02019] and editors[#x02019] comments. We also thank the anonymous reviewers who devoted their time and competence to review the submitted papers and help us shape the special issue.
We hope that the articles in this special issue will help and inspire readers to become engaged in and contribute to the advancement of the vibrant PT field and its complex and substantial research agenda.