Publication Type

Conference Proceeding Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

6-2026

Abstract

Autistic livestreamers use platforms like Twitch for social connection, self-expression, and community, but these spaces also impose ongoing social and emotional demands. Prior work has documented these experiences, but less is known about what autistic creators themselves envision for the tools and platforms they use. We address this gap through a Research through Design (RtD) co-design study with three autistic Twitch streamers, using speculative artefacts as discussion prompts to explore how participants reasoned about potential livestreaming technologies. Across three co-design activities, we identify three overarching tensions shaping autistic streaming practice: Expression versus Misinterpretation and Harm; Public Participation versus Control and Moderation; and Sustainable Practice versus Finite Energy. Our co-designers surfaced constraints, trade-offs, boundaries, and hesitations toward automation, and concerns about managing viewer expectations. This work contributes an account of co-design as a reflective practice with autistic livestreamers, showing how speculative artefacts can surface values, limits, and design reasoning around livestreaming technology.

Keywords

autism, autistic, livestreaming, Twitch, co-design

Discipline

Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces

Research Areas

Information Systems and Management

Areas of Excellence

Digital transformation

Publication

DIS '26: Proceedings of the 2026 Designing Interactive Systems Conference, Singapore, June 13-17

First Page

904

Last Page

919

ISBN

9798400725630

Identifier

10.1145/3800645.3812985

Publisher

ACM

City or Country

New York

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1145/3800645.3812985

Download

Share

COinS