Ubiquitous Computing in Action: Infrastructure to Support Sensing and Mental Health Research in Practice

Ubiquitous computing technologies have been developed to identify and intervene on mental health symptoms, but these technologies have limited uptake in clinical care. Recent work in human-computer interaction (HCI) and digital mental health has demonstrated opportunities to conduct research in practice (i.e. in the context of care) that better identifies opportunities for technologies to meet current care needs. In this work, I propose an instantiation of research in practice, specifically to build sociotechnical infrastructure that enables ubiquitous computing research in the context of mental healthcare. Specifically, this infrastructure creates opportunities for human-centered design to study actions with ubiquitous technologies in care, as well as data collection to design, build, and evaluate interventions with these technologies in clinical settings. Through this infrastructure, I aim to align computing research with specific clinical needs, and improve the uptake of ubiquitous technologies in care and patient outcomes.