🏠 About Me
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Human-Computer Interaction, School of Computer Science at Fudan University, advised by Prof. Yangfan Zhou. My background in Sociology (B.A., East China Normal University) uniquely positions me to bridge social science insights with technical innovation. My research lies at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Supported Collaborative Work(CSCW), Accessible Techonology, and Social Computing, with a particular focus on AI-enhanced aging technologies and inclusive design. My work combines empirical user studies with technical innovation to create solutions that address real-world accessibility challenges. Currently, I lead projects on developing voice interaction systems for older adults and exploring AI-powered assistive technologies for diverse user groups. My goal is to advance computing technologies that truly serve human needs by promoting digital equality, enhancing accessibility, and improving quality of life for all users, especially underserved populations.
📧 Email 📚 Google Scholar 
ORCID 🎓 ACM Digital Library 📖 DBLP
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in my research.
🔥 News
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2024.12 Our paper “Exploring Cultural and Intergenerational Dynamics in Voice Assistant Design for Chinese Older Adults“ have been accepted by IMWUT（Ubicomp）2025！ 🎉 🎉
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2024.12: Our paper “Informal Learning on Douyin Among Chinese Older Adults“ have been accepted by CSCW 2025！ 🎉 🎉
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2024.11 Our paper “Gaining Technological Autonomy and Social-emotional Support: A Case Study of How and Why Chinese Older Adults Engage with a Semi-acquaintance Online Community” has received the ACM CSCW 2024 DEI Recognition. DEI Recognition, which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Recognition, is awarded annually to research that addresses information disadvantaged groups, recognizing outstanding contributions to achieving technological fairness and accessibility. 🎉 🎉
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2024.09 Our project “VoiceConnect: Voice Interaction System for Application Control” won the Silver Award at the 2024 Shanghai International College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. This project employs our self-developed LLM-based user intent understanding technology to accurately recognize and interpret users’ operational intentions on smart devices. Through LLM-based understanding of graphical interface elements, it achieves automated application operations, complemented by multimodal interaction methods, enabling precise capture of user intent, smooth execution of operations, and fluid interaction feedback. This technology can be used to implement next-generation intent-driven smart interaction methods and enable automated, scalable testing of user interfaces. It has been successfully applied in automated testing of apps like Meituan. This represents our latest achievement in user understanding, interface analysis, and AI-empowered user design. 🎉 🎉
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2024.05 Our project “VoiceJoy: Age-Friendly Smart Voice Assistant for Mobile Applications” won the Second Prize at the 2024 Fudan University AI Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. The project leverages AI to empower older adults, addressing mobile application barriers through an innovative “emotionally age-friendly” approach. It uniquely incorporates multi-turn dialogue, modular modifications, and multimodal feedback to support intuitive interaction for elderly users, reducing their learning costs and cognitive burden, enhancing their ability to use digital applications, and increasing digital well-being for the aging population. 🎉 🎉
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2024.03 Our paper “Gaining Technological Autonomy and Soci-emotional Support: A Case Study of How and Why Chinese Older Adults Engage with a Semi-acquaintance Online Community” was accepted by The 27th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW’24).🎉 🎉
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2023.12 Our paper “Overcoming Barriers, Achieving Goals: A Case Study of an Older User’s Technology Autonomy” was accepted by The ACM CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’24) as a case-study paper.🎉 🎉
📝 Publications
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[1]Zhigu Qian, Jiaojiao Fu, and Yangfan Zhou*. Seeking a Sense of Meaning and Companionship in Life: Informal Learning on Douyin Among Chinese Older Adults. CSCW 2025 [PDF] [DOI] (CCF-A).
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[2] Zhigu Qian, Jiaojiao Fu*, and Yangfan Zhou. Exploring Cultural and Intergenerational Dynamics in Voice Assistant Design for Chinese Older Adults. IMWUT/Ubicomp2025 [PDF] [DOI] (CCF-A).
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[3] Zhigu Qian, Jiaojiao Fu*, and Yangfan Zhou. Gaining Technological Autonomy and Social-emotional Support: A Case Study of How and Why Chinese Older Adults Engage with a Semi-acquaintance Online Community. CSCW2024 [PDF] [DOI] (CCF-A, Recognition for Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion Award).
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[4] Zhigu Qian, Jiaojiao Fu*, and Yangfan Zhou. Overcoming Barriers, Achieving Goals: A Case Study of an Older User’s Technology Autonomy. Case study Track（Acceptance rate 24%）in CHI 2024 [PDF] [DOI] (CCF-A).
🎖 Honors and Awards
- 2024.11 Research on Older Adults Technology Support, DEI Award at ACM 2024 CSCW (Top 4.03%)
- 2024.7 Project “VoiceConnect”, Silver Award, 2024 Challenge Cup International College Students’ Innovation Competition (Shanghai Division)
- 2020 First Prize Scholarship for Ph.D. Qualification Examination, Fudan University
- 2016 Chinese National Scholarship, East China Normal University (Top 1%)
📖 Education
Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science (2017.09 - Present)
Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- School of Computer Science
- Advisor: Prof. Yangfan Zhou
- Research Focus: Human-Computer Interaction, Aging and Technology
Bachelor’s Degree in Social Development (2013.09 - 2017.06)
East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Graduated with Honors
- GPA: 3.67/4.0
- Ranking: 1/83
- Major Courses: Social Research Methods, Statistics, Psychology
💬 Experience
Research Projects
[1] Accessible Voice Interaction for Older Adults (2023-Present)
Focus: Development of voice interaction systems for older adults’ mobile applications
Research Content:
- Intent understanding of older adults’ verbal commands
- Age-friendly multi-turn dialogue interaction
- Multimodal feedback system for older adults
Achievements:
- 🏅 Silver Award in Shanghai International College Students’ Innovation Competition
- 📝 One paper accepted by IMWUT/Ubicomp2025 [PDF]
- 📋 Two papers under submission
[2] Social Technology Use Among Older Adults (2022-Present)
Focus: Understanding and supporting older adults’ social technology adoption
Research Content:
- Technology autonomy in social platform usage
- Informal learning behaviors on short video platforms
- Social support through technology use
Publications:
- CSCW 2024: Older adults’ technology adoption in Pinxiaoquan [PDF]
- CHI 2024: Case study on Chinese older adults technology autonomy in using Douyin [PDF]
- CSCW 2025: Older adults’ Informal learning on Douyin [PDF]
[3] Social Shopping Platform Technology (2019-2021)
Focus: Integration of social networks and e-commerce platforms
Research Content:
- Social network-based shopping behavior
- User engagement in social shopping
- Platform feature design and evaluation
Achievements:
- 📝 Published research findings in CSCW 2024 [PDF]
[4] Intergenerational Family Communication Technology (2019-2021)
Focus: Technology-mediated family communication
Research Content:
- Intergenerational communication patterns
- Privacy and power dynamics in family settings
- Design implications for family communication tools
Achievements:
- 📑 Thesis on family power dynamics in WeChat Moments
💻 Services
- Reviewer of CHI(2024) CSCW(2024)