Zixin Wang

Research Areas

Biography

I am an HCI researcher with a background in psychology and a second-year Ph.D. student at the School of Information, University of Michigan. My research focuses on privacy and agency for low-control users, particularly those affected by data collection but not fully in charge of it. This includes tenants in smart homes, bystanders around sensing devices, and blind or low vision individuals navigating social interaction without visual cues.

Using quant-driven mixed methods (large-scale surveys, vignette experiments, statistical modeling, and thematic analysis), I study how people navigate these situations and design tools that support them, such as clearer disclosures, safer defaults, and lower-burden interactions.