The paper “Exploring the Role of Interaction Data to Empower End-User Decision-Making in User Interface (UI) Personalization”, authored by Sérgio Alves (now at the University of Minho), Kyle Montague (Northumbria University), and LASIGE’s integrated researchers Carlos Duarte and Tiago Guerreiro, explores how giving end-users direct access to their digital interaction data (e.g. clickstream activity) can empower them to make informed, meaningful decisions when personalizing the graphical user interfaces they use.

User-driven personalization can give individuals agency and control over their digital spaces, enabling them to completely reimagine the interfaces they use to suit their needs and preferences. However, can these users be fully empowered if they lack the knowledge and data to make personalization decisions based on actual usage rather than perceptions? This question highlights a gap that this work addresses by exploring different ways of using interaction data to support user decision-making in personalization.

Through design probes and participant interviews, the authors found that while people can independently spot personalization opportunities using visual tools like heatmaps, they prefer accessing system-generated visual suggestions backed by clear interaction metrics.

This work contributes six design considerations for the next generation of UI personalization features that balance user agency with automation. It was presented at the CHI 2026 conference in Barcelona, Spain, taking place from April 13 to 17, 2026, and is available here.