Voices of Sexual Assault Survivors: Understanding Survivors' Experiences of Interactional Breakdowns and Design Ideas for Solutions

Abstract

© 2022 ACM.From initial case-reporting at the crime scene to finishing legal procedures, survivors of sexual assault navigate numerous human and technological resources provided by various organizations. During the help-seeking process, survivors unavoidably interact with multiple professional stakeholders (e.g., legal authorities) and technologies (e.g., checking their case status on a court website). In the long and complex process, survivors experience interactional breakdowns with technology, and/or humans, but few studies have explored what types of breakdowns systematically occur and how to resolve them. Thus, for this study, we conducted in-depth interviews with survivors and professionals who reside in South Korea to identify what and how breakdowns occur. Moreover, participatory design sessions were conducted with sexual assault survivors and professionals to create designs that could resolve the breakdowns. Consequently, we discovered a total of eleven breakdowns and produced solutions centered on the stakeholders (i.e., survivor and professionals). Specifically, our participants wanted an integrated system that proactively informs survivors of the holistic procedures for help-seeking and legal action, manages their case, and even interacts with legal authorities on the survivor's behalf. Based on the findings, we provide an agenda of essential designs and features that could mitigate interactional breakdowns. Additionally, we call for the HCI community to approach and solve sexual violence problems through a broad, macroscopic perspective instead of focusing on one specific technology or (social or organizational) system.