Lived experience in dialogue
co-designing adaptive support in large language models for youth well-being
Kathleen W. Guan (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
Easha Jadnanansing (Hogeschool Utrecht)
Mohammed Amara (University of Oxford)
Kirmina Rezk (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
Bernard J. Jansen (Qatar Computing Research Institute)
Mark de Reuver (TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
João Fernando Ferreira Gonçalves ( Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam)
Caroline A. Figueroa (Stanford University, TU Delft - Technology, Policy and Management)
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Abstract
Youth increasingly turn to large language models (LLMs) for well-being support, yet existing adaptive strategies often fail to reflect the diverse lived experiences and circumstances shaping youth's daily needs. This work contributes human-centered foundations for adaptive user modeling and personalization in youth well-being LLM systems through community-grounded dialogue strategies. We conducted a participatory study with youth, parents, and youth care professionals (total N=38). Thematic analysis highlighted how community stakeholders prioritized dialogic scaffolding that supports youth agency. In particular, stakeholders emphasized adaptive LLM strategies such as clarifying support priorities, meaning-oriented reflective inquiry, exploring personal narratives and future aims, and preserving decision-making. Based on these insights, we developed dialogue extracts directly from stakeholder quotations to inform the design and future alignment of LLM-based well-being systems. By framing adaptive support as an ongoing dialogic process, this work offers human-centered guidance for tailoring support to youths' evolving contexts, priorities, and lived experiences.
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