Hi, I'm Joon Lee

I lower the barrier people face when entering complex systems.

I frame this as a problem of expertise asymmetry, the gap between those who understand a system and those just entering it, and design interactions that close it. I study this primarily in gaming ecosystems.

PhD Student in CS · Northeastern University · Advised by Saiph Savage

Research

CHI PLAY 2026Understanding Game Coaching on Gig Platforms

Full paperHwiJoon Lee, Saiph Savage

Interviews 20 freelance game coaches on Fiverr, revealing shared practices shaped by dual precarity and earned authority, and Game HCI design implication for coaches.

FAccT 2026How Formerly Incarcerated People Envision Technologies for Prison Parole

Full paperSaiph Savage, Jesse Nava, Wanqing Iris Zhou, HwiJoon Lee

Surveys 31 formerly incarcerated people on their parole experiences, finding they envision technologies not as tools to dismantle the system but as resources for strategic agency in navigating power structures.

arXiv 2025Playing to Pay: Interplay of Monetization and Retention Strategies in Mobile Gaming

Extended AbstractHwiJoon Lee, Kashif Imteyaz, Saiph Savage

Systematically examines monetization strategies in Korean mobile games, highlighting their prevalence, ethical concerns, and the need for stronger consumer protections.

arXiv 2025Inject, Fork, Compare: Defining an Interaction Vocabulary for Multi-Agent Simulation Platforms

DemoHwiJoon Lee, Martina Di Paola, Yoo Jin Hong, Quang-Huy Nguyen, Joseph Seering

Introduces three operations to transform LLM-based multi-agent simulations into interactive systems for causal investigation by enabling the creation and parallel analysis of divergent timelines.