Conference Agenda

Shared dormitories are the most common living arrangement for Chinese university students and have a crucial impact on their sleep and well-being. Most studies on sleep among this group primarily focus on the physical environment and the individual person, giving far less attention to the interpersonal and social aspects of living in shared dormitories. To address this gap, this paper presents the findings of a co-design workshop with 23 participants which explored their experiences of shared sleeping spaces and involved them in prototyping interventions for improving sleep experience. Findings reveal interpersonal interference as a major factor behind sleep disruption. Even though students experience negative emotions, they tend to adopt passive coping behaviours, reflecting conflict avoidance linked to broader cultural tendencies in Chinese society. This study also highlights the crucial role of interpersonal dynamics in shared dormitories, concluding that future design interventions should prioritise improving communication and consensus among roommates.