Human-computer interaction as science

Human-computer interaction (HCI) has had a long and troublesome relationship to the role of 'science'. HCI's status as an academic object in terms of coherence and adequacy is often in question---leading to desires for establishing a true scientific discipline. In this paper I explore formative cognitive science influences on HCI, through the impact of early work on the design of input devices. The paper discusses a core idea that I argue has animated much HCI research since: the notion of scientific design spaces. In evaluating this concept, I disassemble the broader 'picture of science' in HCI and its role in constructing a disciplinary order for the increasingly diverse and overlapping research communities that contribute in some way to what we call 'HCI'. In concluding I explore notions of rigour and debates around how we might reassess HCI's disciplinarity

Performing research: four contributions to HCI

This paper identifies a body of HCI research wherein the researchers take part in digitally mediated creative experiences alongside participants. We present our definition and rationale for "self-situated performance research" based on theories in both the HCI and performance literatures. We then analyse four case studies of this type of work, ranging from overtly "performative" staged events to locative audio and public making. We argue that by interrogating experience from within the context of self-situated performance, the 'performer/researcher' extends traditional practices in HCI in the following four ways: developing an intimate relationship between researchers and participants, providing new means of making sense of interactions, shaping participants' relationship to the research, and enabling researchers to refine their work as it is being conducted

Creating Bridges: The Role of Exploratory Design Research in an Intelligent Tutoring System Project

Designers of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) have long been interested in delivering personalised teaching to individual students, typically by ensuring that the student receives content appropriate to their skills and knowledge. Nonetheless, a more holistic view on what constitutes good teaching practice has challenged whether this approach to user modelling is sufficient. Teaching is not only defined by what is taught, but also by how it is taught. In this paper, we demonstrate that exploratory design research can support this view by generating a more inclusive set of user attributes for purposes of user modelling. Through a case study, we show that design research for user modelling can function as a boundary object serving three important roles, that underpin more specifically the design of user modelling and more broadly ITS design. First, design research can establish common ground by encapsulating domain knowledge in an accessible form. This can support diverse project stakeholders to make decisions on what is to be modelled. Second, design research can reveal a wide range of teaching and learning perspectives that in turn introduce transparency to the decision-making process of user modelling and provoke a sense of criticality and accountability amongst project stakeholders. Third, design research can build new bridges between the design of the technology and the user model that underpins it. To this end, user attributes deemed important, yet too complex or cumbersome to develop, can become design principles in the context of the overall ITS design

Performing research: four contributions to HCI

This paper identifies a body of HCI research wherein the researchers take part in digitally mediated creative experiences alongside participants. We present our definition and rationale for "self-situated performance research" based on theories in both the HCI and performance literatures. We then analyse four case studies of this type of work, ranging from overtly "performative" staged events to locative audio and public making. We argue that by interrogating experience from within the context of self-situated performance, the 'performer/researcher' extends traditional practices in HCI in the following four ways: developing an intimate relationship between researchers and participants, providing new means of making sense of interactions, shaping participants' relationship to the research, and enabling researchers to refine their work as it is being conducted

Translations and Boundaries in the Gap Between HCI Theory and Design Practice

The gap between research and design practice has long been a concern for the HCI community. In this article, we explore how different translations of HCI knowledge might bridge this gap. A literature review characterizes the gap as having two key dimensions - one between general theory and particular artefacts and a second between academic HCI research and professional UX design practice. We report on a 5-year engagement between HCI researchers and a major media company to explore how a particular piece of HCI research, the trajectories conceptual framework, might be translated for and with UX practitioners. We present various translations of this framework and fit them into the gap we previously identified. This leads us to refine the idea of translations, suggesting that they may be led by researchers, by practitioners or co-produced by both as boundary objects. We consider the benefits of each approach

Making Sense of Design Space: Design Perspectives on the Idea of Organization and Strategizing

This dissertation bridges areas of design research with organization and management studies with the aim of increasing interdisciplinary understanding of design. An increasing number of designers in industrial settings, besides designing physical objects, are involved in shaping services and experiences by utilizing evolving information technology. While design approaches have gained increased visibility in managerial realms the position of design managers participating in strategizing and organizational action calls for proliferation of paradigms and reflexivity on frames guiding such action. This research aims at enriching both design theories and areas of research in organization and management studies by bridging perspectives emerging from these fields. It does so by asking whether and how design theories and design managers might influence the idea of organization and its strategic direction. The positivist understanding of an organization is juxtaposed with philosophical perspectives from the traditions of social constructionism, hermeneutics and reflexivity. Qualitative research approaches are combined with sensemaking and design approaches. The research is positioned at the intersection of managerial traditions and frames and general values of design often concerned with human wellbeing. However, instead of embedding design into organizational traditions and structures, the research moves from this pre-understanding towards suggesting and making sense of an evolving design space as a social and linguistic, but also material and embodied phenomenon in which strategizing, sensemaking and design are in a continuous flow of becoming. Through the three sub-studies, the research evolves towards broader understanding of designing in organizational industrial settings. Design managers´ context is addressed by disclosing possible frames while combining micro and macro levels of organizational thinking from partly critical perspectives. The longitudinal research covers interviews among experienced designers in middle or senior management positions working in Silicon Valley between the years 2013 and 2016. Most participants represented large technology-driven multinationals and design consultancies. The first sub-study utilized theory elaboration by combining perspectives on sensemaking, strategizing and design into a preliminary theoretical model. The second sub-study focused on design managers´ language through identification of normalising and denormalising language use. The third sub-study addressed the information technology field as an example to discuss the need for ethics and attention to potential harmful consequences in the domain of design and strategizing for more awareness and responsible future outcomes. Reaching beyond the firm-centric and use-stage specific questions, designers might display more intense participation in strategic decision making concerning pre-use and post-use stage consequences for users, and additionally, for third-parties, locally, globally and digitally. Designers may act as supporters and challengers of evolving strategies while mediating between frame adoption and frame extension. At times, historically developed strategic frames may become reproduced. However, denormalising language used by design managers with material–linguistic strengths could trigger critical reflection on strategic assumptions. The dissertation proposed a way of understanding organizational strategizing differently through the suggestion to rather speak about design space in which strategic action and sensemaking are situated. The design space understood as a continuously evolving social construction in becoming is a site of sensemaking inviting actors from diverse fields into an interdisciplinary dialogue. By questioning the obvious, designers as managers may contribute to increased responsibility, transparency, sustainability and ethics in decision making concerning the rapidly evolving industrial and digitalizing contexts. Future designers as hybrid co-strategists may gain more power through their managerial roles making awareness and critical discussion on frames and taken-for-granted beliefs across occupational domains important. Finally, a suggestion to reframe the concept of meaning innovation was made. The research makes a design contribution to creative and critical streams of organization and management studies, as well as sensemaking studies and suggests some interdisciplinary issues for further research bridging these fields

Understanding user interaction problems with wireless connection via research through design

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University LondonPeople frequently have problems making multiple devices work together. In this thesis, I use the Research‐through‐Design approach to understand the issues and propose solutions. Through an iterative series of investigations, the problems people have with the connection of multiple devices has been examined, including usability issues, difficulties with the sequential connection procedure, and difficulties performing an action. I found non‐expert users to have difficulties with interpreting and evaluating the devices’ interaction status regarding the sequence of the connection procedure. When an evaluation problem occurs, they have problems dealing with the required sequence or diagnosing the error in their interactions. The problem understanding was examined from additional cases. The comprehension of the problems allowed me to generate design implications and propose a design solution. I proposed two implications with which to solve the stated problem. I suggested helping users evaluate device interaction and reduce unnecessary user interactions. A design framework was suggested as a solution by providing diagrammatic representations of system interaction and signals revealing device status. I then assessed the suggested solutions using paper prototypes, and demonstrated their effectiveness. The improved interfaces helped users evaluate device connection status so they may determine how to proceed with sequential interaction. With the Research‐through‐Design approach constructing knowledge by integrating theories and hypothesis, I found the feature of user‐multiple device interaction in which a user is required to manage the interaction between the devices. A single device cannot aid the user interaction. In the dissertation, I proposed a desirable state of user interaction, which is achieved by two devices revealing connection states together so that a user can earn a useful system image

La investigación sobre el diseño participativo de entornos digitales de aprendizaje

El codiseño es un tipo de investigación participativa que tiene como objetivo construir conocimiento a partir de la participación en el proceso de investigación de la población afectada por una situación o un problema. Halskov & Hansen (2015) señalan que hay tres aspectos comunes en este tipo de investigación. En primer lugar, subyace una orientación política e ideológica, que se concreta en dar la oportunidad de influir a partir de la participación en el diseño. En segundo lugar, el contexto caracteriza la situación general de partida del diseño y, en tercer lugar, las personas que participan como expertas en las diferentes etapas y acciones utilizan métodos que son los medios que tienen los participantes de influir en el diseño mientras que los productos son los resultados del diseño. El objetivo de esta contribución es estudiar el uso del codiseño para avanzar en la creación de diseños tecnológicos que respondan a las necesidades educativas. Las preguntas formuladas se agrupan alrededor de tres temas (tabla 1): la planificación e implementación del diseño participativo, las técnicas e instrumentos de investigación y los resultados del diseño participativ