Human-computer interaction as science

Reeves, Stuart

Abstract

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.

Citation

Reeves, S. Human-computer interaction as science. Presented at Critical Alternatives 2015, 5th Decennial Aarhus Conference

• Conference Name: Critical Alternatives 2015, 5th Decennial Aarhus Conference
• End Date: Aug 21, 2015
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jul 9, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 1, 2015
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Science, Disciplinarity, Cognitive Science
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/982890
• Related Public URLs: http://aarhus2015.org/