Design Research at CHI and its Applicability to Design Practice

Design Research at CHI and its

Applicability to Design Practice

David Roedl & Erik Stolterman

School of Informatics and ComputingIndiana University, Bloomington

Motivation

Paper Analysis

Interview Study

Reflections

HCI research IxD practice

HCI research IxD practice

theoriesframeworks

methodstools

HCI research IxD practice

Often, methods and approaches do not fit the needs and constraints of practice.

e.g. Rogers, Y. (2004)

New theoretical approaches for human-computer interaction. Annual review of information science and technology, 38(1), 87–143.

analysis of 35 papers from CHI ‘11

interviews with13 interaction designers

conceptualizations of and contributions todesign practice

attitudes towards learning about new methods and approaches

HCI research IxD practice

Motivation

Paper Analysis

Interview Study

Reflections

35 papers oriented toward supporting design practice

433 focused on specific systems, technologies, or use domains

Analysis: how is practice

addressed in…

Analysis: how is practice

addressed in…• Conceptualization, i.e. definition of key

issues

Analysis: how is practice

addressed in…• Conceptualization, i.e. definition of key

issues

• Operationalization, i.e. method of

inquiry

Analysis: how is practice

addressed in…• Conceptualization, i.e. definition of key

issues

• Operationalization, i.e. method of

inquiry

• Generalization, i.e. implications for

whom?

Issue 1

Over-generalization of design situations

Issue 1

Over-generalization of design situationsFew papers distinguish among contexts in

which design takes place, e.g. :

• commercial product development

• corporate innovation

• academic design as research

Issue 2

Over-emphasis on a single design activitywithout discussion of how each fits into a

broader process or how its relative importance

might vary across projects and contexts.

Issue 2

Over-emphasis on a single design activitywithout discussion of how each fits into a

broader process or how its relative importance

might vary across projects and contexts.

e.g. contextual user research, concept

exploration, usability evaluation

Issue 3

Lack of attention to practical challenges

e.g.:

• limited time and resources

• group decision-making

A counter-example:

Gaver (2011): “This reflects our use of

workbooks at the outset of open-ended

research through design projects…

In a commercial setting, however, such

workbooks… could be useful in establishing an

ongoing sense of group identity, direction and

style”.

Gaver, W. (2011). Making spaces: how design workbooks work. In Proc. CHI 2011 (pp. 1551–1560). ACM Press.

Motivation

Paper Analysis

Interview Study

Reflections

Interview study

• 13 professionals, 12 different companies

• IxD, UxD, user research

• 3-10+ years of experience

Interview study

• What methods are most important?

• How do practitioners learn about new methods?

• What are practitioners’ attitudes towards the CHI conference?

What methods are most important?

Collaboration with stakeholders• e.g. workshops for brainstorming and

building consensus around problems and goals

Fluid adaptation of methods based on specific situation

What methods are most important?

Collaboration with stakeholders• e.g. workshops for brainstorming and

building consensus around problems and goals

Fluid adaptation of methods based on specific situation

How do practitioners learn new

methods?• Co-workers, social networks, twitter, blogs

• Professional conferences (e.g. IxDA, IA Summit, UPA)

• Improvisation, trial and error

Attitudes towards CHI

• For academics rather than practitioners

• Not enough relevance to day-to-day work

• Too “dry” and lacking in good storytelling

Motivation

Paper Analysis

Interview Study

Reflections

Practitioners are seeking ways to improve their practice.

They respond to knowledge that resonates with their day-to-day experience.

Research implications that are clearly situated in relation to the complex challenges of practice may be more likely to reach practitioners.

The relationship between research and practice is complex and not always clearly defined.

We believe this is an important area for continued investigation and debate.

Thanks!

HCI/d @ Indiana University

Marty Siegel, Colin Gray, Omar Sosa Tzec, Nathan Bilancio,

Jeff Wain

uxdesignpractice.com

NSF

Sources of IxD methods

• Design consultancies (e.g. Cooper, IDEO,

frog)

• Large companies

• Individual practitioners

• Academic research

Contribution types

7 Inspiration/Theory

11 Learning/Methodology

17 New Tools & Methods