A personal perspective on the value of cross-cultural fieldwork

Abstract

Doing fieldwork is an excellent remedy for HCI researchers' potential biases. However, thorough fieldwork requires proper preparation, and sometimes extensive planning and support from local communities. As such, supporting researchers in getting a glimpse of what it's like to do fieldwork in a particular area would be a worthwhile addition to HCI conferences. Last year, we were fortunate to spend time with fellow researchers as part of two HCI conferences, and a great deal of that time took place in the field, outside the conference venues. The CHI 2017 workshop Asserting Agency in the Age of IoT was held in a residential house in Denver, where we reflected upon smart-home systems design in the real conditions of a U.S. neighborhood very different from most of our own, in other countries. Later that year, INTERACT 2017 in Mumbai, India, provided the opportunity to conduct field trips in the local area that were complementary to the workshop program. As a group of 10 researchers, we set out on a two-day excursion. The goal: to meet older adults to understand how they experience aging.