Chapter 1 - Introduction to HCI research

Abstract

Research in human-computer interaction (HCI) is fascinating because there are so many interesting research questions and so many changes over time due to technical advancements. At the time of this book going to press (2017), the field of HCI is approximately 35–40 years old. At the beginning, individuals researching HCI issues were primarily interested in how users without formal technical education interacted with office automation software, such as word processing, spreadsheeting, and database applications. Over time, many different topics have become of central interest to the HCI community, along with different types of research contributions, including empirical research, development of artifacts, contributions to theory, and contributions to methodology. New approaches to data collection, such as sensors, crowdsourcing, eye-tracking, and facial electromyography, have become available. Because HCI research takes place at the intersection of many different disciplines, it is important to always be aware of standards and expectations in the related disciplines. It is also important to consider who is the target audience for your research—other researchers? System developers? Public Policymakers? This chapter provides an overview of HCI research, including the history of HCI research, the disciplinary roots, the context of the existing research literature on a topic, the target audience for the research, and trends over time.