Research Contributions in HCI

Author:

Wobbrock and Kientz, 2016

Abstract

  • Each contribution type has key characteristics that imply how it is judged.

  • 3 types of contribution

    • theoretical

    • methodological

    • empirical

  • “For the CHI 2016 conference, we show how the submitted and accepted papers were distributed across contribution types”

Introduction

  • Empirical Research

    • BASE: observation and data-gathering

    • FORM: experiments, user tests, field observations, interviews, surveys, focus groups, diaries, ethnographies, sensors, log files

    • EVALUATION: the importance of their findings and on the soundness of their methods

  • Artifact

    • BASE: generative design-driven activities (invention)

    • FORM: new systems, architectures, tools, toolkits, techniques, sketches, mockups, and envisionments

    • EVALUATION: type of artifact, what they make possible and how they do so, isolate their human performance benefits, how insightful, compelling, and innovative is their portrayal

  • Methodological

    • BASE: create new knowledge

    • FORM: informs how we carry out our work, improve research or practice, influence how we do science or how we do design, improve how we discover things, measure things, analyze things, create things, or build things

    • EVALUATION: utility, reproducibility, reliability, and validity of the new method or method enhancement

  • Theoretical

    • BASE: inform what we do, why we do it, and what we expect from it

    • FORM: new or improved concepts, definitions, models, principles, or frameworks

    • EVALUATION: their novelty, soundness, and power to describe, predict, and explain.

  • Dataset

    • BASE: accompanied by an analysis of its characteristics for the benefit of the research community

    • FORM: a new and useful corpus

    • EVALUATION: shared repositories by new algorithms, systems, or methods.

    • Published with new tools and new methods

  • Survey

    • BASE: a research topic with the goal of exposing trends and gaps

    • FORM: surveys to have references numbering in the hundreds, The journal ACM Computing Surveys, Foundations and Trends in HCI

    • EVALUATION: how well they organize what is currently known about a topic and reveal opportunities for further research, completeness, depth, maturity, and organization.

  • Opinion

    • BASE: a separate research contribution type not because they lack a research basis, but because their goal is to persuade, not just inform

    • FORM: essays or arguments, seek to change the minds of readers through persuasion

    • EVALUATION: the strength of their argument

Conclusion

  • empirical studies and technology artifacts dominated the research activities