HCI Theory: Classical, Modern, and Contemporary

by Yvonne Rogers

Theory is the bedrock of many sciences, providing a rigorous method to advance knowledge, through testing and falsifying hypotheses about observable phenomena. To begin with, the nascent field of HCI followed the scientific method borrowing theories from cognitive science to test theories about user performance at the interface. But HCI has emerged as an eclectic interdiscipline rather than a well-defined science. It now covers all aspects of human life, from birth to bereavement, through all manner of computing, from device ecologies to nano-technology. It comes as no surprise that the role of theory in HCI has also greatly expanded from the early days of scientific testing to include other functions such as describing, explaining, critiquing, and as the basis for generating new designs. The book charts the theoretical developments in HCI, both past and present, reflecting on how they have shaped the field. It explores both the rhetoric and the reality: how theories have been conceptualized, what was promised, how they have been used and which has made the most impact in the field -- and the reasons for this. Finally, it looks to the future and asks whether theory will continue to have a role, and, if so, what this might be. Table of Contents: Introduction / The Backdrop to HCI Theory / The Role and Contribution of Theory in HCI / Classical Theories / Modern Theories / Contemporary Theory / Discussion / Summary

Genres: Design, School

130 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2012

About the author

Yvonne Rogers is a Professor of Interaction Design, the director of UCLIC and a deputy head of the Computer Science department at UCL. Her research interests are in the areas of ubiquitous computing, interaction design and human-computer interaction. A central theme is how to design interactive technologies that can enhance life by augmenting and extending everyday, learning and work activities. This involves informing, building and evaluating novel user experiences through creating and assembling a diversity of pervasive technologies.

Yvonne is the PI at UCL for the Intel Collaborative Research Institute on Sustainable Connected Cities which was launched in October 2012 as a joint collaboration with Imperial College. She was awarded a prestigious EPSRC dream fellowship rethinking the relationship between ageing, computing and creativity. She is a visiting professor at the Open University and Indiana University.

Central to her work is a critical stance towards how visions, theories and frameworks shape the fields of HCI, cognitive science and Ubicomp. She has been instrumental in promulgating new theories (e.g., external cognition), alternative methodologies (e.g., in the wild studies) and far-reaching research agendas (e.g., “Being Human: HCI in 2020” manifesto). She has also published a monograph (2012) called "HCI Theory: Classical, Modern and Contemporary."

Reviews

[Aaron Chu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great entry point for anyone who is interested in HC but lacks the background. The relatively short writing provides an overview of HCI from early 19th century to now. Drawing analogy from Art History, this book strategically divided the history of HCI into Classical, Modern and Contemporary as it aligns the aspirations represented by these eras with their counterparts in the history of Art, making the content easy to digest.

[Iskander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compact and clear overview on the theories in HCI research in the last decades.

[Mythreyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the perfect book for me. If you want a good index of HCI and a quick way to decide which theories to further explore - this is perfect. It provides the list of key theories, summary of them in action, what aspects were adopted and rejected and what came next. All in 2-3 pages per theory. It's dense information curated well and wrote in way that is easy to comprehend. I probably will be referring to this quite a bit this year.

[Aman Parnami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read most of it in preparation for PhD qualifier exams. Quite comprehensive coverage of the role, and evolution of theory in HCI.