contributed articles

Doi: 10.1145/1467247.1467265

HCI experts must broaden the field’s scope
and adopt new methods to be useful in
21st-century sociotechnical environments.
BY aBiGaiL seLLen, YVonne RoGeRs,
RichaRD haRPeR, anD tom RoDDen
Reflecting
human
Values in the
Digital age
the FielD oF
human-computer interaction (HCI)

came into being more than 25 years ago with the mission of understanding the relationship between humans and computers, often with an eye toward improving the technology’s design. but that relationship has since been altered so radically— changes in the sociotechnical landscape have been so great—that many in the community of HCI researchers and practitioners are questioning where the field is headed. Computer systems now intrude on our lives as well as disappear into the world around us, they monitor as well as guide us, and they coerce as well as aid us. Thus there are debates about such fundamentals as what HCI’s goals should be, how it should do its work, and whether its methods remain relevant.

the complexity of technologies that hci now encounters can be attributed to the major transformations that have redefined our relationship with technology. this article explores five such transformations, also reflected in this image. can you find them?

illustration By Bryan christie design