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2 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to HCI research

Doug Engelbart in 1968 (Engelbart, 2016). Still others point to seminal papers as
far back as Vannevar Bush's “As We May Think,” which looks surprisingly relevant,
even today (Bush, 1945).
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, computers were moving out of the research
laboratory and “secure, cooled room” into the home and the office. The use of main-
frames was transitioning into the use of mini- and then microcomputers, and the
more popular personal computers were making their debut: Apple II series, IBM
PC/XT, and the Commodore/Vic. It was this move, away from large computers in
secure rooms used only by highly trained technical people, to personal computers
on desktops and in home dens used by nontechnical people in much greater numbers
that created the need for the field of HCI. Suddenly, people were using computers
just as a tool to help them in their jobs, with limited training, and personal computers
became a product marketed to home users, like stoves or vacuum cleaners. The inter-
action between the human and the computer was suddenly important. Nonengineers
would be using computers and, if there wasn't a consideration of ease of use, even at
a basic level, then these computers were doomed to failure and nonuse. In the cur-
rent context, where everyone is using computers, that may sound a bit odd, but back
in the 1970s, almost no one outside of computing, engineering, and mathematics
specialists were using computers. Personal computers weren't in school classrooms,
they weren't in homes, there were no bank cash machines, or airline self check-in
machines, before this shift towards nonengineering use happened. This shift created
a sudden need for the field of HCI, drawing on many different fields of study.

1.2 TYPES OF HCI RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS
The field of HCI draws on many different disciplines, including computer science,
sociology, psychology, communication, human factors engineering, industrial en-
gineering, rehabilitation engineering, and many others. The research methods may
have originated in these other disciplines. However, they are modified for use in HCI.
For instance, techniques such as experimental design and observation from psychol-
ogy, have been modified for use in HCI research. Because HCI draws on the work
in so many different disciplines, people often ask “what is considered HCI research?
What types of effort are considered research contributions?” In a recent article that
we believe will become a classic read, Wobbrock and Kientz (2016) discuss seven
types of research contributions:
Empirical contributions—data (qualitative or quantitative) collected through
any of the methods described in this book: experimental design, surveys, focus
groups, time diaries, sensors and other automated means, ethnography, and
other methods.
Artifact contributions—the design and development of new artifacts, including
interfaces, toolkits, and architectures, mock-ups, and “envisionments.” These
artifacts, are often accompanied by empirical data about feedback or usage. This
type of contribution is often known as HCI systems research, HCI interaction
techniques, or HCI design prototypes.