Cultures in Human-Computer Interaction

This book provides an interdisciplinary synthesis of the topic of culture in the context of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and a structured overview of a large body of HCI research on (and with) culture. The book presents a short and guided overview of the concept of culture. It offers some background on the origin and development of the term culture. It also outlines some of its key traits and ingredients and summarizes three main perspectives of culture across disciplines. The book argues that culture matters considerably in HCI and discusses a number of reasons for and against its relevance. Arguments against include a lack of a universal or common definition of the term culture and globalization. Arguments in favor touch upon important aspects of HCI, including a diversely growing user base, the need to provide designers with enough support to design across cultures, and the inseparable relationship between culture and technology. The issues explored in this book can be classified into three, non-mutually exclusive, categories: theoretical, practical, and controversial. The book outlines the main conceptual perspectives of culture within HCI, including Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, Edward T. Hall's cross-cultural theory of communication, and Richard Nisbett's cultural cognitive systems of thought as well as examining the ways in which culture has been operationalized in HCI research and the main functions of culture in this area. It closes with a discussion of some open issues intended to spark debate and future research. The literature this book draws upon covers a wide range of research disciplines, including Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Robotics, Disability Studies, Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology, Usability, and Design. This book aspires to provide a useful overview of culture for HCI scholars at all levels.

Explores the philosophical and practical role of culture in HCI Discusses the concept of culture and how it intersects with technology development and application Synthesizes arguments for and against the relevance of culture in HCI

Autorentext

Sergio Sayago is an Associate Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in Computer Science at the Universitat de Lleida (Spain). He is passionate about exploring the human side of digital technologies. His interdisciplinary research has spanned web accessibility, usability, and e-learning, with a strong focus since 2010 on older-adult HCI. Before joining UdL, Sergio held postdoctoral positions at the University of Dundee (Scotland, 2010–2012) under a Beatriu de Pinós fellowship and at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain, 2012–2014) with an Alliance 4 Universities fellowship. He later served as a visiting lecturer and researcher at the University of Lleida (2014–2016) and the University of Barcelona (2016–2019). He is Associate Editor for the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies and Interacting with Computers. He has served several times as Associate Chair for the CHI subcommittee on Ageing and Accessibility. Sergio won the Best Technical Paper Award at ACM-Web4All 2009. He earned his PhD (cum laude) in Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona) in 2009.

Inhalt
Introduction.- The Concept of Culture: A Short and Guided Overview.- Culture Matters in HCI.- Conceptual Perspectives of Culture within HCI.- The Operationalization of Culture in HCI.- Some Open Issues.- Conclusion.