There has been an ongoing conversation about the role and relationship of theory and practice in the HCI community. This paper explores this relationship privileging a practice perspective through a tentative model, which describes a “bubble-up” of ideas from practice to inform research and theory development, and an accompanying “trickle-down” of theory into practice. Interviews were conducted with interaction designers, which included a description of their use of design methods in practice, and their knowledge and use of two common design methods—affinity diagramming and the concept of affordance. Based on these interviews, potential relationships between theory and practice are explored through this model. Disseminating agents already common in HCI practice are addressed as possible mechanisms for the research community to understand practice more completely. Opportunities for future research, based on the use of the tentative model in a generative way, are considered.

1. REPRIORITIZING THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HCI
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
COLIN M. GRAY
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
!
ERIK STOLTERMAN
MARTIN A. SIEGEL
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Photo
courtesy
of
Marcus
Spiske
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125167502@N02/

3. METHODS AREN'T MERELY
ENACTED IN PRACTICE
(Rogers, 2004; Stolterman & Pierce, 2012)
WE DON'T STUDY DESIGN PRACTICE
(IN GENERAL)
(Goodman, Stolterman, & Wakkary, 2011; Stolterman, 2008)

4. METHODS IN RESEARCH

5. ALL IS NOT AS IT SEEMS

6. (Roedl & Stolterman, 2013)
"...the researchers in their descriptions of
design practice commonly engage in
an over-generalization of design
situations. We found that the researchers
consistently referred to 'designers' or
'the design process' in a vague and
generic way." (p. 1952)

7. (Roedl & Stolterman, 2013)
"...a lack of consideration for practical
challenges in design work, such as
working within limited time and
resources" (p. 1953)

8. OUR STUDY
Image
courtesy
of
Sean
Munson
https://www.flickr.com/photos/83413148@N00

9. 13 UX PRACTITIONERS
Conception and use
of design methods
Information about
two specific methods

10. We define design methods broadly, as any
intellectual or practical support that a
practitioner might use to support the design
process in a positive way, encompassing
everything from everyday methods, techniques,
and tools for idea generation and collaboration,
such as the "pen and paper," whiteboard,
brainstorming, dialoguing, to methods and
applications for sketching and refining ideas.
DESIGN METHODS

11. Image
courtesy
of
Curtis
Gregory
Perry
https://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisperry/62118986
Image
courtesy
of
Sean
Munson
https://www.flickr.com/photos/83413148@N00

12. Yes No N/A
Affinity Diagramming
Concept 10 2 15%
Historical Context 0 12 16%
Affordances
Concept 10 1 23%
Historical Context 3 8 23%

13. Name
(Pseudonym)
Years of
Experience
Vocational
Background
Cheryl 10+ Business
Abbie 20+ Computer Science
Vicki 4 HCI
Phil 2 HCI
Jagdish 3 HCI

14. Too much "big language" and not
enough "beer and steak" interactions
with peers
ABBIE

15. "scrappy" design methods
v.
"textbook" design methods
VICKY

16. Designers want methods that are easy to
explain to their clients and easy to
visualize, for the purpose of assisting them
in communicating their design ideas.

17. Image
courtesy
of
See-­‐Ming
Lee
https://www.flickr.com/photos/seeminglee/4556156477
UNDERSTANDING "CORES" OF METHODS
&
ADAPTATION AND APPROPRIATION IN USE

18. A GENERATIVE MODEL

20. TRICKLE DOWN

22. BUBBLE UP (researcher led)

24. BUBBLE UP (practitioner led)

25. DIMENSIONS OF THE MODEL
• Disseminating agents
• Communities involved (and power relations)
• Location of appropriation/abduction

26. Image courtesy of Mary Madigan!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marypmadigan/9505064987
TRICKLING DOWN

27. Image courtesy of Mary Madigan!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marypmadigan/9505064987
TRICKLING DOWN
Slow & institutionalized
Uni-directional
Privileged

28. BUBBLING UP
Image courtesy of mullenkedheim!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mullenkedheim/5101515763

29. BUBBLING UP
Image courtesy of mullenkedheim!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mullenkedheim/5101515763
Practitioner
driven
Researcher
driven

30. BUBBLING UP
Image courtesy of mullenkedheim!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mullenkedheim/5101515763
Researcher
driven
STUDY OF DESIGN
PRACTICE IN SITU
!
VALUING PRACTICE ON
ITS OWN TERMS

31. BUBBLING UP
Image courtesy of mullenkedheim!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mullenkedheim/5101515763
Practitioner
driven
ENRICHING
DISSEMINATION OF
DESIGN KNOWLEDGE
!
LEGITIMATING DESIGN
KNOWLEDGE IN THE
RESEARCH COMMUNITY

32. BUBBLING UP
Image courtesy of mullenkedheim!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mullenkedheim/5101515763
Practitioner
driven
Researcher
driven

33. CYCLE AROUND

34. CYCLE AROUND
Tightly coupled
Iterative and constructive
Lessened power relations

35. WHAT'S NEXT?
• Exploring paths for future research and
dissemination
• Partnering with practitioners and generating/
legitimating design and practical knowledge

36. THANK YOU
NSF GRANT #1115532
!
!
UXDESIGNPRACTICE.COM | COLINGRAY.ME