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.
Author(s): Sergio Sayago
Series: Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Informatics
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 121
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Contents
About the Author
1 Introduction
1.1 Motivation, Objectives, and Readership
1.2 Culture in This Book
1.3 Main Contributions
1.4 Overview
References
2 The Concept of Culture: A Short and Guided Overview
2.1 Origin and Development; from Culture to Cultures
2.2 Importance, Complexity, and Diversity
2.3 Key Ingredients of Culture
2.3.1 Culture is Learned, Shared, and Emerges in Interaction
2.3.2 Humans Cannot Do Without Culture
2.3.3 Culture Does Not Exist Independently of People
2.4 Cultural Change and Persistence
2.5 Overarching Perspectives of Culture
2.5.1 Culture as Meaning—The Interpretive Perspective
2.5.2 Culture as Identity—The Intergroup Perspective
2.5.3 Culture as Power—The Critical Perspective
2.6 What Culture Is Not
References
3 Culture Matters in HCI
3.1 Some Arguments Against and for the Relevance of Culture in HCI
3.2 Culture Matters in HCI: Some Reasons
3.2.1 Shaping User Interface Design
3.2.2 A Diversely Growing and Active User Base
3.2.3 Usability Is Not the Same Here and There
3.2.4 Culture Matters in Technology Design
3.2.5 An Endless Loop: Culture in Technology, Technology in Culture
3.2.6 HCI Evolution and Challenges
References
4 Conceptual Perspectives of Culture Within HCI
4.1 Main Conceptual Perspectives
4.1.1 Culture as the Software of the Mind
4.1.2 Culture as Communication
4.1.3 Culture as a System of Thought
4.2 Other Related Perspectives
4.2.1 Culture as Solving Problems
4.2.2 Individualism/Collectivism
4.2.3 Culture as a Toolkit
4.2.4 Subcultures/Counter-Cultures
References
5 The Operationalization of Culture in HCI
5.1 A Profile of Research: Increasing, Mostly Quantitative
5.1.1 Period: 1990–2005. Sources: Journals and ACM CHI
5.1.2 Period: 1998–2007. Source: Journals
5.1.3 Period: 2010; 2016–2020. Sources: Journals and ACM CHI
5.2 Two Main Approaches: Taxonomic and Contingent
5.2.1 Examples of Taxonomic Research
5.2.2 Examples of Contingent Research
5.3 Main Functions
5.3.1 Meaning
5.3.2 Explain Differences
5.3.3 Deal With and Reduce Complexity
5.3.4 A Source of Inspiration and Reflection
References
6 Some Open Issues
6.1 Theoretical Issues
6.1.1 The Concept of Culture: A Definitive or a Sensitizing One?
6.1.2 Reflecting Further on Theory
6.2 Practical Issues
6.2.1 Understanding Further the Differences (and Similarities)
6.2.2 Beyond Students and Nationalities: Towards More Diversity
6.2.3 Bringing Together Taxonomic and Contingent Perspectives: A Way Forward?
6.3 Controversial Issues
6.3.1 Solutions to Cultural Issues: Always Technological?
6.3.2 Culture as a Stereotyping Mechanism
6.3.3 Cultural Design
References
7 Conclusion
Bibliography
