…and That's What Gets Results: HCI Methods in OzCHI Publications

Abstract

What is HCI as a discipline? There is little data available on the analytical and methodological practices of the HCI community, particularly in generalist venues. This paper builds on recent research that has started to examine OzCHI as an HCI venue. While other examinations of HCI venues have considered the relative popularity of research topics and themes, we examine the methods being adopted by OzCHI authors. This is the first paper for over a decade to examine the methodologies being used at an HCI venue. We present a description of the relative balance of qualitative and quantitative work at OzCHI, and a close examination of the relative prevalence of a range of research methods. We also examine the relationships between analytical approach and gender, geography and—relying on recent changes to OzCHI—paper length. We find that the qualitative-quantitative split is not gender neutral, and has impact on page length of a paper, but is not affected by geography. Drawing on these insights we provide advice and guidance for future OzCHI organisers, and a research agenda for better understanding HCI as a discipline.