The Limits of HCD

Abstract

Human-centred design (HCD) is just that: human-centred. As we approach the limits of Earth's biophysical systems, it no longer feels appropriate to place humans at the centre of design decisions. Yet HCD and its ISO-ISO-9241-210:2010-continue to be powerful and popular tools within many computing and design departments, as well as in their a liated industries. ese design approaches are perpetuating the trend of incremental improvements to the living standards of the already privileged and digitally connected whilst ignoring the broader environmental and socio-political e ects of digital technologies. In this paper, we a empt to reimagine HCD and its ISO by drawing on elds and concepts such as sustainable interaction design (SID), animal-computer interaction (ACI), and object oriented ontology (OOO). rough this, we contribute a preliminary set of proposals about what needs to change with HCD and its ISO. We close by discussing the ISO development process and suggesting routes for environmentally concerned researchers to in uence the evolution of HCD's ISO. CCS CONCEPTS •General and →Computing standards, RFCs and guidelines; •Human-centered computing →HCI design and evaluation methods; HCI theory, concepts and models; User centered design; •Social and professional topics →Governmental regulations;

HCI’s Role in the Capitalocene: Lessons Learned from an HCI Master Course Across the Globe

“…On the one hand, this difficulty lies in the fundamental role computing technology plays in the Capitalocene. It both directly depends on extractivist modes of relating to the natural world and Cheap Nature through the use of metals and minerals in the manufacturing of its physical components but is also part of the infrastructure that enables economic expansion and globalization -itself a product of complex global economic relations as well as deeply rooted in Eurocentric humanism [10,82]. How is one to escape from this fundamental entanglement?…”

The IoT and Unpacking the Heffalump’s Trunk

“…The foundations of HCD are in ergonomics with the aim of supporting the "ways in which both hardware and software components of interactive systems can enhance human-system interaction" [43]. Despite being demonstrably useful [2,16] this engineering derived paradigm relied on simplifications of complex contexts [11,13,38]. These reductive stances are incompatible with other more modern approaches that have become integral to HCD and acknowledge "the coherence of action is not adequately explained by either preconceived cognitive schema or institutionalized social norms" [36:177].…”

Lickable Cities

“…We believe that the emerging community of researchers who claim to be concerned with more-than-human interaction and animal-centred design (e.g. [16,27,29]) might be able to identify additional more-than-human challenges.…”