Abstract There are major geopolitical challenges for human-computer interaction (HCI): there may be little or no global HCI knowledge with a shared approach and identity; Western HCI theory and methods may not be adequate for regional or local models of education and practice; and the global organization of HCI research communities may be biased. This article explores geopolitical tensions in HCI research and practice fields. In particular, it offers an action-oriented framework to support systematic analysis and comparison of what HCI, as a field of knowledge and practice, is in different geopolitical contexts. We use activity theory combined with the knowledge mobilization framework to develop an actionable comparative analysis framework of geopolitical HCI challenges. The proposed framework is demonstrated by using it to analyse geopolitical HCI tensions in three case studies: the first one is focused on cultural and ideological issues surrounding the introduction of global HCI curricula in South Africa; the second one documents how local design practices in China are undermined by foreign narratives of the value of global HCI knowledge; and the third one offers an account of how global HCI could stimulate subversive local action in Colombia. The discussion takes up HCI tensions within and across countries, proposes a research agenda for geopolitical HCI research and presents theoretical contributions to activity theory and knowledge mobilization approaches. The conclusion answers research questions derived from the above challenges and summarizes how our framework and research agenda can be used to identify and assess geopolitical tensions in HCI ensuring diversity and pluralism in the field.

Abstract There is an emerging shift in human–computer interaction (HCI) research from things to events and towards time and temporality as a design material, which is made even more urgent by the unique time of the COVID-19 period. This paper pushes this shift forwards by investigating factors and the way that these shape online media multitasking behaviour over time during COVID-19. We model the factors along the WHAT and HOW dimensions of the HCI-over-Time model (HCIoT) with self-report data from 117 university students and objective behavioural data from 40 university students, who participated in an online course over 2 weeks during COVID-19. The results indicated a pervasiveness of media multitasking behaviour over time in an online course, driven by individual factors and enhanced by their mutual fit. Based on interpretation of our data, we suggest conceptualizing the COVID-19 period as the larger temporal environment in the HCIoT model. The discussion further explains how the broader idea of human–computer-environment fit is significant to understand HCIoT through an interaction lens. We discuss methodological issues related to differentiating between self-report and behavioural measures when applying the HCIoT model. The conclusion supports the feasibility and significance of conceptualizing media multitasking during COVID-19 as temporal HCI and of further developing and operationalizing the HCIoT model by using both behavioural and self-report measures.

This paper is the first time to report the results of a recent survey of user-centered design (UCD) practice in China, conducted in 2007. The survey involved over four hundred respondents who were at the User Friendly conference or attended other UCD related activities. The survey identified, e.g. practitioners' demographics and experience, the type of organization, the usage frequency of methods that are commonly used in usability community, and UCD process and assessment on it. The results indicate, UCD practice in China industries is very young, and growing fast; currently almost all UCD practice are applied in IT related business; practitioners need improvement on UCD knowledge. These findings have implications for solving the problem that how to use and integrate UCD methods and techniques into product development process.