HCI Research as Problem-Solving

@article{Oulasvirta2016HCIRA,
  title={HCI Research as Problem-Solving},
  author={Antti Oulasvirta and Kasper Hornb{\ae}k},
  journal={Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
  year={2016}
}
This essay contributes a meta-scientific account of human-computer interaction (HCI) research as problem-solving. We build on the philosophy of Larry Laudan, who develops problem and solution as the foundational concepts of science. We argue that most HCI research is about three main types of problem: empirical, conceptual, and constructive. We elaborate upon Laudan's concept of problem-solving capacity as a universal criterion for determining the progress of solutions (outcomes): Instead of… 
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