Blogs

  • Extremes of user experience and design thinking: Beards and mustaches

    Aaron Marcus Posted: Fri, March 25, 2016 - 11:04:27

    The characteristics that differentiate us human beings, and at the same time unite people from different regions of the world is a matter that fascinates me. Recently, I had a…

  • Designing the cognitive future, part IX: High-level impacts

    Juan Hourcade Posted: Tue, March 22, 2016 - 10:27:21

    In previous blog posts I have been writing about how interactive technologies are changing or may change our cognitive processes. In this post I reflect on the high-level impact of…

  • Critiquing scholarly positions

    Jeffrey Bardzell Posted: Tue, March 15, 2016 - 12:13:32

    If I am right that HCI and neighboring fields will increasingly rely on the essay as a means of scholarly contribution and debate in the future, then it follows that…

  • Technological determinism

    Jonathan Grudin Posted: Wed, March 09, 2016 - 12:21:43

    Swords and arrows were doomed as weapons of war by the invention of a musket that anyone could load, point, and shoot. A well-trained archer was more accurate, but equipping…

  • How efficient can one be? Productivity and pleasure in the 21st century

    Aaron Marcus Posted: Wed, February 17, 2016 - 10:40:51

    Once, I had to take part in an international conference call at 9 a.m. West Coast time, but I had also scheduled my semi-annual dental appointment at 9 a.m. What…

  • A dark pattern in humanistic HCI

    Jeffrey Bardzell Posted: Tue, February 09, 2016 - 2:52:11

    I have noticed a dark pattern among papers that align themselves with critical or humanistic approaches to HCI. I myself have been guilty of contributing to that pattern (though I…

  • Wrong about MOOCs

    Jonathan Grudin Posted: Thu, January 28, 2016 - 3:04:01

    This blog began in January 2013. There was a quid pro quo: You take the time to read my informal posts on a range of topics, I post observations only…

  • Designing functional design teams

    Ashley Karr Posted: Tue, January 19, 2016 - 3:10:30

    My Top Three Takeaways from Years of Researching and Designing Functional Teams: Dysfunction in a design is a direct reflection of dysfunction in a team and or organization. People should…

  • Job growth

    Jonathan Grudin Posted: Mon, January 11, 2016 - 10:03:16

    Automation endangers blue and white collar work. This refrain is heard often, but could new job creation keep pace with job loss? Some leading technologists forecast that few of us…

  • Heartbreak House

    Deborah Tatar Posted: Thu, January 07, 2016 - 10:30:53

    Years ago, when I read Bernard Shaw’s play Heartbreak House, I didn’t like it and it made me angry. Written before WWI and (not surprisingly) set in England, it focused…