Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Culture Matters in HCI

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Cultures in Human-Computer Interaction

Part of the book series: Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Informatics ((SLHCI))

  • 133 Accesses

Abstract

Why is culture relevant in HCI? This chapter addresses this question by presenting some arguments for and against the importance of culture in HCI. Chapters 4 and 5 also address this question by presenting the main conceptual perspectives of culture within HCI and how this concept has been operationalized in the field.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    While other books, synthesis, and edited collections have addressed topics so important like usability and user experience (see, for example, this Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Informatics), the author is not aware of any that provides a synthesis of culture in HCI research. Publications that deal with approaches to address culture in HCI, and that examine research on culture across different periods and sources (journals/conference proceedings) have been conducted and are included in this synthesis. These individual works address particular aspects. This synthesis brings them together.

References

  • Ai He, H., Memarovic, N., Sabiescu, A., & De Moor, A. (2015). CulTech2015: Cultural diversity and technology design. C&T, 27–30-June, 153–156. https://doi.org/10.1145/2768545.2768561.

  • Airoldi. (2022). Machine habitus. Toward a sociology of algorithms. Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, R., Murray, D., & Thompson, N. (2017a). Cross-cultural web design guidelines. In Proceedings of the 14th Web for All Conference, W4A 2017. https://doi.org/10.1145/3058555.3058574.

  • Alexander, R., Thompson, N., & Murray, D. (2017b). Towards cultural translation of websites: A large-scale study of Australian, Chinese, and Saudi Arabian design preferences. Behaviour & Information Technology, 36(4), 351–363. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2016.1234646.

  • Alexander, R., Thompson, N., McGill, T., & Murray, D. (2021). The influence of user culture on website usability. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 154, 102688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2021.102688.

  • Alshehri, T., Kirkham, R., & Olivier, P. (2020). Scenario co-creation cards: A culturally sensitive tool for eliciting values. In Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—Proceedings (Issue 1, pp. 1–14). https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376608.

  • Arawjo, I. (2020). To write code: The cultural fabrication of programming notation and practice. In Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—Proceedings (pp. 1–15). https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376731.

  • Aykin, N. (Ed.). (2005). Usability and internationalization of information technology. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1109/memb.2006.1578651

  • Baeza-Yates, R. (2018). Bias on the web. Commun. ACM 61, 6(June 2018), 54–61. https://doi.org/10.1145/3209581.

  • Bannon, L. J. (1991). From human factors to human actors the role of psychology and human-computer interaction studies in systems design. In Design at work: Cooperative design of computer systems (pp. 25–44).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bannon, L. (2011). Reimagining HCI: Toward a more human-centered perspective. Interactions, 29, 50–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, G. (2006). The age of the thumb: A cultural reading of mobile technologies from Asia. Knowledge, Technology, & Policy, 19(2), 41–57. https://doi.org/10.14361/9783839404034-004.

  • Benjamin, R (2019). Race after technology. Abolitionist tools for the new Jim code. Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bødker, S. (2006). When second wave HCI meets third wave challenges. NordiCHI, October, 14–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourges-Waldegg and Scrivener, 1998 Bourges-Waldegg, P., & Scrivener S. A. R. (1998). Meaning, the central issue in cross-cultural HCI design. Interacting with Computers, 9(3), 287−309. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0953-5438(97)00032-5

  • Breazeal, C., Dautenhahn, K., & Kanda, T. (2016). Social robotics. In B. Siciliano & O. Khatib (Eds.), Springer handbook of robotics (pp. 1935–1961). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bryan-Kinns, N., Wang, W., & Ji, T. (2022). Qi2He: A co-design framework inspired by eastern epistemology. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 160, 102773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2022.102773.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, P. (2009). Cultural hybridity. Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cannanure, V. K., Nemer, D., & Sturm, C. (2022). HCI across borders: Navigating shifting borders at CHI. In Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—Proceedings.

    Google Scholar 

  • Card, S., Moran, T., & Newell, A. (1983). The psychology of human-computer interaction. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cave, S., & Dihal, K. (2020). The whiteness of AI. Philosophy & Technology, 33, 685–703. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-020-00415-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chavan, A. L. (2005). Another culture, another method evaluation bollywood style. Human Factors.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chien, S.-Y., Lewis, M., Sycara, K., Kumru, A., & Liu, J.-S. (2020). Influence of culture, transparency, trust, and degree of automation on automation use. IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, 50(3), 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1109/THMS.2019.2931755.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clemmensen, T. (2011). Templates for cross-cultural and culturally specific usability testing: Results from field studies and ethnographic interviewing in three countries. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 27(7), 634–669. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2011.555303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clemmensen, T., & Roese, K. (2010). An overview of a decade of journal publications about culture and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 316, 98–112. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11762-6_9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cordella, M., & Poiani, A. (2021). Fulfilling ageing. Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Del Galdo, E. M., & Nielsen, J. (Eds.). (1996). International user interfaces. Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, I., & Liu, Z. (Eds.). (2011). Global usability. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-304-6.

  • Dourish, P. (2016). Algorithms and their others: Algorithmic culture in context. Big Data and Society, 3(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951716665128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • du Gay, P., Hall, S., Janes, L., Mackay, H., & Negus, K. (2003). Doing cultural studies. The story of the Sony Walkman. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekuan, K. (2000). The aesthetics of the Japanese lunchbox. The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandes, T. (1994). Global interface design: A guide to designing international user interfaces. In CHI (pp. 373–374).

    Google Scholar 

  • Frandsen-Thorlacius, O., Hornbæk, K., Hertzum, M., & Clemmensen, T. (2009). Non-universal usability? A survey of how usability is understood by Chinese and Danish users. In Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—Proceedings (pp. 41–50). https://doi.org/10.1145/1518701.1518708.

  • Friedman, T. (2005). The world if flat. A brief history of the 21st century.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goulding, A., Campbell-Meier, J., & Sylvester, A. (2020). Indigenous cultural sustainability in a digital world: Two case studies from Aotearoa New Zealand. In A. Sundqvist, G. Berget, J. Nolin, & K. I. Skjerdingstad (Eds.), Sustainable digital communities (Vol. 12051, pp. 66–75). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43687-2_5.

  • Grudin, J. (2012). A moving target: The evolution of human-computer interaction. In J. Jacko (Ed.), The human-computer interaction handbook. Fundamentals, evolving technologies, and emerging applications. CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grudin, J. (2017). From tool to partner: The evolution of human-computer interaction. In Synthesis lectures on human-centered informatics (Vol. 10, No. 1). Morgan and Claypool. https://doi.org/10.2200/S00745ED1V01Y201612HCI035.

  • Hakken, D., & Maté, P. (2014). The culture question in participatory design. In Proceedings of the 13th Participatory Design Conference: Short Papers, Industry Cases, Workshop Descriptions, Doctoral Consortium Papers, and Keynote Abstracts (Vol. 2, pp. 87–91). https://doi.org/10.1145/2662155.2662197.

  • Hao, C., Van Boeijen, A., & Stappers, P. J. (2017). Cultura: A communication toolkit for designers to gain empathic insights across cultural boundaries. In Proceedings of the IASDR Conference RE: Research (pp. 497–510). https://doi.org/10.7945/C2SD5J.

  • Harper, R., Rodden, T., Rogers, Y., & Sellen, A (Eds.). (2007). Being human: Human computer interaction in the year 2020. https://doi.org/10.1145/1467247.1467265.

  • Harrison, S., Sengers, P., & Tatar, D. (2011). Making epistemological trouble: Third- paradigm HCI as successor science. Interacting with Computers, 23(5), 385–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intcom.2011.03.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hassenzahl, M. (2010). Experience design. Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hertzum, M. (2010). Images of usability. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 26(6), 567–600. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447311003781300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodgson, A., Siemieniuch, C. E., & Hubbard, E.-M. (2013). Culture and the safety of complex automated sociotechnical systems. IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, 43(6), 608–619. https://doi.org/10.1109/THMS.2013.2285048.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations. McGraw Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchins, E. (1995). Cognition in the wild. The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irani, L. (2010). HCI on the move: Methods, culture, values. In Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—Proceedings (pp. 2939–2942). https://doi.org/10.1145/1753846.1753890.

  • Kamppuri, M., Bednarik, R., & Tukiainen, M. (2006). The expanding focus of HCI: Case culture. ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, 189(October), 405–408. https://doi.org/10.1145/1182475.1182523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimura-Thollander, P., & Kumar, N. (2019). Examining the “global” language of emojis: Designing for cultural representation. In Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—Proceedings (pp. 1–14). https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300725.

  • Lee, H. R., Sung, J., Sabanovic, S., & Han, J. (2012). Cultural design of domestic robots: A study of user expectations in Korea and the United States. In Proceedings—IEEE International Workshop on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (pp. 803–808). https://doi.org/10.1109/ROMAN.2012.6343850.

  • Leiva, L. A., & Alabau, V. (2015). Automatic internationalization for just in time localization of web-based user interfaces. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 22(3), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1145/2701422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linxen, S., Cassau, V., & Sturm, C. (2021). Culture and HCI: A still slowly growing field of research. Findings from a systematic, comparative mapping review. In ACM International Conference Proceeding Series. https://doi.org/10.1145/3471391.3471421.

  • Mankoff, J., Hayes, G. R., & Kasnitz, D. (2010). Disability studies as a source of critical inquiry for the field of assistive technology. In ASSETS’10—Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (pp. 3–10). https://doi.org/10.1145/1878803.1878807.

  • Marcus, A., & Gould, E. W. (2000). Cultural dimensions and global web user-interface design. Interactions, 32–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcus, A. (2001). International and intercultural user interfaces. In Stephanidis, C (Ed.) User interfaces for all. Concepts, Methods, and Tools (pp. 47–65). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsden, G., Maunder, A., & Parker, M. (2008). People are people, but technology is not technology. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 366(1881), 3795–3804. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2008.0119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merritt, S., & Stolterman, E. (2012). Cultural hybridity in participatory design. PDC, 73–76. https://doi.org/10.1145/2348144.2348168.

  • Nielsen, J., Del Galdo, E. M., & Sprung, R. C. (1990). Designing for international use. In Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—Proceedings, April (pp. 291–294). https://doi.org/10.1145/97243.97298.

  • Norman, D. (2004). Emotional design. Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oudshoorn, N., & Pinch, T. (Eds.). (2003). How users matter. The co-construction of users and technologies. The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.1353/tech.2006.0041.

  • Pereira, R., & Baranauskas, M. C. C. (2015). A value-oriented and culturally informed approach to the design of interactive systems. International Journal of Human Computer Studies, 80, 66–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2015.04.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Recabarren, M., & Nussbaum, M. (2010). Exploring the feasibility of web form adaptation to users’ cultural dimension scores. User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction, 20(1), 87–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11257-010-9071-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reinecke, K., & Bernstein, A. (2011). Improving performance, perceived usability, and aesthetics with culturally adaptive user interfaces. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 18(2), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1145/1970378.1970382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russo, P., & Boor, S. (1993). How fluent is your interface? Designing for international users. Interchi, 342–347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salgado, L., Faria, C., & Sieckenius de Souza, C. (2013). A journey through cultures. Springer Human-Computer Interaction Series.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samani, H., Saadatian, E., Pang, N., Polydorou, D., Fernando, O. N. N., Nakatsu, R., & Koh, J. T. K. V. (2013). Cultural robotics: The culture of robotics and robotics in culture. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 10, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.5772/57260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sayago, S (Ed.) (2019). Perspectives on human-computer interaction research with older people. Springer Human-Computer Interaction Series.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shneiderman, B., Plaisant, C., Cohen, M., Jacobs, S., Elmqvist, N., & Diakopoulos, N. (2016). Grand challenges for HCI researchers. Interactions, 23(5), 24–25. https://doi.org/10.1145/2977645.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, N., & Pereira, A. (2005). The culturally customized web site. Elsevier.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Striphas, T. (2015). Algorithmic culture. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 18(4–5), 395–412. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549415577392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sturm, C., Oh, A., Linxen, S., Abdelnour-Nocera, J., Dray, S., & Reinecke, K. (2015). How WEIRD is HCI? Extending HCI principles to other countries and cultures. In Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems—Proceedings (Vol. 18, pp. 2425–2428). https://doi.org/10.1145/2702613.2702656.

  • Triandis, H. (1995). Individualism & collectivism. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the screen. Identity in the age of the Internet. Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together. Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Umoja, S (2018). Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism. New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity. Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Vatrapu, R., & Perez-Quinones, M. (2006). Culture and usability evaluation: The effects of culture in structured interviews. Journal of Usability Studies, 1(4), 156–170. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.101.5837.

  • Visescu, I. D. (2021). The impact of culture on visual design perception. In C. Ardito, R. Lanzilotti, A. Malizia, H. Petrie, A. Piccinno, G. Desolda, & K. Inkpen (Eds.), Human-Computer Interaction—INTERACT 2021 (Vol. 12936, pp. 499–503). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85607-6_66.

  • Winschiers, H. (2006). The challenges of participatory design in an intercultural context: Designing for usability in Namibia. In Proceedings of the Participatory Design Conference (pp. 73–76). http://ojs.ruc.dk/index.php/pdc/article/view/375.

  • Winschiers, H., & Fendler, J. (2007). Assumptions considered harmful the need to redefine usability. In N. Aykin (Ed.), Usability and Internationalization, Part I, HCII 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winschiers-Theophilus, H., Chivuno-Kuria, S., Kapuire, G. K., Bidwell, N. J., & Blake, E. (2010). Being participated—A community approach. PDC, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1145/1900441.1900443.

  • Wu, H., Gai, J., Wang, Y., Liu, J., Qiu, J., Wang, J., & Zhang, X. (2020). Influence of cultural factors on freehand gesture design. International Journal of Human Computer Studies, 143(February 2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2020.102502.

  • You, S., Kim, M., & Lim, Y. (2016). Value of culturally oriented information design. Universal Access in the Information Society, 15(3), 369–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-014-0393-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Lleida (Campus Igualada), Igualada, Spain

    Sergio Sayago

Authors
  1. Sergio Sayago
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Sayago, S. (2023). Culture Matters in HCI. In: Cultures in Human-Computer Interaction. Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Informatics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30243-5_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation