What type of study is this?

This is a Literature Review study.

October 17, 2025Open Access

The contributions of human-computer interaction to rethinking design: US-American and European perspectives on critical diversity and design

Key Points

The analysis reveals how the HCI community contributes to rethinking design for diverse populations, emphasizing social justice.
In-depth interviews with 16 HCI researchers in Europe are juxtaposed with US literature to uncover key similarities and differences.
Addressing critical diversity in design showcases the importance of power dynamics, underlining the need for diversity-aware practices.
The findings highlight the increasing responsibility of technology development to ensure just and participatory design solutions.

Abstract

This paper compares US-American and Western/Northern European perspectives on critical diversity and design with a focus on the human-computer interaction (HCI) community. HCI is a field of research and practice at the intersection of computer science, (service) system design, and technology development. It is increasingly concerned with improving the experiences of diverse populations in their interaction with technology through diversity-aware, participatory and just designs. Critical diversity in this context refers to an idea of diversity that centres social justice. Emerging perspectives on diversity and design in the USA and Europe highlight the role of power in design. Against this backdrop, the paper presents an analysis of in-depth expert interviews with 16 HCI researchers and designers based in Europe in comparison with a literature review of US-based perspectives in HCI. The juxtaposition of the two discourses reveals similarities and differences, and highlights the contributions of HCI to rethinking mainstream design practices.

Read Full Paperexternally

KI fragen

Bookmark

View Full Paper