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The Future of HCI-Policy Collaboration

Qian Yang, Richmond Y Wong, Steven J Jackson, Sabine Junginger, Margaret D Hagan, Thomas Gilbert, John Zimmerman

TL;DR

The paper addresses the uneven impact of policy on computation by reframing HCI-policy collaboration as a central, integrative concern rather than a boundary issue. It proposes a new problem-solution frame and a mosaic of trans-disciplinary methods that fuse system, human, and policy expertise across empirical, design, and futuring work. Drawing on a literature review and a CHI 2023 workshop, it documents limited recognition of cross-disciplinary methods and identifies concrete opportunities for individual projects and collective impact. It further outlines actionable pathways—education, institutional support, and coordinated engagement—to amplify HCI’s policy influence and improve real-world outcomes.

Abstract

Policies significantly shape computation's societal impact, a crucial HCI concern. However, challenges persist when HCI professionals attempt to integrate policy into their work or affect policy outcomes. Prior research considered these challenges at the ``border'' of HCI and policy. This paper asks: What if HCI considers policy integral to its intellectual concerns, placing system-people-policy interaction not at the border but nearer the center of HCI research, practice, and education? What if HCI fosters a mosaic of methods and knowledge contributions that blend system, human, and policy expertise in various ways, just like HCI has done with blending system and human expertise? We present this re-imagined HCI-policy relationship as a provocation and highlight its usefulness: It spotlights previously overlooked system-people-policy interaction work in HCI. It unveils new opportunities for HCI's futuring, empirical, and design projects. It allows HCI to coordinate its diverse policy engagements, enhancing its collective impact on policy outcomes.

The Future of HCI-Policy Collaboration

TL;DR

The paper addresses the uneven impact of policy on computation by reframing HCI-policy collaboration as a central, integrative concern rather than a boundary issue. It proposes a new problem-solution frame and a mosaic of trans-disciplinary methods that fuse system, human, and policy expertise across empirical, design, and futuring work. Drawing on a literature review and a CHI 2023 workshop, it documents limited recognition of cross-disciplinary methods and identifies concrete opportunities for individual projects and collective impact. It further outlines actionable pathways—education, institutional support, and coordinated engagement—to amplify HCI’s policy influence and improve real-world outcomes.

Abstract

Policies significantly shape computation's societal impact, a crucial HCI concern. However, challenges persist when HCI professionals attempt to integrate policy into their work or affect policy outcomes. Prior research considered these challenges at the ``border'' of HCI and policy. This paper asks: What if HCI considers policy integral to its intellectual concerns, placing system-people-policy interaction not at the border but nearer the center of HCI research, practice, and education? What if HCI fosters a mosaic of methods and knowledge contributions that blend system, human, and policy expertise in various ways, just like HCI has done with blending system and human expertise? We present this re-imagined HCI-policy relationship as a provocation and highlight its usefulness: It spotlights previously overlooked system-people-policy interaction work in HCI. It unveils new opportunities for HCI's futuring, empirical, and design projects. It allows HCI to coordinate its diverse policy engagements, enhancing its collective impact on policy outcomes.
Paper Structure (46 sections, 1 figure)

This paper contains 46 sections, 1 figure.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Key Concepts
  3. Policy
  4. "Understanding" Policy, "Designing" Policy
  5. "Productive" HCI-Policy Collaboration
  6. Problem-Solution Frames
  7. Background
  8. Current Problem-Solution Frame #1
  9. Current Problem-Solution Frame #2
  10. Research Activities
  11. Literature Review
  12. Community Inputs and Discussions
  13. Data Limitations
  14. Data Synthesis
  15. Policy as Integral to HCI’s Intellectual Concerns
  16. ...and 31 more sections

Figures (1)

  • Figure 1: The many ways autonomous vehicle (AV) behavior design, city design, and law and policy interact in the U.S. legal context. They enable (green arrows) and constrain (red arrows) each other CHI23WS:Sandhaus_AVCityPolicy.