Interaction criticism and aesthetics

As HCI becomes more self-consciously implicated in culture, theories from cultural studies, in particular aesthetics and critical theory, are increasingly working their way into the field. However, the use of aesthetics and critical theory in HCI remains both marginal and uneven in quality. This paper explores the state of the art of aesthetics and critical theory in the field, before going on to explore the role of these cultural theories in the analysis and deployment of the twin anchors of interaction: the user and the artifact. In concludes with a proposed mapping of aesthetics and critical theory into interaction design, both as a practice and as a discipline. Author Keywords HCI, interaction design, interaction criticism, aesthetics, critical theory, cultural theory ACM Classification Keywords H5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI): Miscellaneous.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Jeffrey Bardzell
• Keywords: Aesthetics, CHI 2009, Critical Theory, Interaction Design