2023
Gray, Colin M; Williams, Rua M; Parsons, Paul C; Toombs, Austin L; Westbrook, Abbee
Trajectories of Student Engagement with Social Justice-Informed Design Work Book Section
In: Hokanson, Brad; Exter, Marisa; Schmidt, Matthew M; Tawfik, Andrew A (Ed.): Toward Inclusive Learning Design: Social Justice, Equity, and Community, pp. 289–301, Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, 2023, ISSN: 2625-0012.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory, Design Education, Digital Civics, Ethics and Values, HCI Education, Studio Pedagogy, UX Practice
@incollection{Gray2023-sf,
title = {Trajectories of Student Engagement with Social Justice-Informed Design Work},
author = {Colin M Gray and Rua M Williams and Paul C Parsons and Austin L Toombs and Abbee Westbrook},
editor = {Brad Hokanson and Marisa Exter and Matthew M Schmidt and Andrew A Tawfik},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9_22},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9_22},
issn = {2625-0012},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
urldate = {2023-01-01},
booktitle = {Toward Inclusive Learning Design: Social Justice, Equity, and
Community},
pages = {289–301},
publisher = {Springer Nature Switzerland},
address = {Cham},
abstract = {Designers are increasingly interested in using methodologies
that foreground the politics of design, moving beyond
product-centered notions of work that are common even within
human-centered design traditions. In this paper, we document the
experiences of undergraduate UX design students as they used a
digital civics approach to support local community needs. We
highlight how students sought to frame their design work and
outcomes, describing successful and unsuccessful trajectories of
engagement with social justice principles.},
keywords = {Critical Theory, Design Education, Digital Civics, Ethics and Values, HCI Education, Studio Pedagogy, UX Practice},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
Designers are increasingly interested in using methodologies
that foreground the politics of design, moving beyond
product-centered notions of work that are common even within
human-centered design traditions. In this paper, we document the
experiences of undergraduate UX design students as they used a
digital civics approach to support local community needs. We
highlight how students sought to frame their design work and
outcomes, describing successful and unsuccessful trajectories of
engagement with social justice principles.
that foreground the politics of design, moving beyond
product-centered notions of work that are common even within
human-centered design traditions. In this paper, we document the
experiences of undergraduate UX design students as they used a
digital civics approach to support local community needs. We
highlight how students sought to frame their design work and
outcomes, describing successful and unsuccessful trajectories of
engagement with social justice principles.
2022
Gray, Colin M
Building an Ethnographic Toolbox: Engaging Analog and Digital Tools in Virtual and Physical Spaces Journal Article
In: TechTrends, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 56–67, 2022, ISSN: 1559-7075.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory, Design Education, Instructional Design, Research Methods
@article{Gray2022-bj,
title = {Building an Ethnographic Toolbox: Engaging Analog and Digital Tools in Virtual and Physical Spaces},
author = {Colin M Gray},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-021-00680-y},
doi = {10.1007/s11528-021-00680-y},
issn = {1559-7075},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
urldate = {2022-01-01},
journal = {TechTrends},
volume = {66},
number = {1},
pages = {56--67},
abstract = {Studio pedagogy has been used as a comprehensive approach to
prepare students to practice within their chosen discipline of
design. However, little is known about how students experience
these learning environments, including the interplay of social
and educational experiences that support the development of
expertise and identity. To explore and evaluate this complexity,
I used a critical ethnographic approach to immerse myself for one
year in a physical studio and set of Facebook groups, which in
parallel supported students' learning experience. I describe the
``ethnographic toolbox'' that I built and utilized to inform
interpretations of the physical and virtual learning
environments. This toolbox included analog and digital tools,
along with many forms of sensemaking, archiving, and engagement
with metadata that both structured and enabled my role as an
ethnographer. I describe the set of tools, and use vignettes to
illustrate how these tools were used in physical and virtual
environments.},
keywords = {Critical Theory, Design Education, Instructional Design, Research Methods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Studio pedagogy has been used as a comprehensive approach to
prepare students to practice within their chosen discipline of
design. However, little is known about how students experience
these learning environments, including the interplay of social
and educational experiences that support the development of
expertise and identity. To explore and evaluate this complexity,
I used a critical ethnographic approach to immerse myself for one
year in a physical studio and set of Facebook groups, which in
parallel supported students' learning experience. I describe the
``ethnographic toolbox'' that I built and utilized to inform
interpretations of the physical and virtual learning
environments. This toolbox included analog and digital tools,
along with many forms of sensemaking, archiving, and engagement
with metadata that both structured and enabled my role as an
ethnographer. I describe the set of tools, and use vignettes to
illustrate how these tools were used in physical and virtual
environments.
prepare students to practice within their chosen discipline of
design. However, little is known about how students experience
these learning environments, including the interplay of social
and educational experiences that support the development of
expertise and identity. To explore and evaluate this complexity,
I used a critical ethnographic approach to immerse myself for one
year in a physical studio and set of Facebook groups, which in
parallel supported students' learning experience. I describe the
``ethnographic toolbox'' that I built and utilized to inform
interpretations of the physical and virtual learning
environments. This toolbox included analog and digital tools,
along with many forms of sensemaking, archiving, and engagement
with metadata that both structured and enabled my role as an
ethnographer. I describe the set of tools, and use vignettes to
illustrate how these tools were used in physical and virtual
environments.
Light, Ann; Gray, Colin M; Lindström, Kristina; Forlano, Laura; Lockton, Dan; Speed, Chris
Designing Transformative Futures Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the Design Research Society Conference, Bilbao, Spain, 2022.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory, Design Methods, Ethics and Values, Research Methods
@inproceedings{Light2022-cj,
title = {Designing Transformative Futures},
author = {Ann Light and Colin M Gray and Kristina Lindström and Laura Forlano and Dan Lockton and Chris Speed},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.896
https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022_Lightetal_DRS_DesigningTransformativeFutures.pdf},
doi = {10.21606/drs.2022.896},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
urldate = {2022-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Design Research Society Conference},
address = {Bilbao, Spain},
abstract = {What makes the design of futures sufficiently transformative?
Worldwide, people are aware of the need to change and keep
changing to address eco-social challenges and their fall-out in
an age of crises and transitions in climate, biodiversity, and
health. Calls for climate justice and the development of
eco-social sensibilities speak to the need for dynamic and
provisional engagements. Such concerns raise age-old issues of
inequality and colonialist destruction. Our designs carry the
imprint of this current politics, wittingly or unwittingly, into
worlds to come. This conversation asked how might we respond
fluidly to coming uncertainties, questioning our own practices
to sow the seeds of more radical transformation, while
recognizing the structural forces that can limit or temper
opportunities for design activism. It was organized in three
quadrant exercises, which we also reflect upon.},
keywords = {Critical Theory, Design Methods, Ethics and Values, Research Methods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
What makes the design of futures sufficiently transformative?
Worldwide, people are aware of the need to change and keep
changing to address eco-social challenges and their fall-out in
an age of crises and transitions in climate, biodiversity, and
health. Calls for climate justice and the development of
eco-social sensibilities speak to the need for dynamic and
provisional engagements. Such concerns raise age-old issues of
inequality and colonialist destruction. Our designs carry the
imprint of this current politics, wittingly or unwittingly, into
worlds to come. This conversation asked how might we respond
fluidly to coming uncertainties, questioning our own practices
to sow the seeds of more radical transformation, while
recognizing the structural forces that can limit or temper
opportunities for design activism. It was organized in three
quadrant exercises, which we also reflect upon.
Worldwide, people are aware of the need to change and keep
changing to address eco-social challenges and their fall-out in
an age of crises and transitions in climate, biodiversity, and
health. Calls for climate justice and the development of
eco-social sensibilities speak to the need for dynamic and
provisional engagements. Such concerns raise age-old issues of
inequality and colonialist destruction. Our designs carry the
imprint of this current politics, wittingly or unwittingly, into
worlds to come. This conversation asked how might we respond
fluidly to coming uncertainties, questioning our own practices
to sow the seeds of more radical transformation, while
recognizing the structural forces that can limit or temper
opportunities for design activism. It was organized in three
quadrant exercises, which we also reflect upon.
2021
Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Hasib, Aiza; Li, Ziqing; Chen, Jingle; Gray, Colin M
Identity Claims that Underlie Ethical Awareness and Action Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2021.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research
@inproceedings{Chivukula2021-oj,
title = {Identity Claims that Underlie Ethical Awareness and Action},
author = {Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Aiza Hasib and Ziqing Li and Jingle Chen and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2021_Chivukulaetal_CHI_IdentityClaimsEthicalAwarenessAction.pdf},
doi = {10.1145/3411764.3445375},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-05-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems},
series = {CHI'21},
abstract = {HCI and STS researchers have previously described the ethical
complexity of practice, drawing together aspects of
organizational complexity, design knowledge, and ethical
frameworks. Building on this work, we investigate the identity
claims and beliefs that impact practitioners' ability to
recognize and act upon ethical concerns in a range of
technology-focused disciplines. In this paper, we report results
from an interview study with 12 practitioners, identifying and
describing their identity claims related to ethical awareness
and action. We conducted a critically-focused thematic analysis
to identify eight distinct claims representing roles relating to
learning, educating, following policies, feeling a sense of
responsibility, being a member of a profession, a translator, an
activist, and deliberative. Based on our findings, we
demonstrate how the claims foreground building competence in
relation to ethical practice. We highlight the dynamic interplay
among these claims and point towards implications for identity
work in socio-technical contexts.},
keywords = {Critical Theory, Ethics and Values, Practice-Led Research},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
HCI and STS researchers have previously described the ethical
complexity of practice, drawing together aspects of
organizational complexity, design knowledge, and ethical
frameworks. Building on this work, we investigate the identity
claims and beliefs that impact practitioners' ability to
recognize and act upon ethical concerns in a range of
technology-focused disciplines. In this paper, we report results
from an interview study with 12 practitioners, identifying and
describing their identity claims related to ethical awareness
and action. We conducted a critically-focused thematic analysis
to identify eight distinct claims representing roles relating to
learning, educating, following policies, feeling a sense of
responsibility, being a member of a profession, a translator, an
activist, and deliberative. Based on our findings, we
demonstrate how the claims foreground building competence in
relation to ethical practice. We highlight the dynamic interplay
among these claims and point towards implications for identity
work in socio-technical contexts.
complexity of practice, drawing together aspects of
organizational complexity, design knowledge, and ethical
frameworks. Building on this work, we investigate the identity
claims and beliefs that impact practitioners' ability to
recognize and act upon ethical concerns in a range of
technology-focused disciplines. In this paper, we report results
from an interview study with 12 practitioners, identifying and
describing their identity claims related to ethical awareness
and action. We conducted a critically-focused thematic analysis
to identify eight distinct claims representing roles relating to
learning, educating, following policies, feeling a sense of
responsibility, being a member of a profession, a translator, an
activist, and deliberative. Based on our findings, we
demonstrate how the claims foreground building competence in
relation to ethical practice. We highlight the dynamic interplay
among these claims and point towards implications for identity
work in socio-technical contexts.
2020
Chivukula, Shruthi Sai; Gray, Colin M
Bardzell's "Feminist HCI" Legacy: Analyzing Citational Patterns Proceedings Article
In: CHI '20: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Extended Abstracts Proceedings, 2020.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory, Ethics and Values
@inproceedings{Chivukula2020-dv,
title = {Bardzell's "Feminist HCI" Legacy: Analyzing Citational Patterns},
author = {Shruthi Sai Chivukula and Colin M Gray},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2020_ChivukulaGray_CHILBW_FeministHCI.pdf
http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3334480.3382936},
doi = {10.1145/3334480.3382936},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-04-01},
booktitle = {CHI '20: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing
Systems Extended Abstracts Proceedings},
abstract = {In this late-breaking work, we describe the legacy of feminist
theory within HCI literature, focusing on Shaowen Bardzell's
seminal publication "Feminist HCI: Taking Stock and Outlining
an Agenda for Design," which was one of the first to propose
adoption of feminist theories into HCI research and practice.
We conducted a citation analysis of 70 published texts that cited
this paper, using the Harwood functions to identify how feminist
theory concepts have been cited in HCI and whether the
implementation of pro-posed frameworks has taken place. This
paper was mostly given 'credit,' and most frequently
'signposted' to keep readers on track of the topical issues in
HCI, with little evidence of explicit use or extension of
proposed frameworks. These results demonstrate a largely
one-dimensional impact, characterized by a lack of deep
engagement in feminist theories. We identify opportunities to
expand feminist approach to further improve research and
practice in HCI.},
keywords = {Critical Theory, Ethics and Values},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In this late-breaking work, we describe the legacy of feminist
theory within HCI literature, focusing on Shaowen Bardzell's
seminal publication "Feminist HCI: Taking Stock and Outlining
an Agenda for Design," which was one of the first to propose
adoption of feminist theories into HCI research and practice.
We conducted a citation analysis of 70 published texts that cited
this paper, using the Harwood functions to identify how feminist
theory concepts have been cited in HCI and whether the
implementation of pro-posed frameworks has taken place. This
paper was mostly given 'credit,' and most frequently
'signposted' to keep readers on track of the topical issues in
HCI, with little evidence of explicit use or extension of
proposed frameworks. These results demonstrate a largely
one-dimensional impact, characterized by a lack of deep
engagement in feminist theories. We identify opportunities to
expand feminist approach to further improve research and
practice in HCI.
theory within HCI literature, focusing on Shaowen Bardzell's
seminal publication "Feminist HCI: Taking Stock and Outlining
an Agenda for Design," which was one of the first to propose
adoption of feminist theories into HCI research and practice.
We conducted a citation analysis of 70 published texts that cited
this paper, using the Harwood functions to identify how feminist
theory concepts have been cited in HCI and whether the
implementation of pro-posed frameworks has taken place. This
paper was mostly given 'credit,' and most frequently
'signposted' to keep readers on track of the topical issues in
HCI, with little evidence of explicit use or extension of
proposed frameworks. These results demonstrate a largely
one-dimensional impact, characterized by a lack of deep
engagement in feminist theories. We identify opportunities to
expand feminist approach to further improve research and
practice in HCI.
2018
Kou, Yubo; Gray, Colin M; Toombs, Austin L; Nardi, Bonnie
The Politics of Titling: The Representation of Countries in CHI Papers Proceedings Article
In: Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. alt16:1–alt16:10, ACM, Montreal QC, Canada, 2018, ISBN: 9781450356213.
Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory
@inproceedings{Kou2018-zr,
title = {The Politics of Titling: The Representation of Countries in CHI Papers},
author = {Yubo Kou and Colin M Gray and Austin L Toombs and Bonnie Nardi},
url = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/3170427.3188409},
doi = {10.1145/3170427.3188409},
isbn = {9781450356213},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
booktitle = {Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors
in Computing Systems},
pages = {alt16:1--alt16:10},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {Montreal QC, Canada},
series = {CHI EA '18},
keywords = {Critical Theory},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
2016
Gray, Colin M; Toombs, Austin L; McKay, Christian
Meaning Reconstruction As an Approach to Analyze Critical Dimensions of HCI Research Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI EA '16, pp. 328-340, ACM, San Jose, California, USA, 2016, ISBN: 9781450340823.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Critical Theory, Research Methods
@inproceedings{Gray2016-gx,
title = {Meaning Reconstruction As an Approach to Analyze Critical Dimensions of HCI Research},
author = {Colin M Gray and Austin L Toombs and Christian McKay},
url = {https://colingray.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2016_GrayToombsMcKay_CHI_MeaningReconstruction.pdf
http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2851581.2892571},
doi = {10.1145/2851581.2892571},
isbn = {9781450340823},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI EA '16},
pages = {328-340},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {San Jose, California, USA},
series = {CHI EA '16},
abstract = {A critical tradition has taken hold in HCI, yet research methods needed to meaningfully engage with critical questions in the qualitative tradition are nascent. In this paper, we explore one critical qualitative research approach that allows researchers to probe deeply into the relationships between communicative acts and social structures. Meaning reconstruction methods are described and illustrated using examples from HCI research, demonstrating how social norms can be traced as they are claimed and reproduced. We conclude with implications for strengthening rigorous critical inquiry in HCI research, including the use of extant critical research methods to document transparency and thick description.},
keywords = {Critical Theory, Research Methods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
A critical tradition has taken hold in HCI, yet research methods needed to meaningfully engage with critical questions in the qualitative tradition are nascent. In this paper, we explore one critical qualitative research approach that allows researchers to probe deeply into the relationships between communicative acts and social structures. Meaning reconstruction methods are described and illustrated using examples from HCI research, demonstrating how social norms can be traced as they are claimed and reproduced. We conclude with implications for strengthening rigorous critical inquiry in HCI research, including the use of extant critical research methods to document transparency and thick description.