Using HCI in Cross-Disciplinary Teams: A Case Study of Academic Collaboration in HCI-Health Teams in the US Using a Team Science Perspective

TL;DR

This study explores the challenges faced by HCI researchers collaborating with health researchers in the US, offering insights and strategies to improve interdisciplinary teamwork and support structures.

Contribution

It provides a detailed case study of HCI-health collaborations using a Team Science framework, highlighting challenges and proposing support strategies.

Findings

Major challenges in collaboration identified

Strategies for supporting HCI researchers proposed

Institutional policies recommended for better support

Abstract

Human-centered computing research has been increasingly applied to address important challenges in the health domain. Conducting research in cross-disciplinary teams can come with a lot of challenges in integrating knowledge across fields. Yet, we do not know what challenges HCI researchers encounter in building collaborations with health researchers, and how these researchers negotiate challenges while balancing their professional goals. We interviewed 17 early- and mid-career HCI faculty working in the United States who conducted research in collaboration with health researchers. Drawing from a Team Science framework, we share participants' lived experiences and identify major challenges that HCI researchers encounter when finding, collaborating with, and negotiating with health collaborators when building technologies. We propose ways to better support research collaboration aimed at designing technologies using human-centered computing approaches. This includes strategies to support HCI researchers at individual, institutional, research community, and funding agencies levels through tools to translate disciplinary approaches. We suggest institutional policies to support HCI researchers through training, networking, and promotion.