"Yes I Am Reflecting on Reflecting!" – Mapping Understandings, Practices, and Challenges in HCI Research Practices
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2026-10
Author(s)
Abstract
Reflection has long been discussed as a critical component of rigorous and ethical research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). However, despite its sustained prominence in methodological discourse, little is known about how HCI researchers understand and practise reflection. To address this gap, we conducted a survey with 85 researchers across diverse HCI subfields, inviting them to reflect on their reflective practices. We identified a diversity of meanings attributed to reflection, the contexts in which researchers engage in it, and the institutional, disciplinary, and personal factors that shape these practices. Participants reported different practices, including team discussions, peer feedback and informal reflection, yet also many barriers to consistency, such as time constraints, lack of institutional recognition, and emotional or cognitive overload. Our analysis surfaces tensions between aspirations for meaningful reflection and dominant norms of productivity, objectivity, and publishability. Our paper offers a meta-scientific mapping of reflection in HCI, along with constructive ambitions to foster a more reflective research culture.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Subject(s)
Division(s)
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Name
nordichi26-37.pdf
Size
862.88 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
66dbe033947c01d8dd3d4c7409a2a39e