Theory as Organon - Advancing Theoretical Research in Human-Computer Interaction (14 October 2026)

This talk was a part of the Theory as Organon Symposium, and one of Information Hub Distinguished Lecture Series hosted at HKUST(GZ). Abstract: Theory is often treated as a cornerstone of research, including in human-computer interaction (HCI). Yet its role in HCI has been contested for decades. Some question what theory can realistically contribute to the design and understanding of interactive systems; others have argued that theoretical development in HCI remains limited, and empirical studies have often shown limited use of theory. At the same time, HCI poses distinctive challenges for theoretical research, including rapidly changing technologies and practices and a need to inform design. In this talk, Kasper introduced TRACTION (Theoretical Research in Human-Computer Interaction), a research center supported by the VILLUM Foundation that seeks to advance theoretical research in HCI. The center has four main goals: to describe how theory is currently used and developed in HCI; to develop and test approaches for building theory; to advance theoretical work on key conceptual problems in the field; and to develop resources that can support HCI researchers in doing theoretical work. Kasper outlined these goals and illustrated them through examples from their work, including studies of how HCI researchers build theory and attempts to develop new ways of working with theory. Bio: Kasper Hornbæk received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Copenhagen in 1998 and 2002, respectively. He has been a professor of computer science at the University of Copenhagen since 2014. His research interests are in human–computer interaction (HCI), including the design of extended reality experiences, empirical studies of interaction, and the development of theories of interaction. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction and is a member of the SIGCHI Academy.