HCI Student Reading List
This reading list is for anyone beginning their journey into HCI, with a focus on community-based qualitative research. It highlights critical works in methods, community-specific studies, and emerging topics, while also including guides for writing and surviving academia. Constantly evolving—feel free to send me suggestions or feedback!
Titles are currently in no particular order. Last Updated: December 16, 2024
Methods
Kathy Charmaz. 2006. Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide to Qualitative Analysis. Sage Publications Ltd.
Summary: A foundational text for qualitative research, Charmaz presents grounded theory as a flexible yet rigorous method for building theories directly from data.
Relevance: Essential for HCI researchers crafting data-driven insights, particularly in iterative, community-focused studies.
Gillian R. Hayes. 2011. The relationship of action research to human-computer interaction. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 18, 3: 1–20.
Summary: Hayes explores how action research bridges academic inquiry and real-world problem solving, emphasizing participatory and iterative processes.
Relevance: A must-read for researchers looking to engage communities as active collaborators in HCI projects.
Margaret Kovach. 2009. Indigenous Methodologies: Characteristics, Conversations, and Contexts. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Summary: Kovach offers a deep dive into Indigenous research methodologies, centering relational knowledge and community priorities.
Relevance: Guides HCI researchers in adopting culturally respectful and reciprocal research practices with Indigenous communities.
Re-Centering Research: Community-based Research
While I include community specific literature in separate categories here, I highly recommend the readings in them, even if you are not working with those specific communities. These readings often transcend the singular community experience and have lessons for researchers working with disenfranchised communities broadly.
Eli Clare. 1999, 2009. Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation. Duke University Press. Durham and London.
Summary: A memoir and manifesto, Clare weaves personal narrative with critical theory to explore the intersections of disability, queerness, and social justice.
Relevance: Inspires researchers to approach disenfranchised communities with humility, respect, and a commitment to liberation.
David T. Mitchell and Sharon L. Snyder. 2015. The Biopolitics of Disability: Neoliberalism, Ablenationalism, and Peripheral Embodiment. University of Michigan Press, United States.
Summary: A critique of neoliberal policies shaping disability discourse, this book challenges how societies define and devalue disability.
Relevance: Offers a critical lens for examining bias and exclusion in technological design and policy.
Tanya Titchkosky. 2011. The Question of Access: Disability, Space, Meaning. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Summary: Titchkosky reframes access as an active and relational practice, questioning how spaces and systems include or exclude disabled bodies.
Relevance: Essential reading for designing equitable and inclusive technologies.
Jasbir Puar. 2017. Right To Maim: Debility Capacity Disability. Duke University Press.
Summary: Puar examines how state power manipulates disability and debility to maintain systemic inequality.
Relevance: Challenges HCI scholars to rethink the societal and political implications of their designs.
Alison Kafer. 2013. Feminist, Queer, Crip. Indiana University Press, Bloomington.
Summary: Kafer critiques ableist, heteronormative frameworks, proposing new futures grounded in disability and queer justice.
Relevance: Encourages HCI researchers to embrace intersectionality in design and theory.
Edward Said (1978): Orientalism.
Summary: Said critiques Western depictions of Eastern societies, exposing the colonial underpinnings of cultural narratives.
Relevance: Invites HCI scholars to decolonize their approaches and question implicit biases in global design projects.
For additional reading list in social justice, feminist studies, anti-oppressive design, and design justice, I recommend this blog article:
https://medium.com/a-change-is-coming/gender-hci-feminist-hci-and-post-colonial-computing-f955a4054c89
Autism Community Specific Literature
Anne McGuire. 2016. War on Autism: On the Cultural Logic of Normative Violence. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Summary: McGuire critiques societal efforts to “fix” autism, highlighting the violence of normativity.
Relevance: Challenges HCI practitioners to design for neurodiverse users without erasing their unique identities.
Majia Holmer Nadesan. 2005. Constructing Autism: Unraveling the “truth” and understanding the social. Routledge, New York, N.Y.
Summary: Nadesan explores the social and cultural forces shaping autism narratives.
Relevance: Provides critical insights into how social narratives influence design for autism communities.
Indigenous Community Specific Literature
Sarah Deer. 2015. Beginning & End of Rape Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America. University of Minnesota Press.
Summary: Deer confronts systemic failures to address sexual violence in Native communities, advocating for Indigenous-led solutions.
Relevance: Offers critical lessons for community-centered, justice-oriented HCI research.
On (Surviving) Academia
Karen Kelsky. 2015. Professor Is in The Essential Guide to Turning Your PH D Into a Job. Three Rivers Press, CA.
Summary: A no-nonsense guide to navigating the academic job market, from writing CVs to acing interviews.
Relevance: A lifesaver for grad students transitioning from researcher to professional academic.
The Disabled Experience
Summary: This paper critiques ableist assumptions in tech design, calling for a radical rethinking of disability-related technologies, with particular vantage of understanding who is doing the research.
Relevance: A wake-up call for HCI researchers to address epistemic injustice in their work.
On Writing
Anne Lamott. 1995. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Penguin Random House.
Summary: A witty and practical guide to the writing process, filled with advice on overcoming creative blocks.
Relevance: Perfect for students wrestling with dissertation drafts or daunting research papers.
Joseph Harris. (2017). Rewriting: How to do Things with Text (2nd ed.). Boulder, Colorado: Utah State University Press.
Summary: Harris provides strategies for engaging with and transforming source material into original arguments.
Relevance: An excellent resource for writing critical literature reviews and academic arguments.
Cassuto (2024): Academic Writing as if Readers Matter
Summary: Cassuto argues for writing with clarity, purpose, and engagement, challenging dry academic norms.
Relevance: Encourages scholars to prioritize readability and impact in their writing.
On Writing Up (Your Dissertation)
Sonja K. Foss. 2015. Destination Dissertation A Travelers Guide To A Done Dissertation. Rowan & Littlefield Publishers.
Summary: A step-by-step roadmap for completing a dissertation, from setting goals to polishing the final draft.
Relevance: Helps students conquer dissertation overwhelm with actionable advice.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to those who have contributed items to this list and suggestions for future reads: Annie Forsman-Adams, Ashley Walker, Robin Roscigno, Chris Wolf, and ARMY4Palestine.