Localising HCI Practice for Local Needs

Through our research and collaborations with usability practitioners and HCI researchers funded by European Union projects in India and China, together with other interactions, we have previously proposed a model for the global institutionalisation and localisation of HCI and usability practice. The model envisages three elements: the redefinition of HCI in the local culture, the embedding of HCI in local national organizations and the consequential roll-out of localized HCI practices. In this paper we represent the model and discuss detailed issues that will support its implementation. In particular we provide a critical review of the literature on culture, specifically with reference to its use within HCI. The issue is not to attempt to enforce some canonical form, but rather to highlight some of the ongoing controversies about some of the concepts and methods currently being employed in the field. Following this we explore issues relating to both whole life cycle issues of user centred design and the more specific issue of user based evaluation. In relation to user centred design we debate how best to involve clients and users in a development process that works according to the off-shoring model. In relation to the localisation of usability evaluation we explore research relating to different approaches in a number of cultures and context and present a model providing summary guidance for method selection in differing countries / cultures.