Towards a Taxonomy of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Methods Based on a Survey of Recent HCI Researches

In the field of Human-Computer Interaction, there have been many studies published in journals, and these studies have adopted a variety of research methods. However, there has not been a systematic and sophisticated taxonomy of the research methods used in HCI studies. This survey reviews the research methods of thirty HCI journals published in the last six years and originally presents three dimensions concerning research methods taxonomy. These three dimensions are: qualitative or quantitative research analysis, applicable to the present or future, and the adoption of software or hardware technology. Based on these three dimensions, the survey further generates eight sub-categories and classifies the thirty HCI journals into appropriate blocks based on their research methods attributions. The results of this survey will be helpful in guiding future scholars to select appropriate research methods and avoid detours in future HCI studies.