This is the second part of my 2-part blog on Gender HCI, starting with a continuation of topics explored in Gender HCI.
What topics are explored in Gender HCI?
In addition to the aforementioned studies on willingness to try out new and different features on a extant and familiar interface design and performance of tasks on large vs. small user interface displays, Gender HCI has delved into further topics. An example of this is with studies on confidence as related to problem solving tasks on a given interface design. Research shows that differences exist with regard to males’ and females’ self-efficacy in using user interfaces, and that low self-efficacy can be correlated with working less effectively with problem-solving features available.
Gender HCI also looks at general attitudes towards interface designs, web apps, and how and why people use them as well as reactions to graphic designs. While many of these issues can be analyzed through other usability methods, it is interesting to note gender differences because many user interface designs have users comprised mainly of one sex or the other. For example, designers of a wedding dress retailer would benefit from understanding the patterns of use that women employ when using interface designs. In addition, context-aware or context-sensitive systems have long been of interest, since they allow to adapt systems to the specific context of their users, such as location, usage behavior, time, or even gender and mood. Understanding how men and women differ in their requirements and usage would allow better targeting to their needs and hence potentially improve the gender-specific usability of an interface design.
Controversies surrounding Gender HCI
Gender HCI is still a nascent field and by its nature is open to controversy. In this day and age gender is being understood in more sociological terms rather than as an inherent biological binary switch. Many people find Gender HCI to be a method of reinforcing stereotypes and categorizing users based on gross generalizations. Thus, there is a large number of people that find Gender HCI to border on the offensive and perhaps even a pseudo science. Still, controversy does not automatically render this usability method invalid. Controversy may in fact turn out to be beneficial to Gender HCI since controversy is often one of the best marketing tools around and a surefire way to capture the interest of a broader audience, in this case the broader audience of computer scientists, web designers and interface designers. Certainly it is commendable to look at research that seeks to give further insights into end-users and how to tailor products to them.