This is a talk I gave at CHI'13 (chi2013.acm.org). In it, my co-authors and I delineate ways to interpret, use, and develop behavioral theory within an HCI context.

1. Mind the Theoretical Gap: Interpreting, Using, and
Developing Behavioral Theory in HCI Research
Predrag Klasnja
Assistant Prof, iSchool
U. of Michigan
klasnja@umich.edu
Jon Froehlich
Assistant Prof, CS
U. of Maryland
jonf@cs.umd.edu
Matthew Buman
Assistant Prof, Nutrition &
Health Promotion
Arizona State University
mbuman@asu.edu
Eric Hekler
Assistant Prof, Nutrition &
Health Promotion
Arizona State University
ehekler@asu.edu

2. 0
10
20
30
40
NumberofPapers
Year
Prominence of Behavior Change Research in the Last 10 Years of CHI Proceedings

3. Behavioral
Science
HCI /
Design
Behavior
Change
Technologies

4. HCI/Design
The design and
creation of useful
and usable
technologies and
interactions.
Behavioral Science
The systematic search
for generalizable truths
about behavior to
create effective
interventions.
Goal
flickr Amyn Kassam

5. HCI Uses of Behavioral Theory
Flickr -djwtwo

6. Inform Design
Flickr_shapeshift
HCI USES OF BEHAVIORAL THEORY

7. Inform Design
System Features
Design Guidelines
Flickr_shapeshift
HCI USES OF BEHAVIORAL THEORY

8. Guide Evaluation
Lee, M., Kiesler, S., and Forlizzi, J. (2011). CHI’11, 325-334.
flickr_truthout.org
HCI USES OF BEHAVIORAL THEORY

9. HCI USES OF BEHAVIORAL THEORY
Define Users
flickr kenfagerdotcom

10. Behavioral
Methods
Flickr Clyde Bentley

11. MOST
Linda Collins, methodology.psu.edu
HCI USES OF BEHAVIORAL METHODS

12. methodology.psu.edu
O
O
MOST
HCI USES OF BEHAVIORAL METHODS

13. Single Case Experimental Design
J. Dallery et al. 2013 Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15(2):e22
HCI USES OF BEHAVIORAL METHODS

14. Behavioral Theory is Not Sacrosanct!
flickr_stuckincustoms

15. Most behavioral theories explain
only a small portion of variance
Flickr djwtwo
SHORTCOMINGS OF BEHAVIORAL THEORY

16. Lack of Falsification
Flickr Kaptain Kobold
SHORTCOMINGS OF BEHAVIORAL THEORY

17. Tower of Babel flickr jankie
SHORTCOMINGS OF BEHAVIORAL THEORY

18. We need you!
Flickr-KRO-J

19. …despite our best efforts, forums,
message boards, and chat rooms are
rarely used in Internet interventions.
Bennett GG, Glasgow RE. Annu Rev Public Health 2009 Apr 29;30:273-292.
“
”

20. HCI Contributions
Flickr drain

21. Improving Measures
Froehlich et al., HydroSense, UbiComp 2009
HCI CONTRIBUTIONS TO BEHAVIORAL THEORY

22. Early-Stage Theoretical Fidelity
flickr readerwalker
HCI CONTRIBUTIONS TO BEHAVIORAL THEORY

23. flickr readerwalker
Early-Stage Theoretical Fidelity
HCI CONTRIBUTIONS TO BEHAVIORAL THEORY

24. Over the lifespan
Individual
characteristics
Big Data & A/B Testing
HCI CONTRIBUTIONS TO BEHAVIORAL THEORY

25. Moving Forward
Paper can be found at ACM Digital Library or designinghealth.org
To find behavioral scientists, come to the
Society of Behavioral Medicine, www.sbm.org
and join the behavioral informatics SIG!
Two CHI people, Tim Bickmore and Eric Hekler
are co-chairs; email Eric!

26. HCI
The design and
creation of useful
and usable
technologies and
interactions.
Behavioral Science
The systematic search
for generalizable truths
about behavior to
create effective
interventions.
Goal
flickr Amyn Kassam

27. The design, creation, and evaluation of
useful and usable technologies to
effectively promote behavior change
for positive societal change.
Flickr ecstaticist

28. Predrag Klasnja
Assistant Prof, iSchool
U. of Michigan
klasnja@umich.edu
Jon Froehlich
Assistant Prof, CS
U. of Maryland
jonf@cs.umd.edu
Matthew Buman
Assistant Prof, Nutrition &
Health Promotion
Arizona State University
mbuman@asu.edu
Eric Hekler
Assistant Prof, Nutrition &
Health Promotion
Arizona State University
ehekler@asu.edu
@ehekler
Thank you!
Paper can be found at: designinghealth.org