Welcome to my Feminist HCI series, where I examine power structures in digital interactions and imagine more equitable alternatives.
This first theme cluster #SHIFT is about the movement, the transformation, the necessary change in how we approach human-computer interaction.
Why Shift?
For too long, technology design has been shaped by narrow perspectives, reflecting the values and experiences of a small, homogenous group. The interfaces we interact with daily, the algorithms that shape our digital lives, the very language of technology- all carry invisible assumptions about who users are, what they need, and how they should behave.
These assumptions aren’t neutral. They encode power relations. They determine who feels welcome in digital spaces and who doesn’t. They decide whose voices are amplified and whose are silenced. They shape who benefits from technology and who bears its costs.
Feminist HCI, as articulated by scholars like Shaowen Bardzell, offers us a different lens. It asks us to question these power structures, to center marginalized voices, to design with rather than for, and to acknowledge that technology is always political.
But awareness alone isn’t enough. We need a shift in design practice.
What Needs to Shift?
Our Methods. From extractive research practices to participatory approaches that respect and center the knowledge of communities.
Our Questions. From “How do we make this more usable?” to “Who does this serve? Who does this harm? What power dynamics does this reinforce or challenge?”
Our Teams. From homogenous design teams to diverse collectives that bring multiple perspectives and lived experiences.
Our Language. From gender-binary forms and stereotypical imagery to inclusive design that recognizes the full spectrum of human identity.
Our Metrics. From engagement and growth at all costs to measurements that account for equity, justice, and collective wellbeing.
Our Understanding of Users. From abstract personas and top down research methods to real people embedded in complex social, cultural, and political contexts and participatory methods.
Why Now?
Because we stand at a critical moment. Artificial intelligence is reshaping our information landscape. Platform capitalism is concentrating unprecedented power. Surveillance technologies are expanding. The stakes have never been higher.
But we also have unprecedented opportunities. More voices are entering the conversation about technology’s future. More tools are available for collective organizing. More people recognize that the current paradigm isn’t working.
The articles in this series want to support that shift. The plan is to bridge academic research and design practice, theory and application, critique and construction.
What is this series „Feminist HCI“ about?
Feminist HCI is my exploration of power structures in human-computer interaction through a feminist lens. Each theme is examined through essays, reflections on practice, and critical analysis that bridges academic research and design work.
This approach is inspired by the understanding that feminism isn’t just about women. It’s about dismantling all forms of hierarchy and examining power structures. It’s also about creating space for all genders, all bodies, all ways of being. Feminist HCI benefits everyone by producing more thoughtful, more ethical, more human technology.
In This Theme Cluster (so far)
The contributions in this issue explore different facets of shift:
- What Needs to Shift and Why (this article)
- Next: What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Feminist HCI?
- to be continued …
The digital world we inhabit was designed. Which means it can be redesigned. Let’s shift it together.
Photo: Nicolas Picard / Unsplash