Review of HCI Research Focus on cognitive aspects and used research methods Jouni Huotari and Janne Kaipala jhuotari@cc.jyu.fi and jka@jytko.jyu.fi Department of Computer Science and Information Systems University of Jyväskylä P.O.Box 35, 40351 JYVÄSKYLÄ FINLAND Abstract This paper investigates the scientific work within the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) with focus on cognitive aspects. We discuss the overall structure of the field, research methods and some influencing theories and concepts related to cognition. Moreover, we survey the research methods used in HCI literature dealing with cognition related concepts. The results indicate that empirical and non-empirical work is almost evenly emphasized and that most of the empirical research has been experimental. Keywords: cognitive aspects, human-computer interaction, IS research, human factors BRT Keywords: AA02, HC01, IB01 Introduction Research disciplines in general are shaped by a set of philosophical assumptions, which can be revealed by using two questions: “What must be investigated” and “How can the information be obtained”. For example, in the field of human computer interaction (HCI), the area under investigation contains organizational, individual and technical aspects of IS use and development. Moreover, the valid research methods range from quantitative methods such as laboratory experiments to qualitative ones such as informal interviews. The understanding of these background assumptions is a prerequisite for rigorous and relevant research (Keen 1991). In the HCI community these assumptions have been discussed and reported by several authors and special workshops discussing the status of the field are organized. However, cognitive issues have been rarely discussed in detail (cf. Wærn 1989 and Preece 1994) and to our knowledge, there has been no comprehensive survey of the research methods used. In this paper, we attempt to give a broad overview of the topics and methods used in the HCI research while focusing on cognitive aspects. To do this we have two approaches. First, we survey the existing literature while trying to find cognition related concepts. Second, we use these concepts to survey the existing literature from two major sources: ACM digital library and MIS Quarterly. Consequently, we present the extent to which different research methods are used, and bring up the categories related to cognition in the ACM and MISQ classification systems.