Cruising Queer HCI on the DL: A Literature Review of LGBTQ+ People in HCI

Title of the Literature

Cruising Queer HCI on the DL: A Literature Review of LGBTQ+ People in HCI

Literature Information

• Field of Study: Research on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) involving the LGBTQ+ community
• Keywords: Queer HCI, LGBTQ+ population, marginalized groups, minority communities, literature review, gender and sexual minorities

Research Background and Issues

• Issues and Challenges: Although discussions and research on LGBTQ+ populations in HCI have gradually increased, there is still a lack of systematic review studies and analysis of relevant trends. Furthermore, existing work often focuses on negative frameworks such as marginalization, exclusion, and social risks, with little attention to positive aspects like joy and community building.
• Significance: LGBTQ+ populations remain at risk of being marginalized in technology design, as normative design approaches may overlook the needs of LGBTQ+ users. In the social domain, LGBTQ+ individuals are often considered vulnerable groups, with their rights potentially affected by political and complex social environments.
• Motivation and Related Work: The earliest HCI research on LGBTQ+ populations was published by Muller et al. in 1997, but systematic reviews are rare. In recent years, "Queer HCI" has gradually developed, but significant research gaps remain, such as the experiences of minority (LGBTQ+) groups, bisexual individuals, and transgender populations.

Proposed Solution

• Proposed Approach: This study conducts a systematic literature review to analyze trends, approaches, and gaps in LGBTQ+ research within HCI, while providing open datasets and research recommendations for future Queer HCI studies.
• Innovations:
  • Developing an Analytical Framework: Using the PRISMA method and Grounded Theory Literature Review to summarize five thematic categories of LGBTQ+ research in HCI.
  • Open Dataset: Contributing an open dataset containing 1,148 papers related to LGBTQ+ in HCI.
  • Future Research Directions: Proposing new directions such as studying positive experiences (e.g., joy, community building), specific subgroups, and cross-cultural comparisons within LGBTQ+ communities.
• Implementation Steps:
  1. Data Collection: Screening 1,148 HCI studies in the ACM Digital Library using LGBTQ+-related terms (e.g., "lesbian," "transgender," "non-binary").
  2. Data Classification: Creating and applying a coding framework to categorize papers based on the depth of LGBTQ+ discussion, ranked from 1 to 4.
  3. Data Analysis: Interpreting research trends from temporal, qualitative, and quantitative perspectives.
  4. Theoretical Summary: Summarizing five major research themes of LGBTQ+ in HCI and validating the reliability of the framework with data.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:
  1. Quantitative analysis reveals a year-on-year increase in LGBTQ+ research within HCI, with a significant rise in studies exclusively focused on LGBTQ+ after 2014.
  2. Systematic categorization identifies five major research themes of LGBTQ+ in HCI systems:
     • Politicization: LGBTQ+ as a topic of social movements or controversial issues.
     • Norm Disruption: LGBTQ+ concepts challenging normative frameworks in technology and user design.
     • Stigmatization: Focus on identity management and societal perceptions of LGBTQ+ individuals.
     • High Risk: LGBTQ+ defined as a group vulnerable to technological harm.
     • Community-Oriented: Emerging themes emphasizing community design and participatory research within LGBTQ+ populations.
  3. Released an open dataset containing detailed classifications of LGBTQ+-related HCI literature as an academic resource.
• Advantages: This work provides the first systematic review of LGBTQ+ research in HCI, highlighting that existing studies predominantly focus on social marginalization and technological issues, while offering broader and innovative directions for the field.
• Experiments and Evaluation: High coding consistency (? = 0.88) and qualitative-quantitative analysis confirm the reliability and insights of the research methods.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Limitations:
    • The study does not cover all HCI-related conferences or non-ACM publications.
    • Limited research on LGBTQ+ subgroups such as bisexuals, intersex individuals, and asexuals.
    • Some studies lack exploration from internal community perspectives rather than external viewpoints.
  • Future Directions:
    • Focus on positive experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, such as joy, gender fluidity, and everyday applications of technology.
    • Expand cross-cultural LGBTQ+ research, particularly experiences in Global South countries.
    • Improve research systems to better address LGBTQ+ needs rather than merely serving as theoretical tools.