A Decade of Sustainable HCI: Connecting SHCI to the Sustainable Development Goals

Title of the Paper

A Decade of Sustainable HCI: Connecting SHCI to the Sustainable Development Goals

Paper Information

• Research Domain: Sustainable Human-Computer Interaction (SHCI) and its connection and classification within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Keywords: SDG, Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainable HCI, Sustainability, Systematic Literature Review

Research Background and Issues

• Problem or Challenge: The field of Sustainable Human-Computer Interaction (SHCI) has developed over the past decade, but there is a lack of systematic analysis regarding its alignment and coverage with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Research Importance: SDGs, as a globally recognized framework, encompass environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Connecting SHCI research to SDGs can reveal its contributions and identify underexplored opportunities.
• Research Motivation: The authors aim to examine SHCI research outcomes over the past ten years through the lens of the SDGs framework, exploring its progress, knowledge gaps, and future directions.

Solution

• Method or Solution:
  • Systematic literature review: Retrieval, screening, and classification of SHCI-related papers published between 2010 and 2019.
  • Use of the United Nations SDGs framework as a classification tool to map research objectives to the 17 goals and 169 targets of the SDGs.
• Innovative Aspects:
  • Introduction of the SDG framework as an analytical tool (distinct from traditional SHCI classification methods such as "discourses," "themes," or "genres").
  • Identification of unexplored areas and future research opportunities based on the SDGs framework.
• Implementation Steps:
  1. Database search: Papers were screened using the ACM Guide to Computing Literature database.
  2. Application of exclusion criteria: Non-English texts and non-peer-reviewed papers were excluded.
  3. SDG mapping and classification: The remaining 71 papers were analyzed based on SDG goals and targets, focusing on themes, research motivations, and contributions.
  4. Reflection on results: Papers that could not be mapped to SDGs were separately analyzed to assess their research scope.

Research Findings

• Specific Results:
  • Out of 71 SHCI papers, 51 were successfully mapped to SDGs, with these papers concentrated on six specific SDGs. Among them, 42 papers focused on SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
  • Two major research trends and hotspots were identified: SDG target 12.2 (Sustainable management of resources) and 12.5 (Reduction of waste generation).
  • Among the 20 papers that could not be mapped to SDGs, 10 explored internal dialogues within SHCI as a research domain, while the other 10 addressed issues less aligned with SDGs but still relevant.
• Advantages:
  • Provides a new tool for identifying knowledge gaps: The SDGs framework reveals underexplored areas in SHCI, such as goals related to social sustainability.
  • Promotes alignment between SHCI research and a globally recognized framework (SDGs), fostering broader interdisciplinary engagement.
• Experimental or Evaluation Results:
  • Highlights the high concentration of SHCI research (primarily focused on individual behavior change and resource management), indicating that other SDG goals remain underexplored.
  • Evaluates the applicability of the SDG framework and suggests potential improvements.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Limitations:
    • The mapping of SHCI papers to SDGs is limited, with only about 70% of papers successfully mapped.
    • The SDG framework may be too narrow to encompass certain research topics.
  • Future Directions:
    • Explore ways to broaden the scope of SHCI research to include social sustainability goals in core discussions.
    • Use the SDG framework to analyze other HCI subfields, such as ICT4D, educational technology, and health-related HCI.
    • Advance SHCI research through interdisciplinary collaboration, such as deeper integration with ecology and sociology.

This study provides a novel method for examining the development of the field from a global framework perspective, offering valuable insights for future SHCI research and interdisciplinary dialogue.