Transitions in Collaboration between Humanists and Technologists in Corporate Research Laboratory: A Case Analysis of Research Projects at PARC

Abstract

In this paper, we explore how humanists and technologists can work together in the field of HCI (human-computer interaction) at a corporate laboratory. We analyze six research cases at Xerox PARC to identify key insights. Our findings reveal three main perspectives: (1) It was found that the core responsibility for setting the research problem space has shifted over time from technologist-driven to humanity-driven research. Moreover, during the course of technologist-driven research, a conceptual shift occurred by leveraging the results of humanity-driven research. (2) Some projects led by the technologist side involve a back-and-forth transition between technologist-driven research and humanity-driven research. (3) As collaboration between the two sides becomes more process-oriented, the role of humanists expands to include setting the project’s problem space and goals. Finally, we provide insights into the future prospects for collaboration between humanists and technologists in corporate research laboratories based on our discussion of these findings.