An IDR Framework of Opportunities and Barriers between HCI and NLP (2021)

Abstract: This paper presents a framework of opportunities and barriers/risks between the two research fields Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The framework is constructed by following an interdisciplinary research-model (IDR), combining field-specific knowledge with existing work in the two fields. The resulting framework is intended as a departure point for discussion and inspiration for research collaborations.

## motivation research has long suggested that the fields of natural language processing (nlp) and human-computer interaction (hci) could both benefit from each other's methods, analyses, and findings, e.g. de @xcite ; @xcite ; @xcite ; hung @xcite . despite this, it is also regularly pointed out that overlaps between the fields are still rare @xcite @xcite . reasons put forward for this gap have included differences of methods and evaluations @xcite , a perception that language technology is not advanced enough for the processing required in hci work @xcite , as well as lack of programming skills required to work with nlp: "deploying an nlp system typically requires a substantial amount of time from an expert nlp developer -normally, applications do not generalize and must be rebuilt, retrained, enhanced, and re-evaluated for each new task" @xcite . hci may even suffer from being perceived as a "soft science", lacking quantitative results allocated merit equal to that in more mathematically founded computer science, e.g. @xcite . to better define this interface, this short paper presents a framework of opportunities and barriers/risks for both hci and nlp in the combination of the two fields. we hope to inspire collaborations between researchers from both fields by presenting some practical gains in cross-pollination, as well as some of the potential pitfalls and challenges researchers might meet. ## an idr framework our interdisciplinary framework is presented in the authors of this paper have backgrounds in hci and nlp, respectively, and while we see potential in applying the distinct methods and analyses from both fields in the other field, we have focused especially on identifying common benefits; i.e. research outputs that benefit science and research in general, not only in one or the other field. our method is to debate and discuss research processes and methods, identifying differences (often in methods) and similarities (often in goals) between the fields. in the following, we attach some words to each of the topics in the framework. ## barriers and risks interdisciplinary research can be challenging and can carry inherent risks which may be mitigated through thorough reflection and preparation. here, we present some of the primary barriers for combining nlp and hci research methods, as well as risks for the resulting research output. ## outlook the topics of the interdisciplinary hci/nlp framework described in this short paper are the result of the authors' initial dialogue and analysis, and they are focused on being broadly relevant and relatable to researchers in both areas. we invite researchers in both nlp and hci to expand upon the categories, in detail as well in quantity.