On the Computational Reproducibility of Human-Computer Interaction

An increasing number of HCI researchers have embraced open science ideas, such as sharing data and analysis code. However, such practices are only meaningful when the shared data and code enable other researchers to reproduce and reuse the reported findings. To investigate the reproducibility of HCI research, we identified all CHI papers that have shared study data and analysis code, and attempted to reproduce the results. We were able to fully reproduce 49% of the papers. We surveyed and interviewed authors, asking them to assess the reproducibility of their own work and to reflect on their motivations and obstacles in doing open science. We discuss what improves and hinders reproducibility and provide recommendations on how to increase reproducibility rates in HCI. While the value of replicability remains contested in HCI, we argue that the more modest goal of reproducibility is desirable.

• Human-centered computing → HCI theory, concepts and models; • General and reference → Empirical studies; • Applied computing → Digital libraries and archives.