The Profession of Human-Computer Interaction
HCI, also known as Human-Computer Interaction, is a branch of computer science that combines social sciences and humanities. It is a field of study and research that is primarily pursued in academic and scientific settings. Most HCI researchers work at universities, while some are employed by large technology companies such as Microsoft Research, Spotify, Nokia Bell Labs, IBM, and Google, which have dedicated budgets for research and innovation.
Although there are a few independent labs and individuals like Ink & Switch and Andy Matuschak who are involved in HCI, they are not as prevalent in the academic HCI community. However, it is expected that this space will grow significantly in the future and eventually become integrated with the academic world.