“Time” and “temporality” are increasingly being studied in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). Researchers are exploring various aspects of time, such as mapping and visualizing data along timelines, studying lag and work rhythms. Time has been a recurring theme in HCI research for the past 30 years. Given this ongoing interest, we believe it is a good time to investigate if time can be used as a framework to structure and organize HCI research. In this paper, we conduct a literature study focusing on how time and temporality have been addressed in HCI research over the past 30 years. We examine the different topics and approaches used in studying time and temporality in HCI. Based on our analysis, we create a 4 × 4 matrix to categorize HCI research in relation to time and temporality. Our findings reveal a growing interest in using temporality as a design material, developing methods for temporality studies, and adopting temporality as a theoretical lens in HCI research. We discuss the implications of our findings, including the waves of time and temporality studies in HCI, the potential use of the 4 × 4 matrix, and the shift from focusing on things to events in HCI research.
The paper focuses on four main areas: humans, computers, interaction, and time. The approaches used in studying time and temporality in HCI include empirical, methodological, theoretical, and design approaches. The theoretical approach is particularly intriguing.