Bryan Min et al. unveil 6-dimension abstraction model for HCI
Researchers analyzed 457 papers to map how abstraction shapes interactive system design
A new paper from researchers at UC San Diego (Bryan Min, Sangho Suh, Jim Hollan, Haijun Xia) tackles a fundamental yet underexplored concept in HCI: abstraction. By surveying 457 papers, they synthesized a design space of abstraction techniques along six dimensions, creating the first comprehensive framework for how abstraction operates in interactive systems. The work explicitly models both system-side abstractions and users' mental models, filling a gap left by traditional models like the gulfs of execution and evaluation.
This framework reframes those gulfs through an abstraction lens, revealing how users and systems continuously navigate what the authors call the 'abstraction gap.' The six dimensions offer designers concrete levers for making abstract concepts more concrete in interfaces, with implications for everything from data visualization to AI interaction. The model integrates existing perspectives and surfaces new opportunities, potentially changing how designers think about complexity and learnability in software.
- Surveyed 457 papers across HCI to map abstraction techniques
- Identified six distinct dimensions of abstraction in interactive systems
- Reframes the classic gulfs of execution/evaluation with actionable design guidance
Why It Matters
Gives designers a concrete framework to manage complexity, making interfaces more intuitive and learnable for users.