Making Sense of Blockchain Applications: A Typology for HCI

Chris Elsden, Arthi Manohar, Jo Briggs, Mike Harding, Chris Speed, John Vines

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

    103 Citations (Scopus)
    908 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Blockchain is an emerging infrastructural technology that is proposed to fundamentally transform the ways in which people transact, trust, collaborate, organize and identify themselves. In this paper, we construct a typology of emerging blockchain applications, consider the domains in which they are applied, and identify distinguishing features of this new technology. We argue that there is a unique role for the HCI community in linking the design and application of blockchain technology towards lived experience and the articulation of human values. In particular, we note how the accounting of transactions, a trust in immutable code and algorithms, and the leveraging of distributed crowds and publics around vast interoperable databases all relate to longstanding issues of importance for the field. We conclude by highlighting core conceptual and methodological challenges for HCI researchers beginning to work with blockchain and distributed ledger technologies.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI'18)
    PublisherACM
    Pages1-14
    ISBN (Electronic)978-1-4503-5620-6/18/04
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 21 Apr 2018
    Event2018 ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
    Duration: 21 Apr 201826 Apr 2018
    https://chi2018.acm.org/

    Conference

    Conference2018 ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    Abbreviated titleCHI 2018
    Country/TerritoryCanada
    CityMontréal
    Period21/04/1826/04/18
    Internet address

    Keywords

    • Blockchain
    • Distributed ledger technology
    • Bitcoin
    • Trust
    • Identity
    • Typology

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