A Tight Squeeze: Finding Room for HCI in the Space between Research and Development

Linked Environments for Atmospheric Discovery (LEAD) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) multidisciplinary project dedicated to designing a cyberinfrastructure (CI) for mesoscale meteorology. This paper considers how the fundamental structure and responsibilities of the project have complicated and delayed the inclusion of HumanComputer Interaction (HCI) design in the project. Through close observation and extensive interviews we found that the tension between research and development inherent in the requirements of the project funding hindered the effective role of HCI design. However, external reminders that HCI would be critical for deployment among the education community reinvigorated the consideration of HCI issues. Even so, the project schedule and team member expertise has not facilitated the inclusion of HCI. This situation suggests policy implications for funding agencies in the future, specifically that HCI should be a required part of grant proposals. Author