CEIHC: Structuring the Human-Computer Interaction Ecosystem in Brazil

Executive Summary

TL;DR: This paper details the mission and activities of the Council for Human-Computer Interaction (CEIHC) under the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC). It highlights how a focused steering body can successfully transition a field from a fledgling community into a robust academic discipline through event organization, international collaboration, and educational reform.

Positioning: Rather than a technical research paper, this is a foundational institutional report. It maps the "Academic Genealogy" and organizational architecture of the HCI field within one of the largest emerging economies, serving as a blueprint for scientific community building.

Problem & Motivation: The Need for Governance

In the late 1990s, the Brazilian HCI community was growing but lacked a formal voice. The primary pain points included:

• Communication Gaps: No direct channel existed between the specialized HCI community and the broader Brazilian Computer Society (SBC).
• Educational Inconsistency: HCI was taught sporadically with no unified curriculum strategy across Brazilian universities.
• Research Metrics: There was a critical need to define evaluation criteria for conferences and journals that accurately reflected the nuances of HCI research.

The authors' core insight was that the integration of researchers and practitioners requires more than just an annual conference; it requires a permanent council to negotiate standards and represent local interests on the global stage (IFIP/ACM).

Methodology: The Architecture of Community Growth

The CEIHC operates through four strategic pillars:

1. Symposium Stewardship: Acting as the steering committee for the IHC (Brazilian Symposium in HCI), ensuring the financial and technical quality of the country's main HCI forum.
2. Global Integration: Appointing Brazilian representatives to the IFIP TC 13 and hosting the BR-CHI (ACM/SIGCHI Local Chapter) annual meetings to synchronize local efforts with international SOTA (State of the Art).
3. Educational Advocacy: Organizing working groups (e.g., in 2006 and 2010) to propose HCI curricula for computer science programs nationwide.
4. Dissemination Channels: Managing digital infrastructure (mailing lists/websites) to maintain "Community Awareness."


Achievements and Results

By 2010, the CEIHC had achieved several significant milestones:

• Growth in Participation: The IHC 2010 reached nearly 180 participants, representing a steady increase in community engagement.
• Strategic Alignment: The council successfully aligned HCI research with the SBC Grand Challenges 2006-2016, particularly the challenge of "Citizens’ universal access to knowledge."
• Latin American Leadership: Support for the CLIHC (Latin-American Conference on HCI) helped position Brazil as a regional hub for interaction design.


Critical Analysis & Conclusion

Takeaways

The paper proves that for a specialized field like HCI to survive within a broader Science/Tech framework, it must move beyond "just research" and occupy political and educational spaces. The CEIHC’s success lies in its ability to translate academic goals into institutional policy.

Limitations & Future Challenges

The authors candidly acknowledge several ongoing hurdles:

• Visibility Gap: Making national conferences more attractive to stop the "brain drain" of Brazil's best research to international venues only.
• Industry Integration: Bridging the gap between theory-heavy academic research and the practical needs of the Brazilian software industry.
• Sustainability: Leveraging HCI to contribute to the sustainable development of the country.

In conclusion, the CEIHC serves as a vital case study for how regional scientific societies can foster specialized domains, ensuring that local research not only contributes to global knowledge but also solves domestic social and technical challenges.