Exploring Positionality in HCI: Perspectives, Trends, and Challenges
Aneesha Singh, Martin Dechant, Dilisha Patel, Ewan Soubutts, Giulia Barbareschi, Amid Ayobi, Nikki Newhouse · 2025
Positionality is a concept that acknowledges subjectivities, values and experiences of researchers as influencing approaches to and outcomes and implications of research; it underlines the importance of reflexivity and self-awareness. To understand how positionality is used in HCI, we conducted two studies: (i) a scoping review of positionality and reflexivity statements in the CHI papers in the last 11 years and (ii) a survey of HCI researchers (n=75). Our findings show that positionality statements are often a box-ticking exercise and their influence on the research is rarely discussed. While positionality statements are often used and requested in papers, they are often restricted to more sensitive areas of research and impact marginalised identities. We argue that positionality statements can be valuable but not as markers of methodological rigour. Our contributions include a current snapshot of positionality in HCI and reflections on the role of positionality statements in HCI.