Rigor, Relevance and Impact - The Tensions and Trade-Offs Between Research in the Lab and in the Wild.

As an interdisciplinary field, CHI embraces diverse research practices ranging from controlled lab experiments to field studies in homes and communities. While quantitative research in the lab emphasizes the scientific rigor for testing hypotheses, qualitative research in the wild maximizes the understanding of contexts of using technologies. Furthermore, each type of research inherently makes its impact in different ways. This panel invites researchers with varied backgrounds to talk about the tensions and trade-offs between research in the lab and in the wild, in aspects of scientific rigor, real-world relevance and impact. The goal is to enhance the mutual understanding between researchers with diverged values and practices within the CHI community.