How Ready for HCI? A Qualitative Analysis of the Practice of Soft Skills Related to HCI by Women Involved in the Digital Girls Program Partners Projects

Abstract

The Digital Girls Program (DGP) partner projects undertake various activities that impact their members’ academic and professional development. In this context, socio-emotional skills or soft skills can be highlighted. This article is an extension of research investigating evidence of soft skills in experiences reported by female students and coordinators participating in DGP partner projects. In the original research, soft skills relevant to Computer Science were investigated. This extension, in turn, explores soft skills specific to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). For data collection, a survey was conducted with DGP partner projects. The data analysis method employed was qualitative analysis, based on coding procedures to identify evidence of soft skills in respondents’ narratives. The actions promoted by partner projects were mapped to characterize the participating projects in the survey. As a result, leadership, professionalism, and communication were identified and are related to Computer Science and HCI. Specifically regarding HCI, evidence of critical thinking, empathy, and collaboration was identified. Thus, it is observed that women participating in partner projects develop soft skills relevant to HCI, which is a positive factor for their involvement in this field.