hci

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HCI

“When simple things need pictures, labels, or instructions, the design has failed.” [Don Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, 1988 [Norman, 1992, page 9]]

“Human-computer interaction is a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them.” [ACM SIGCHI Curricula for Human-Computer Interaction]

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is particularly interest in computers and the composition of the user population, by studying the interaction between people and computers, concerning themselves with the physical, psychological and theoretical aspects of this process. The information science and technology is strand of research that has influenced the development of the HCI.HCI draws on many disciplines, but it is in computer science and systems design that it must be accepted as a central concern. From this perspective, HCI involves the design, implementation and evaluation of interactive systems in the context of the user’s task and work.

What is HCI? (HCI Defined)Human-Computer Interaction is a discipline concerned with

usability in the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computer systems for human use and with the study of the major phenomena surrounding them

HCI is not just about creating attractive user interfaces, but is about understanding who will use them, how they will use them and what they will use them for and ensuring they are effective for this purpose.

The interaction means any communication between a user and computer, be it direct and indirect. Direct interaction involves a dialog with feedback and control throughout performance of the task.Indirect interaction may involve batch processing or intelligent sensors controlling the environment.

Theory and HCIThere is no general and unified theory of HCI that we can present. However, there is underlying principle that forms the basis of our own views on HCI, and it is captured in our claim that people use computers to accomplish work. This outlines the three major issues of concern: the people, the computers, and the tasks that are performed.

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Why HCI is Important?Computing devices and applications are rapidly increasing in diversity and in complexityAnd so is the user population: it is now dominated by nontechnical users, with widely varying background experience, User interfaces are a major component of many computer system

Up to 50% of all code is UI codeUser interfaces are hard to design and build

Poorly design interaction and user interfaces are: costly, inefficient, unpleasant, dangerous,…etc.

Poor user interface design: Reduces likelihood of successful task completion Increases learning time (possibly beyond user’s patience) Conceals (rather than reveals) functionality Increases errors Reduces overall system dependability And so on…

Computing is moving very fastso many usersIf people don’t like it they dump it…Modern software used by much wider range of user (in terms of know-how, culture, personality, age, goals…)Used in different situations (mobile phones, laptops, 747 autopilots…)Changing society – designers face ethical questionsInteraction is now widely recognized to be crucial factorGraduates with HCI skills earn top salariesNot necessarily programmers, designers, marketing experts….

Why is HCI important to you?HCI impacts on almost everyone involved in:

Using computer systemsDesigning computer systems

HCI knowledge is important for understanding what computer systems are about…..and designing better ones

Who contributes to HCI Computer scientists

Modeling, specifying and analyzing interactionPsychologists

User as perceiver, thinkerSoftware engineers

Interaction design is part of overall system development

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Knowledge of users, tasks necessary to capture and understand requirements

Linguists and philosophersInteraction as communicative and conceptual activity

Artificial Intelligence researchersInteractive systems exhibiting (simulating) intelligent behavior

ErgonomistsInteraction is physical as well as conceptual

Sociologists and anthropologistsInteraction as social activity

So…what really is HCI? There would be no justifications for the field of HCI if human beings did not make errors in their use of machinesMany systems are difficult to use but people are adaptable where there may be conflict between safety and efficiency

example: going to a car mechanic So HCI is :

Selection and design of devices Selection and design of interaction styles Selection and development of tools and methods Design of the environment where a computer is used The tasks to be carried out using the computer Organizational impact of a computer system The training requirements Initial and continuing The designs of support material, manuals, on-line help ….. The attitudes and expectations of users Safety issues

The goals of HCI are to develop or improve theSafetyUtilityEffectivenessEfficiencyUsabilityAppeal

Of systems that include computers

The Goals of HCISafety : safety of the user & safety of the dataUtility: services that the system providesEffectiveness: user’s ability to accomplish a desired goal or to carry out workEfficiency: measure of how quickly users can accomplish goals or finish their work using the system

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Usability: ease of learning and ease of useAppeal: how well users like the system (first impression, long-time considerations)

Priority among the above six aspects varies depends on the type of systems or website you are creating.

So…what is the problem? Mismatch between user and computer

Often the user has to adopt to the computerTerminology used is that of computer instead of userComputer function rather than task oriented

Physical limitationsHeight, reach, eyesight, hearingSensitivity to temperature and humiditySensitivity to lighting conditions

Human information processing limitationsShort term memory limitationsSyntactic vs. semantic memoryRecognition easier than recallReasoning frequently illogical Affected by fatigue

Resistance to changeHow is change managed?Who is involvedTechnology in search of a solutionDisruption of existing social order

Building for whom?Designers build for themselvesPoor understanding of users, tasks, organizationsPoorly specified problemsPoorly realized solutionsPoor support in-house and externally

Solving the problemsMinimizing errors and maximizing performanceSo we need to understand

The human sensory systemThe human motor systemCognitive capabilitiesDesign of controlsLayout of workspacesHuman computer interaction

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Personnel selection and training

The contributing areas in HCI:

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References:

1. Human-Computer Interaction, Ao.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Keith Andrews – 5/2008

2. Human-Computer Interaction, Marilyn Turnamianv – Lucent technologies.

3. Human-Computer Interaction, Sutthisak Phongthanapanich

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