HCI Chapter – (1)

Chapter - 1
Introduction to HCI

What is Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)?

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a multidisciplinary field of study focusing

on the design of computer technology and, in particular, the interaction between
humans (the users) and computers. While initially concerned with computers, HCI
has since expanded to cover almost all forms of information technology design.

HCI (human-computer interaction) is the study of how people interact with

computers and to what extent computers are or are not developed for successful
interaction with human beings.

As its name implies, HCI consists of three parts: the user, the computer itself,
and the ways they work together.

User (Human)

By "user", we may mean an individual user, a group of users working together.

An appreciation of the way people's sensory systems (sight, hearing, touch) relay
information is vital. Also, different users form different conceptions or mental
models about their interactions and have different ways of learning and keeping
knowledge and. In addition, cultural and national differences play a part.

Computer

When we talk about the computer, we're referring to any technology ranging from
desktop computers, to large scale computer systems. For example, if we were
discussing the design of a Website, then the Website itself would be referred to
as "the computer". Devices such as mobile phones or VCRs can also be considered
to be “computers”.

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Interaction

There are obvious differences between humans and machines. In spite of these,
HCI attempts to ensure that they both get on with each other and interact
successfully. In order to achieve a usable system, you need to apply what you
know about humans and computers, and consult with likely users throughout the
design process. In real systems, the schedule and the budget are important, and
it is vital to find a balance between what would be ideal for the users and what
is feasible in reality.

The Sudden Rise of HCI

HCI surfaced in the 1980s with the advent of personal computing, just as machines
such as the Apple Macintosh, IBM PC 5150 and Commodore 64 started turning
up in homes and offices in society-changing numbers. For the first time,
sophisticated electronic systems were available to general consumers for uses such
as word processors, games units and accounting aids. Consequently, as computers
were no longer room-sized, expensive tools exclusively built for experts in
specialized environments, the need to create human-computer interaction that was
also easy and efficient for less experienced users became increasingly vital. From
its origins, HCI would expand to incorporate multiple disciplines, such as computer
science, cognitive science and human-factors engineering.

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Figure 1 HCI

HCI soon became the subject of intense academic investigation. Those who studied
and worked in HCI saw it as a crucial instrument to popularize the idea that the
interaction between a computer and the user should resemble a human-to-human,
open-ended dialogue. Initially, HCI researchers focused on improving the usability
of desktop computers (i.e., practitioners concentrated on how easy computers are
to learn and use). However, with the rise of technologies such as the Internet
and the smartphone, computer use would increasingly move away from the
desktop to embrace the mobile world. Also, HCI has steadily encompassed more
fields:

HCI has grown to be broader, larger and much more diverse than computer
science itself. HCI expanded from its initial focus on individual and generic user
behaviour to include social and organizational computing, accessibility for the
elderly, the cognitively and physically impaired, and for all people, and for the
widest possible spectrum of human experiences and activities. It expanded from
desktop office applications to include games, learning and education, commerce,
health and medical applications, emergency planning and response, and systems

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to support collaboration and community. It expanded from early graphical user

interfaces to include myriad interaction techniques and devices, multi-modal
interactions, tool support for model-based user interface specification, and a host
of emerging ubiquitous, handheld and context-aware interactions.”

HCI is a broad field which overlaps with areas such as user-centered design
(UCD), user interface (UI) design and user experience (UX) design. In many ways,
HCI was the forerunner to UX design.

 User-centered design (UCD) is an iterative design process in which designers

focus on the users and their needs in each phase of the design process.
 User interface (UI) design is the process of making interfaces in software
or computerized devices with a focus on looks or style. Designers aim to
create designs users will find easy to use and pleasurable. UI design
typically refers to graphical user interfaces but also includes others, such
as voice-controlled ones.
 User experience (UX) design is the process design teams use to create
products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users.

THEORY AND HCI

Unfortunately for us, there is no general and unified theory of HCI that we can
present. Indeed, it may be impossible ever to derive one; it is certainly out of
our reach today. However, there is an 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. The system must
support the user’s task, which gives us a fourth focus, usability: if the system
forces the user to adopt an unacceptable mode of work then it is not usable.

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There are, however, those who would dismiss our concentration on the task,
saying that we do not even know enough about a theory of human tasks to
support them in design. However, we can live with this confusion about what
real tasks are because our understanding of tasks at the moment is sufficient to
give us direction in design. The user’s current tasks are studied and then supported
by computers, which can in turn affect the nature of the original task and cause
it to evolve.

To illustrate, word processing has made it easy to manipulate paragraphs and

reorder documents, allowing writers a completely new freedom that has affected
writing styles. No longer is it vital to plan and construct text in an ordered
fashion, since free-flowing prose can easily be restructured at a later date. This
evolution of task in turn affects the design of the ideal system. However, we see
this evolution as providing a motivating force behind the system development
cycle, rather than a refutation of the whole idea of supportive design.

This word ‘task’ or the focus on accomplishing ‘work’ is also problematic when
we think of areas such as domestic appliances, consumer electronics and e-
commerce. There are three ‘use’ words that must all be true for a product to be
successful; it must be:

 Useful – accomplish what is required: play music, cook dinner, format a

document;
 Usable – do it easily and naturally, without danger of error, etc.;
 Used – make people want to use it, be attractive, engaging, fun, etc.

The Goals of HCI

The goals of HCI are to produce usable and safe systems, as well as functional
systems. In order to produce computer systems with good usability, developers
must attempt to:

 Understand the factors that determine how people use technology

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 Develop tools and techniques to enable building suitable systems

 Achieve efficient, effective, and safe interaction
 Put people first

Underlying the whole theme of HCI is the belief that people using a computer
system should come first. Their needs, capabilities and preferences for conducting
various tasks should direct developers in the way that they design systems. People
should not have to change the way that they use a system in order to fit in with
it. Instead, the system should be designed to match their requirements.

Usability

Usability is one of the key concepts in HCI. It is concerned with making systems
easy to learn and use. A usable system is:

 Easy to learn  Efficient to use

 Easy to remember how to use  Safe to use
 Effective to use  Enjoyable to use

Why is usability important?

Many everyday systems and products seem to be designed with little regard to
usability. This leads to frustration, wasted time and errors. This list contains
examples of interactive products: mobile phone, computer, personal organizer,
remote control, soft drink machine, coffee machine, ATM, ticket machine, library
information system, the web, photocopier, watch, printer, stereo, calculator,
videogame etc.

How many are actually easy, effortless, and enjoyable to use? For example, a
photocopier might have buttons like these on its control panel. Imagine that you
just put your document into the photocopier and set the photocopier to make 15
copies, sorted and stapled. Then you push the big button with the "C" to start
making your copies. What do you think will happen?

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(a) The photocopier makes the copies correctly.

(b) The photocopier settings are cleared and no copies are made.

If you selected (b) you are right! The "C" stands for clear, not copy. The copy
button is actually the button on the left with the "line in a diamond" symbol.
This symbol is widely used on photocopiers, but is of little help to someone who
is unfamiliar with this.

Disciplines Contributing to HCI

The field of HCI covers a wide range of topics, and its development has relied
on contributions from many disciplines. Some of the main disciplines which have
contributed to HCI are:

Computer Science

 Technology
 Software design, development & maintenance
 User Interface Management Systems (UIMS) & User Interface Development
Environments (UIDE)
 Prototyping tools
 Graphics

Cognitive Psychology

 Information processing
 Capabilities
 Limitations
 Cooperative working
 Performance prediction

Social Psychology

 Social & organizational structures

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Ergonomics/Human Factors

 Hardware design
 Display readability

Linguistics

 Natural language interfaces

Artificial Intelligence

 Intelligent software

Philosophy, Sociology & Anthropology

 Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW)

Engineering & Design

 Graphic design
 Engineering principles

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