Table of Contents

What Is Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)?..............................................................................2

Importance of HCI.................................................................................................................................2
Components of Human-Computer Interaction..................................................................................3
 The User....................................................................................................................................3
 The Goal-Oriented Task........................................................................................................3
 The Interface............................................................................................................................3
 The Context..............................................................................................................................4
Goals of HCI.........................................................................................................................................4
The history of HCI.................................................................................................................................4
Cognitive interaction.............................................................................................................................4
Gulf of execution.................................................................................................................................5
Gulf of evaluation................................................................................................................................5
Ergonomics:...........................................................................................................................................6
Design rules and design principles......................................................................................................6
Usability Principles..................................................................................................................................7
Principles of Learnability —.................................................................................................................7
Norman’s 7 Principles.............................................................................................................................7
Ben Shneiderman’s 8 Golden Rules....................................................................................................8
SDLC.................................................................................................................................................8
What is user interface (UI)?.................................................................................................................9
What is user experience (UX)?...........................................................................................................9
Personal Computing Environment......................................................................................................9
Time Sharing Computing Environment..............................................................................................9
Client Server Computing Environment.............................................................................................10
Distributed Computing Environment.................................................................................................10
Cloud Computing Environment.........................................................................................................10
Cluster Computing Environment.......................................................................................................10

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 Human computer interaction

What Is Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)?

Human-Computer Interaction is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on designing and

evaluating computer systems and technologies that people interact with. It is concerned
with understanding and improving the interaction between humans and computers to
make technology more user-friendly, efficient, and enjoyable.

HCI specialists consider how to develop and deploy computer systems that satisfy
human users. The majority of this research focuses on enhancing human-computer
interaction by enhancing how people utilize and comprehend an interface.

Importance of HCI

 Enhancing User Experience: HCI places a strong emphasis on creating technology

that is user-friendly and intuitive. When users have positive experiences with
technology, they are more likely to adopt it, use it more effectively, and express
higher levels of satisfaction.

 Increasing Productivity and Efficiency: HCI principles are instrumental in

designing systems and interfaces that streamline tasks and workflows. By reducing
user effort and cognitive load, HCI contributes to increased productivity in various
domains, from business applications to healthcare.

 Reducing Errors and Frustration: Through careful design and usability testing, HCI
helps identify and mitigate potential sources of errors and user frustration. This can
be especially critical in fields like aviation, healthcare, and finance, where errors can
have serious consequences.

 Enhancing Accessibility and Inclusivity: HCI ensures that technology is

accessible to individuals with disabilities. By considering diverse user needs, HCI
promotes inclusivity and equal access to information and services.

 Improving Decision-Making: Effective data visualization and information

presentation, key aspects of HCI, help users make informed decisions. In fields like
data analytics and business intelligence, HCI plays a vital role in transforming
complex data into actionable insights.

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 Enhancing Safety: In critical systems such as self-driving cars, medical devices, and
industrial equipment, HCI is crucial for designing interfaces that prioritize safety and
usability, reducing the likelihood of accidents.

 Driving Innovation: HCI encourages creative thinking in technology design. As new

interaction methods and technologies emerge (e.g., touch screens, voice assistants,
augmented reality), HCI researchers and designers explore innovative ways to make
them user-friendly and functional.

 Adapting to Changing Technologies: HCI researchers and practitioners

continuously adapt to evolving technology trends. As technology advances, HCI
professionals help users navigate and harness the potential of new tools and
interfaces.

 Ethical Considerations: HCI is increasingly addressing ethical concerns related to

technology design and use. This includes issues like data privacy, algorithmic bias,
and the social impact of technology. HCI professionals work to ensure that
technology respects ethical principles and societal values.

 Competitive Advantage: Businesses that prioritize HCI gain a competitive edge.

User-friendly products and interfaces are more likely to attract and retain customers,
resulting in increased market share and profitability.

 User Satisfaction and Loyalty: A positive user experience fosters user satisfaction
and loyalty. Satisfied users are more likely to recommend products or services to
others, contributing to brand reputation and growth.

 Cost Savings: Designing technology with HCI principles in mind can lead to cost
savings in terms of reduced customer support needs, fewer errors and rework, and
increased user efficiency.

Components of Human-Computer Interaction

HCI is primarily composed of four essential elements:

 The User

An individual or a group of individuals who work together on a project is referred to as

the user component. HCI researches the needs, objectives, and interaction styles of
users.

 The Goal-Oriented Task

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When using a computer, a user always has a purpose or aim in mind. To achieve this,
the computer presents a digital representation of things.

 The Interface

An essential HCI element that can improve the quality of user interaction is the
interface. Many interface-related factors need to be taken into account, including the
type of interaction, screen resolution, display size, and even color contrast.

 The Context

HCI is not only about providing better communication between users and computers but
also about factoring in the context and environment in which the system is accessed.

Goals of HCI

 Possess a thorough knowledge of user interfaces for computing systems.

 Create approaches, strategies, and resources that let users access systems in
accordance with their requirements.

 Ensure that users are able to communicate or engage with the systems effectively by
adjusting, testing, refining, and validating.

 Always prioritize end users and build a solid HCI foundation.

The history of HCI

The advent of personal computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s created a need for
a more human-centered approach to computer system design. As computers became
more accessible to the general public, it was crucial to ensure that users could interact
with them effectively and efficiently. HCI emerged as a response to this need, focusing
on the study of user behavior, the design of user interfaces, and the development of
methodologies to improve usability.

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is not attributed to a single individual as its creator.

Instead, HCI emerged as a multidisciplinary field that evolved from the combined efforts
of researchers and practitioners in computer science, psychology, design, and other
disciplines. The origins of HCI can be traced back to the late 1970s and early 1980s, as
personal computers began to gain popularity and the need for more user-friendly
interfaces grew.

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Cognitive interaction

Gulf of execution

Gulf of execution is the degree of ease with which a user can understand the current
state of a system. It is the difference between the intentions of the users and what the
system allows them to do.

For example, a person can look at a light switch and easily tell what the current state of
the system is (i.e., whether the light is on or off) and how to operate the switch. This
means that the gulf of execution is small. Norman states that, in order to design the best
interfaces, the gulf must be kept as small as possible.

Gulf of evaluation

Gulf of evaluation is the degree of ease with which a user can perceive and interpret
whether or not the action they performed was successful. This gulf is small when the
system provides information about its state in a form that is easy to receive, interpret,
and matches the way the person thinks of the system.

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Consider the same light switch example; if a person looks at a light switch, the gulf of
evaluation is very small since, with one switch, the user will immediately know if their
action was successful. An example of a large gulf of evaluation is when an application
has a spinning wheel to show a “loading” state after the user performs an action. The
wheel alone is not enough for the user to interpret the progress that the system is
making in response to their action. The gulf can be shortened by having a loading bar
instead.

Ergonomics:
Ergonomics in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) refers to the design and
implementation of interfaces that ensure user comfort, efficiency, and effectiveness. In
this video, HCI expert Prof Alan Dix discusses touch and haptic in user interfaces,
highlighting the importance of ergonomics in device design.
Ergonomics is the scientific study of work: the people w h o do it and the ways in which
it is done. It is concerned (for example) with the tools people use, the places that they
work in and the procedures and practices that they follow. In other words, ergonomics is
concerned with the design of working systems.

Design rules and design principles

Design rules are rules that a designer can follow in order to increase the usability of the
system or product. We can these rules into three categories. Those are principles,
standards and guidelines.

Principles -Abstract and have high generality & low in authority. Widely applicable and
enduring. e.g. interface should be easy to navigate

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Guidelines - Can guide or advise on how achieve a principle Narrowly focused. Can be
too specific, incomplete, & hard to apply but they are more general and lower in authority
than Standards. e.g. use this button to save data

Standards- which are very specific & high in authority. e.g. use colour RGB #1010D0 on
home links

Usability Principles

Principles of Learnability —

the ease with which new users can begin effective interaction and achieve maximal
performance (e.g. Predictability, Synthesizability, Familiarity, Generalizability,
Consistency.)

Predictability: support for the user to determine the effect of future action based on past
interaction history.

Synthesizability: support for the user to assess the effect of past operations on the
current state.

Familiarity: the extent to which a user’s knowledge and experience in other real world or
computer-based domains can be applied when interacting with a new system.

Generalizability: support for the user to extend knowledge of specific interaction within
and across applications to other similar situations.

Consistency: likeness in input-output behavior arising from similar situations or similar

task objectives.

Norman’s 7 Principles

1. Use both knowledge in the world and knowledge in the head.

2. Simplify the structure of tasks.

3. Make things visible: bridge the gulfs of Execution and Evaluation.

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4. Get the mappings right.

5. Exploit the power of constraints, both natural and artificial.

6. Design for error.

7. When all else fails, standardize.

Ben Shneiderman’s 8 Golden Rules

To improve the usability of an application it is important to have a well designed

interface. Shneiderman’s “Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design” are a guide to good
interaction design.

1. Strive for consistency: layout, terminology, command usage, etc.

2. Cater for universal usability: recognize the requirements of diverse users and
technology. For instance add features for novices eg explanations, support expert users
eg shortcuts.

3. Offer informative feedback: for every user action, offer relevant feedback and
information, keep the user appropriately informed, human-computer interaction.

4. Design dialogs to yield closure: help the user know when they have completed a task.

5. Offer error prevention and simple error handling: prevention and (clear and informative
guidance to) recovery; error management.

6. Permit easy reversal of actions: to relieve anxiety and encourage exploration, because
the user knows s/he can always go back to previous states.

7. Support internal locus of control: make the user feel that s/he is in control of the
system, which responds to his/her instructions/commands.

8. Reduce short-term memory load: make menus and UI elements/items visible, easily
available/retrievable.

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 SDLC

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a field that concerns how humans and

computers interact to perform a goal. The purpose of HCI is to design interactive
systems for successful human use.

This communication between humans and computers is made possible by a user

interface (UI), which is an essential component of the final software end-product.
Therefore, HCI is a fundamental part of the SDLC and is not restricted to a single
activity or phase of the lifecycle. Instead, the aim of HCI is considered throughout the
development process.

Let's look at how HCI is included in the following, individual SDLC activities:

 Requirements analysis
 Feasibility study
 Design
 Development
 Testing
 Deployment
 Maintenance
What is user interface (UI)?
The user interface (UI) is the point of human-computer interaction and communication in
a device. This can include display screens, keyboards, a mouse and the appearance of
a desktop. It is also the way through which a user interacts with an application or
a website.

The growing dependence of many businesses on web applications and mobile

applications has led many companies to place increased priority on UI in an effort to
improve the user's overall experience.

What is user experience (UX)?

User experience (UX) design is the process design teams use to create products that
provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. UX design involves the design of
the entire process of acquiring and integrating the product, including aspects of
branding, design, usability and function.

User experience (UX) design is the process and practice used to design and
implement a product that will provide positive and relevant interactions with users.

Personal Computing Environment

In the personal computing environment, there is a single computer system. All the
system processes are available on the computer and executed there. The different

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devices that constitute a personal computing environment are laptops, mobiles, printers,
computer systems, scanners etc.

Time Sharing Computing Environment

The time sharing computing environment allows multiple users to share the system
simultaneously. Each user is provided a time slice and the processor switches rapidly
among the users according to it. Because of this, each user believes that they are the
only ones using the system.

Client Server Computing Environment

In client server computing, the client requests a resource and the server provides that
resource. A server may serve multiple clients at the same time while a client is in
contact with only one server. Both the client and server usually communicate via a
computer network but sometimes they may reside in the same system.

Distributed Computing Environment

A distributed computing environment contains multiple nodes that are physically

separate but linked together using the network. All the nodes in this system
communicate with each other and handle processes in tandem. Each of these nodes
contains a small part of the distributed operating system software.

Cloud Computing Environment

The computing is moved away from individual computer systems to a cloud of

computers in cloud computing environment. The cloud users only see the service being
provided and not the internal details of how the service is provided. This is done by
pooling all the computer resources and then managing them using a software.

Cluster Computing Environment

The clustered computing environment is similar to parallel computing environment as

they both have multiple CPUs. However a major difference is that clustered systems are
created by two or more individual computer systems merged together which then work
parallel to each other.

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