IT 2622 (HCI)

● PLUS: the study of major phenomena

surrounding them

INTRODUCING HCI HUMANS, COMPUTER, INTERACTIONS

INTRODUCING HCI
● H - Humans good at: Sensing low level
stimuli, pattern recognition, inductive
“Designing an object to be simple and clear reasoning, multiple strategies, adapting
takes at least twice as long as the usual “hard and fuzzy things.”
way. “ - T.H Nelson ● C - Computers good at: Counting and
measuring, accurate storage and recall,
HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION rapid and consistent responses, data
processing/calculation, repetitive
● Human-computer interaction is a
actions, performance over time, “Simple
discipline concerned with the design,
and sharply defined things.”
evaluation and implementation of
● I - The list of skills is somewhat
interactive computing systems for
complementary. Let humans do what
human use and with the study of major
humans do best and computers do what
phenomena surrounding them.
computers do best.
● HCl is the study and the practice of
usability.
- It is about understanding and
HISTORY OF HCI
creating software and other
technology that people will want to ● 1945 - Vannevar Bush Publishes “As we
use, will be able to use, and will find May Think” in The Atlantic Monthly
effective when used. ● 1962 - Ivan Sutherland develops
● HCl is the study of how people use Sketchpad
computer systems to perform ● 1963 - Douglas Engelbart invents the
- HCI tries to provide us with an computer mouse
understanding of the computer and ● 1981 - Xerox Star launched
the person using it, so as to make ● 1982 - ACM SIGCHI formed
the interaction between them more ● 1983 - Card, Moran, an Newell publish
effective and more enjoyable. The Psychology of Human-Computer
Interaction
HCI CONCERNS: ● 1984 - Apple Macintosh launched
● 2007 - 25th Anniversary of “CHI”, the
● PROCESS: design, evaluation and
SIGCHI annual conference
implementation
● ON: interactive computing systems for
human use

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MECHANICAL COMPUTERS - Items retrieved by indexing,
keywords, cross-references (now
● 1623 Schickard makes "Calculating
called hyperlinks)
Clock". a 6-digit machine can add,
- (envisioned as microfilm, not
subtract, and bell indicates overflow.
computer)
● 1674 Leibniz designs his "Stepped
- Interactive and nonlinear
Reckoner" Can multiply, with operands
components are key
of up to 5 and 12 digits.User turns a
crank for each unit in each digit
● 1820 de Colmar makes
"Arithmometer" First mass-produced
calculator. Does multiplication &
division. It is also the most reliable
calculator yet. Continued to be sold for
about 90 years.
● 1889 Felt invented the first printing
desk calculator.
● 1935 IBM introduces "IBM 601", a
punch card machine capable of 1 JOSEPH CARL ROBNETT LICKLIDER
multiplication/second. 1500 are made.
● 1945 Mauchly & Eckert "ENIAC" for ● 1960 - Postulated “Man-Computer

ballistics. 30 tons, 1000 ft of floor, 140 Symbiosis”

kilowatts of electricity, 17,468 vacuum ● Couple of human brains and computing

tubes machines to revolutionize information

handling.

VANNEVAR BUSH
MID 1960’S

● Timesharing mode of computing

- Computers too expensive for
individuals, timesharing increased
accessibility
- Interactive (need for HCI) systems,
● "As We May Think" - 1945 Atlantic not jobs
Monthly - Text processing, editing
● “…Publication has been extended far - Email, shared file system
beyond our present ability to make real
use of the record.”
● Postulated Memex device
- Stores all
records/articles/communications

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SKETCHPAD - IVAN EDWARD SUTHERLAND

● Direct manipulation features: ALAN KAY

- Visibility of objects
- Incremental action and rapid
feedback
- Reversibility
- Exploration
- Syntactic correctness of all actions ● “Personal Computing”
- Replacing language with action ● Dynabook: Notebook sized computer
● Term coined by Ben Shneiderman loaded with multimedia and can store
everything
INVENTION OF THE MOUSE
● Desktop interface metaphor

THEODOR HOLM NELSON

● Douglas Engelbart (1963)

● Computers can help people, not just

HCI’S FIRST USER STUDY
business
A comparative evaluation of… ● Coined term “hypertext”

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PERSONAL COMPUTERS ● Has become the familiar GUI interface
● Xerox Alto, Star; early Apples

PCS WITH GUIS

● 1974 IBM 5100

● 1981 Datamaster
● 1981 IBM XT/AT
- Text and command-based
- Sold lots ● Xerox PARC - mid 1970’s

- Performed lots of tasks the general ● Alto

public wanted to be done - Local processor, bitmap display,

- A good basic toolkit mouse

● 1978 VisiCalc - Precursor to modern GUI, windows,

menus, scrollbars

PERSONAL COMPUTING - LAN - ethernet

XEROX STAR (1981)

● System is more powerful if it’s easier to

● First commercial PC designed for
use
“business professionals”
● Small, powerful machines dedicated to
- Desktop metaphor, ponting,
individual
WYSIWYG, consistency, and
● Importance of networks and
simplicity
time-sharing
● First system based on usability
● Kay’s Dynabook, IBM PC
- Paper prototyping and analysis
● Time names “The Computer” Man of the
- Usability testing and iterative
Year, 1982
refinement
WIMP ● Commercial flop
- $15k cost
● Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers
- Closed architecture
● Timesharing = multi users; now we need
- Lacking key functionality
multitasking
(spreadsheet)
● WIMP interface allows you to do several
things simultaneously
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STAR GUI ICONS APPLE MACINTOSH (1984)

● Aggressive pricing - $2500

● Not trailblazer, smart copier
● Good interface guidelines
● 3rd party applications
● High-quality graphics and laser printer

WINDOWS 95

APPLE LISA (1982)

HANDHELDS

● Portable computing + phone

● Based on ideas of Star ● Newton, Palm. Blackberry, iPhone
● More personal rather than office tool
● Stil $$$
● Failure

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 - Invented by the engineering team of
HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTIONS Ferranti Canada, this trackball used
EXAMPLES
a 5-pin bowling ball as the rolling

1873 - QWERTY device. The machine was used by

ships to transfer sonar and radar
● Christopher Latham Sholes data to and from one another
- Also the creator of the typewriter. It Although the first trackpad was
is believed Sholes organized the keys actually created in 1946, the DATAR
in such a fashion to avoid jams. trackball used a digital computer to
QWERTY explains the order of the calculate tracks.
first six keys on the top left letter
row of the keyboard. Sholes 1967 - THE GAMING JOYSTICK
designed on the layout in such a way
that letters unlikely to often be ● Ralph Bauereckert
paired together in typing, sat next to - Formally known as the “control
one another in the typewriter. When column”, the first joystick to be used
two keys meet when using the in gaming was brought out with the
typewriter, this could often cause release of SEGA’s arcade game,
jams, and slow down speed. “Missile”. This was the first game to
Although this is no longer an issue make use of a joystick with a fire
today, the QWERTY layout has button. This shooter simulation game
remained. utilized the joystick to steer and
shoot missiles into oncoming planes
1946 - ENIAC
displayed on a screen.

● John Mauchly and John Presper Eckert

- Electronic Numerical Integrator and 1968 - VIRTUAL REALITY

Computer is known as the world’s

● Ivan Sutherland
first general-purpose computer.
- The history of virtual reality is
Often called “the giant brain”,
disputed, but the Sword of Damocles
ENIAC was created to calculate
is widely recognised as the first
artillery firing tables for the US
virtual reality head-mounted display
Army. ENIAC weighed more than
system. Sutherland described the
27,000 kgs and its very first study
idea behind his three-dimensional
was to measure the feasibility of the
display to present the user with a
thermonuclear weapon.
perspective image that changes as
the person moves. Although
1952 - THE TRACKBALL OF DATAR
primitive in nature, the device was

● Tom Cranston, Fred Longstaff, and described as being successful in

Kenton Taylor ensuring the user could not tell the

difference between the real world
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 and the virtual augmentation of 2006 - WII
reality.
● Nintendo

1972 - MULTI-TOUCH TECHNOLOGY - Through natural user interface and

gesture recognition. Nintendo WII
● Control Data Corporation came to life to track a user's motions
- Control Data Corporation was the and translate them into instructions
first to release a terminal using or responses. Nintendo Wii uses
single-touch points in a 16x16 array gyroscopes and controller-based
as its user interface. The PLATO IV accelerometers to sense rotation,
computer had a touch panel for tilting and accelerations; a
graphic interaction and required revolutionary invention for
16mb of memory to run . human-computer interaction in the
gaming world. This eventually
1984 - 3D PRINTING advanced to the emergence of XBOX
Kinect, a motion sensing input
● Dr Kodama device which allowed gamers to
- 3D printing was initially created by interact with their computer without
Dr. Kodama to develop a rapid the use of a game controller
prototyping technique. He used a altogether. Unfortunately this was
photosensitive resin which discontinued in 2017 due to the
polymerised using IV light. concerns regarding user privacy.
Unfortunately for Dr Kodama, his
patent specification was not filled 2011 - GOOGLE VOICE SEARCH APP
before the deadline so he lost all
rights to the intellectual property ● Google
behind his invention. - Initially named “Voice Action”, this
app allows users to interact with
1998 - THE SMARTWATCH their phones by making Google
queries. When the app was first
● Steve Mann released on android cell phones,
- While the first data-entry watch users could conduct a Google search
came out in 1983 by Seiko, the first and make only six commands; send
Linux-powered smartwatch was text to, call, go to, navigate to,
designed by Mann in 1998. Known as directions to, and map of.
the “father of wearable computing”,
Mann’s smartwatch boasted a bit
16-bit and 128 KB OF RAM, and was
designed to communicate wirelessly
with personal computers and
cellphones.
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2016 - DEXMO EXOSKELETON
Brain Interface: Brain-computer interfaces
● Dexta Robotics (BCI) are becoming more advanced and
- Dexta Robotics launched the project soon will be able to change the lives of
in 2013 and filed for a patent for those who suffer from paralysis or
their concept “switching force amputations. University of California
feedback, used to simulate the act Professor, Jacques Vidal first coined the
of touching objects in virtual reality. term BCI in the 1900s. Today, this computer
Although the product has not been technology can interact with neural
brought to the public as yet, the structures by decoding and translating
demo can be used to sense the size information from thoughts into actions, and
and solidity of objects in virtual soon may be used for thought-to-text
reality. translation or to control movements from
prosthetic limbs." One of the latest projects
2018 AND BEYOND in BCI tech is called Brainternet, introducing
the brain to the internet of things. This
Emotion sensing: taste and smell are two
project aims to convert a user's brain into a
senses currently underexplored in
node which will connect to the internet."
human-computer interaction. The future
may bring new multisensory experiences for
HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTIONS THEORIES
human-technology Interactions." There has TIMELINE
been a lot of attention on emotion-sensing
CLASSICAL THEORIES
technologies fueled by artificial intelligence
which could eventually read facial ● Early 80s
expressions, skin conductance and eye - Body of Knowledge
movements to improve concentration and - Applying Basic Research
manage stress." - Cognitive Modeling

The flexible smartphone: Samsung was the MODERN THEORIES

first to bring out a curved smartphone in
2013, but the phone itself was not actually ● Grounded Theory
flexible to allow bend input using active ● Distributed Cognition
haptic technology. In the future, however, ● CSCW
this may be a possibility. Flexible displays ● Situated Action
require organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) ● Activity Theory
which are made of flexible materials like ● Ethnomethodology and Ethnography
plastic. This is so that the material can be
flexible while also producing its own light.
Traditional mobile phones use thick, heavy
backlights which make liquid crystal display
glass (LCD) inflexible,"
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CONTEMPORARY THEORIES The bottom-line benefits of usability to
development organizations include:
● 1995
- Turn to the Wild ● Greater profits due to more competitive
● 2001 products/services;
- Turn to the Embodiment ● Decreased overall development and
● 2004 maintenance costs;
- Turn to Design ● Decreased customer support costs;
● 2007 ● More follow-on business due to satisfied
- Human values customers;
● 2008 ● Not to use the term 'user-friendly' which
- Turn to the Culture intended to mean a system with high
usability but always misinterpreted to
mean tidying up the screen displays to
GOALS OF HCI
make it more pleasing.

● Understand the factors that determine

To achieve usability, the design of the user
how people use technology
interface to any interactive product, needs
● Develop tools and techniques to enable
to take into account and be tailored around
building suitable systems
a number of factors, including:
● Achieve efficient, effective, and safe
interaction
● Cognitive, perceptual, and motor motor
● Put people first
capabilities and constraints of people in
ENSURING USABILITY general.
● Special and unique characteristics of the
"A usable software system is one that
intended user population in particular.
supports the effective a n d efficient
completion of tasks in a given work context" ● Unique characteristics of the users'
(Karat and Dayton 1995). physical and social work environment

The bottom-line benefits of a more usable ● Unique characteristics and requirements

software system for business users include: of the users' tasks, which are being
supported by the software.
● Increased productivity
● Unique capabilities and constraints of
● Decreased user training time and cost;
the chosen software and/or hardware
● Decreased user errors;
and platform for the product.
● Increased accuracy of data input and
data interpretation;
● Decreased need for ongoing technical
support

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USABILITY
IMPORTANCE OF HCI

Extent to which a system, product, or HCI will be increasingly important in the

service can be used by specified users to following areas:
achieve specific goals with effectiveness,
efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified ● As part of software development
context of use. process and system design methods;
● As part of future legal requirements for
● Easy to learn software;
● Easy to remember how to use ● As the basis for a set of usability criteria
● Effective to use to evaluate and choose from amongst
● Efficient to use competing products;
● Safe to use ● As the basis for successful marketing
● Enjoyable to use strategy to the increasingly important
home and small business user.
DIMENSIONS OF USABILITY
WHY HCI IS IMPORTANT?

● Effectiveness
● The study of our interface with the
● Efficiency
information
● Safety
● It is not just “how high should I make
● Utility
buttons? or “how to layout menu
● Learnability
choices?”
● Memorability
● It can affect
- Effectiveness
ISO 9241-11:2018
- Productivity
- Moral
● The effectiveness, efficiency, and
- Safety
satisfaction with specified users
achieve specified goals in particular
DIFFERENT DESIGN NEEDS
environments.
- Effectiveness: the accuracy and ● Three broad categories of computer
completeness with which specified users:
users can achieve specific goals in ● Expert users with detailed knowledge of
particular environments that particular system.
- Efficiency: The resources expended ● Occasional users who know well how to
in relation to the accuracy and perform the tasks they need to perform
completeness of goals achieved. frequently.
- Satisfaction: The comfort and ● Novices who have never used the
acceptability of the work system to system before.
its users and other people affected ● Users may well be novices at one
by its use computer application but experts at
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 another one, so users will belong to
different categories for particular
computer systems.

VISIBILITY AND AFFORDANCE

● VISIBILITY - what is seen

● AFFORDANCE - what operations and
manipulation can be done to a
particular object

What is visible must have good mapping to

their effect

Perceived affordance - what a person thinks

can be done to the object

WHAT FIELDS DOES HCI COVER?

TOPICS IN HCI

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