Human-computer interaction
Human-computer interaction (HCI) is the study of interaction between people (
users) and
computers. It is an interdisciplinary field, relating
computer science,
psychology,
cognitive science,
human factors (
ergonomics),
design,
sociology,
library and information science,
artificial intelligence, and other fields.\nInteraction between users and computers occurs at the
user interface (or simply
interface), which includes both
hardware (i.e. input and output devices) and
software (e.g. determining which, and how, information is presented to the user on a screen).
Goals and Aspects of HCI
A basic goal of HCI is to improve interaction between user and computers, by making computers more user-friendly and easier to use. More broadly, HCI is also concerned with\n* methodologies and processes for designing interfaces (i.e., given a task and a class of users, design the best possible interface within given constraints, optimizing for a desired property such as learnability or efficiency of use)\n* methods for implementing interfaces (e.g. software toolkits and libraries; efficient algorithms)\n* techniques for evaluating and comparing interfaces\n* developing new interfaces and interaction techniques\n* developing descriptive and predictive models and theories of interaction\nA long term goal of HCI is to design computers that can be exploited to their fullest potential as instruments that enhance human creativity, liberate the human mind, and improve communication and cooperation between humans (see CSCW).
Professional practictioners in HCI are usually designers concerned with the practical application of design methodologies to real-world problems. Their work often revolves around designing graphical user interfaces and web interfaces.
Researchers in HCI are interested in devoloping new design methodologies, experimenting with new hardware devices, prototyping new software systems, exploring new paradigms for interaction, and developing models and theories.
Notes on Terminology
- HCI vs CHI. The acronym CHI (pronounced kai), for computer-human interaction, has been used to refer to this field, perhaps more frequently in the past than now. However, researchers and practitioners now refer to their field of study as HCI (pronounced ach-see-eye), which perhaps rose in popularity partly because of the notion that the human, and the human's needs and time, should be considered first, and are more important than the machine's. This notion became increasingly relevant towards the end of the 20th century as computers became increasingly inexpensive (as did CPU time), small, and powerful.
- Usability vs Usefulness. Design methodologies in HCI aim to create user interfaces that are usable, i.e. that can be operated with ease and efficiently. However, an even more basic requirement is that the user interface be useful, i.e. that it allow the user to complete relevant tasks.
- Intuitive and Natural. Software products are often touted by marketeers as being "intuitive" and "natural" to use, often simply because they have a graphical user interface. Many researchers in HCI view such claims as unfounded (e.g. a poorly designed GUI may be very unusable), and some object to the use of the words intuitive and natural as vague and/or misleading. For example, some may argue that input through handwriting is natural, while others counter that handwriting is a skill requiring years of training for children to acquire, and thus is very unnatural.
Academic Conferences
One of the top academic conferences for new research in human-computer interaction, especially within computer science, is the annually held ACM's Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, usually referred to by its short name CHI (pronounced kai). CHI is organized by ACM SIGCHI Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction. CHI is a large, highly competitive conference, with thousands of attendants, and is quite broad in scope.
CHI 2005\nCHI 2004
There are also dozens of smaller, more specialized HCI-related conferences held around the world each year.
UIST 2004 - ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology
Topics in Human-Computer Interaction
- General\n** user, luser\n** interface\n** user interface\n** interaction\n** Human-Machine Interface\n** Human interface device\n** user interface engineering and usability engineering\n** usability and usability testing\n** user-friendliness\n** Look and feel\n** accessibility and Computer accessibility\n** transparency (computing)\n** affordance\n* History\n** Ivan Sutherland's Sketchpad\n** history of the GUI\n* Fields related to HCI\n** psychology\n*** human memory\n*** human perception\n**** sensory system\n** sociology\n** cognitive science\n** human factors / ergonomics\n*** repetitive strain injury\n** computer science\n*** computer graphics\n*** artificial intelligence\n*** computer vision\n** visualization (graphic)\n*** information visualization\n*** scientific visualization\n** design\n*** industrial design\n*** graphic design\n*** information design\n*** interaction design\n** library and information science, information science\n* hardware input/output devices and peripherals\n** List of input devices\n*** keyboard\n**** computer keyboard\n**** keyboard shortcut\n**** ways to make typing more efficient: command history, autocomplete, autoreplace and Intellisense\n*** pointing device\n**** computer mouse\n** graphical output device\n*** display device\n*** computer display\n*** projector\n*** computer printer\n*** plotter\n*** refreshable braille display\n*** braille embosser\n* Interface design methods\n** user-centered design\n** participatory design\n** value-sensitive design\n** rapid prototyping\n** iterative design\n** User scenario\n* Usability testing\n** user testing\n** heuristic evaluation\n** cognitive walkthrough\n** cognitive dimensions of notation\n** usability lab\n* Models and laws\n** Hick's law\n** Fitts' law\n** Accot's steering law\n** keystroke-level modelling (KLM)\n* interaction styles\n** Command line interface\n** Graphical user interface (GUI)\n*** Copy and paste, Cut and paste\n*** Single Document Interface, Multiple Document Interface, Tabbed Document Interface\n** WIMP (computing)\n** point-and-click, point and click\n** drag-and-drop\n** cursor\n** widget (computing)\n** direct manipulation interface\n** desktop, desktop metaphor, desktop environment\n** window managers\n** WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)\n** Zooming User Interface (ZUI)\n* interaction paradigms\n** hypertext, hypermedia and hyperlinks\n** speech recognition, speech synthesis, natural language processing\n** mouse gestures and handwriting recognition\n** haptics, telehaptics\n** Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality\n** CSCW: Computer Supported Collaborative (or Cooperative) Work, collaborative software\n** Ubiquitous computing\n** Wearable computers and cyborgs\n** Direct mind-computer interface\n* handheld devices\n* multimedia\n* visual programming languages\n* Software agents\n* Information retrieval\n* the Internet and the World Wide Web\n* people\n** Douglas Engelbart\n** Alan Kay\n** Ted Nelson\n** Jakob Nielsen (usability consultant)\n** Donald Norman\n** Jef Raskin\n** Ivan Sutherland\n* industrial labs and companies known for innovation and research in HCI\n** Xerox PARC\n** Apple Computer\n** Microsoft Research\n** Alias Wavefront\n* notable systems and prototypes\n** Office of the future (1940s)\n** Dynabook (circa 1970)\n** Knowledge Navigator (1987)\n** Project Looking Glass (circa 2003 or 2004)\n* movies featuring interesting user interfaces\n** Tron (film) (1982)\n** The Last Starfighter (1984)\n** Ghost in the Shell (1991/1995)\n** The Lawnmower Man (1992)\n** Johnny Mnemonic (1995)\n** The Matrix (1999)\n** Serial Experiments Lain\n** Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)\n** Minority Report (movie) (2002)
References
\n* Ronald M. Baecker, Jonathan Grudin, William A. S. Buxton, Saul Greenberg (1995). Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: Toward the Year 2000 (2nd edition).\n* Stuart K. Card, Thomas P. Moran, Allen Newell (1983). The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction.\n* Brad A. Myers. A brief history of human-computer interaction technology. Interactions 5(2):44-54, 1998, ACM Press. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/274430.274436\n* Jakob Nielson (1993). Usability Engineering.\n* Donald A. Norman (1988). The Psychology of Everyday Things.\n* Jef Raskin. The humane interface.\n* Ben Shneiderman (1997). Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction (3rd edition).\n* Bruce Tognazzini (1992). Tog on Interface.
External links
\n* ACM SIGCHI Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction\n* ACM SIGCHI's definition of HCI\n* ISO 9241 Definition of Usability\n* List of books on HCI at HCI Bibliography\n* Usability Views\n* Bad Human Factors Designs\n* useit.com: Jakob Nielsen on Usability and Web Design
\n\n\nCategory:Human-computer interaction
