HCI Module 1

• Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a multidisciplinary field of study focusing on the design of computer technology.
• The ideal designer of an interactive system would have expertise in a range of topics:

  1. psychology and cognitive science
  2. ergonomics
  3. sociology
  4. computer science and engineering
  5. business
  6. graphic design
  7. technical writing
• psychology and cognitive science to give her knowledge of the user’s perceptual, cognitive and problem-solving skills
• ergonomics for the user’s physical capabilities
• sociology to help her understand the wider context of the interaction
• computer science and engineering to be able to build the necessary technology
• business to be able to market it
• graphic design to produce an effective interface presentation
• technical writing to produce the manuals, and so it goes on
• three ‘use’ words that must all be true for a product to be successful:

  1. useful
  2. usable
  3. used
• useful – accomplish what is required: play music, cook dinner, write a book, etc.
• usable – do it easily and naturally, without danger of error, etc.;
• used – make people want to use it, be attractive, engaging, fun
• Input in the human occurs mainly through the senses and output through the motor control of the effectors.
• There are five major senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.
• sight, hearing, and touch are the most important
• Steve Jobs said: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
• according to Interaction Design Foundation, the goal of creating products that enable the user to achieve their objective(s) in the best way possible.
• interaction design (IxD) involves examining and defining the interactions (via an interface – UI) between a system and its user (UX).
• Interaction Design

  A) UI

  B) UX

  C) Device

  D) User

  E) Interaction Design

  
• Good design makes a product useful.
• Good design has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic.
• Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
• Bad design is one which is not easy to understand, distracting, difficult to use and short lived.
• Ten principles of Good Design according Dieter Rams:

  1. Good design is innovative
  2. Makes a product useful
  3. aesthetic
  4. Makes a product understandable
  5. Unobstrusive
  6. Honest
  7. Long-lasting
  8. Thorough down to the last detail
  9. Environmentally-friendly
  10. As little design as possible
• Human Computer Interaction involves the study, planning, and design of the interaction between people (users) and computers.
• Interaction Design is the practice of:

  1. understanding users' needs and goals
  2. designing tools for users to achieve those goals.
• Difference between interaction design and HCI:

  1. IxD is much broader than HCI, because it includes all means of technology, system, and products
  2. HCI concerns interactive computing system.
• Human vision is a highly complex activity with a range of physical and perceptual limitations, yet it is the primary source of information for the average person.
• We can roughly divide visual perception into two stages: the physical reception of the stimulus from the outside world, and the processing and interpretation of that stimulus.