Human Computer Interaction Definition Importance and Scope Definition

Human Computer Interaction Definition, Importance and Scope

Definition, Importance and Scope • The field of Human-Computer Interaction ( HCI ) attempts to understand shape the way people interact with computers: The processes they engage in, the resources they use and the impact they accomplish. • HCI is the study of how people interact with computers , the HCI is about how to allow humans and computers to interact toward some common goal. • The term human-computer interaction (HCI) was adopted in the mid-1980 s as a means of describing the user interface system.

Human Computer Interface (HCI) • A discipline for the – – Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of interactive systems for human use. • Or … – User-centered software engineering

Definition, Importance and Scope • The importance of HCI is to develop or improve the safety, utility ﺧﺪﻣﺔ , effectiveness ﻓﻌﺎﻟﻴﺔ , efficiency ﻧﺠﺎﻋﺔ , and usability of systems. – Efficiency refers to the ability to produce maximum output from the given input with the least waste of time, effort, money, energy and raw materials. – Effectiveness refers to the degree of closeness of the achieved objective with the predetermined goal.

Definition, Importance and Scope • HCI consists of three parts: – The user: it means an individual user, a group of users working together, or a sequence of users in an organization, each dealing with some part of the task or process. – The computer: It means any technology ranging from the general desktop computer to a large scale computer system, a process control system or an embedded system. – The interaction: It means any communication between a user and computer, be it direct or indirect.

Definition, Importance and Scope • This may seem a very limiting approach to HCI, but it covers the bulk of the field today. • Some examples of HCI scope: – Clerical work supported by Office systems. – Managerial work supported Enterprise Resource Planning. – Project Management Software, group and individual Decision Support Systems and Professional work supported by an Online library.

Who is involved in HCI? • HCI is undoubtedly a multi-disciplinary subject. The ideal designer of an interactive system would have expertise in a range topics: – Psychology and cognitive science: to give him knowledge of the user’s perceptual. – Cognitive and problem-solving skills. – Ergonomics ( or Human Factors ): for the user’s physical capabilities. – Sociology: to help him understand the wider context of the interaction.

Who is involved in HCI? Cont. – 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.

Who is involved in HCI? Cont. • It is not possible to design effective interactive systems from one discipline in isolation. • HCI draws in many disciplines, but it is in computer science and systems design that it must be accepted as a central concern, for system design it is an essential part of the design process. • HCI involves the design, implementation and evaluation of interactive systems in the context of the user’s task and work.

Factors in HCI There a large number of factors which should be considered in the analysis and design of a system using HCI principles. Organizational: job design, Environmental: noise, roles, policies, . . heating, lighting, . . Health: stress, The user : motivation, Comfort : headaches , . . satisfaction, experience, . . equipment, layout, . . User interface : I/O devices, color scheme, icons, help, . . Task : complexity, novelty, allocation, monitoring, . . Constraints : costs, timescales, staff, equipment, building, . . System functionality : hardware, software, network, . . Productivity : output, quality, costs, errors, production time, . .

The User Interface • The user interface is the system which helps users communicate with the computer system and/or the application system

UI Components • Most common GUI configuration – WIMP – window, icon, mouse, pointer • Command Line (CLI) configurations can vary – Scripts – TUI – looks like graphic, but comprised of text characters Text User Interface (TUI)

Types of User Interfaces • There are several types of user interfaces: – Natural-language interfaces – Question-and-answer interfaces – A menu interface – Form-fill interfaces – Command-language interfaces – Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)

What is a Graphical User Interface ? • A graphical user interface (GUI) is a human-computer interface (i. e. , a way for humans to interact with computers) that uses windows, icons and menus and which can be manipulated by a mouse (and often to a limited extent by a keyboard as well).

Graphical UIs (GUIs) • Some old systems still use command-line or text-based UIs • Most systems today use GUIs – Windows: simultaneous views – Icons: data, functions – Menus: choice of options, memory aids – Pointing: trackball, touchpad, mouse, eye – Graphics: charts, tables, diagrams • Static or dynamic

Human factors in interface design • Limited short-term memory – People can instantaneously remember about 7 items of information. If you present more than this, they are more liable to make mistakes. • People make mistakes – When people make mistakes and systems go wrong, inappropriate alarms and messages can increase stress and hence the likelihood of more mistakes. • People are different – People have a wide range of physical capabilities. Designers should not just design for their own capabilities. • People have different interaction preferences – Some like pictures, some like text.

Design principles • User familiarity – The interface should be based on user-oriented terms and concepts rather than computer concepts. For example, an office system should use concepts such as letters, documents, folders etc. rather than directories, file identifiers, etc. • Consistency – The system should display an appropriate level of consistency. Commands and menus should have the same format, command punctuation should be similar, etc. • Minimal surprise – If a command operates in a known way, the user should be able to predict the operation of comparable commands

Design principles • Recoverability – The system should provide some resilience to user errors and allow the user to recover from errors. This might include an undo facility, confirmation of destructive actions, 'soft' deletes, etc. • User guidance – Some user guidance such as help systems, on-line manuals, etc. should be supplied • User diversity – Interaction facilities for different types of user should be supported. For example, some users have seeing difficulties and so larger text should be available