At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

❑ Explain the concepts and history of human-computer interaction.

❑ Gain theoretical knowledge and practical experience in the
fundamental aspects of human-computer interaction.
❑ Identify the different research trends and research fields of
human-computer interaction.
❑ Differentiate the various discipline of human-computer
interaction.
 Introduction to HCI
What is human-computer interaction (HCI)?
Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a
multidisciplinary field of study focusing on the design
of computer technology and the interaction between
humans (the users) and computers. HCI become
popular and cover almost all forms of information
technology design.
 Introduction to HCI
What is human-computer interaction (HCI)?
Humans interact with computers in many ways,
the interface between humans and computers is
essential to facilitate this interaction. Desktop
applications, internet browsers, handheld computers,
ERP, and computer kiosks make use of the widespread
graphical user interfaces (GUI) of today.
 Introduction to HCI
What is human-computer interaction (HCI)?
Generally, the goal of human-computer interaction
is to produce a user interface that makes it easy,
effective, efficient, and enjoyable (user-friendly) to
use.
 History of HCI
The 1970s - The rise of the Personal Computer.
 History of HCI
The 1980s - Graphical User Interface (GUI).
 History of HCI
The 1990s - The Internet and Collaborative works.
 History of HCI
The 2000s - Mobile Computing and Beyond.
 History of HCI
Today HCI is used in the area of Cognitive Science.
 Research Fields in HCI
1. Ubiquitous Communication.
Computers will communicate through high-speed local
networks, nationally over wide-area networks, and portably
via infrared, ultrasonic, cellular, and other technologies. Data
and computational services will be portably accessible from
many if not most locations to which a user travels.
Ubiquitous Communication
 Research Fields in HCI
2. High Functionality Systems.
Systems will have large numbers of functions associated with
them. There will be so many systems that most users,
technical or non-technical, will not have time to learn them
traditionally (e.g., through thick manuals).
High Functionality Systems
 Research Fields in HCI
3. Mass Availability of Computer Graphics.
Computer graphics capabilities such as image processing,
graphics transformations, rendering, and interactive
animation will become widespread as inexpensive chips
become available for inclusion in general workstations.
Mass Availability of Computer Graphics
 Research Fields in HCI
4. Mixed Media.
Systems will handle images, voice, sounds, video, text,
and formatted data. These will be exchangeable over
communication links among users. The separate worlds of
consumer electronics (e.g., stereo sets, VCRs, televisions)
and computers will partially merge. Computer and print
worlds will continue to cross assimilate each other.
Mixed Media
 Research Fields in HCI
5. High-bandwidth Interaction.
The rate at which humans and machines interact will
increase substantially due to the changes in speed,
computer graphics, new media, and new input/output
devices. This will lead to some qualitatively different
interfaces, such as virtual reality or computational video.
High-bandwidth Interaction
 Research Fields in HCI
6. Large and Thin Displays.
New display technologies will finally mature enabling
very large displays and also displays that are thin,
lightweight, and have low power consumption. This will
have large effects on portability and will enable the
development of paper-like, pen-based computer
interaction systems very different in feel from desktop
workstations of the present.
Large and Thin Displays
 Research Fields in HCI
7. Embedded Computation.
Computation will pass beyond desktop computers into
every object for which uses can be found. The
environment will be alive with little computations from
computerized cooking appliances to lighting and plumbing
fixtures to window blinds to automobile braking systems
to greeting cards. To some extent, this development is
already taking place.
Embedded Computation
 Research Fields in HCI
8. Group Interfaces.
Interfaces to allow groups of people to coordinate will be
common (e.g., for meetings, for engineering projects, for
authoring joint documents). These will have major
impacts on the nature of organizations and the division of
labor. Models of the group design process will be
embedded in systems and will cause increased
rationalization of design.
Group Interfaces
 Research Fields in HCI
9. User Tailorability.
Ordinary users will routinely tailor applications to their
use and will use this power to invent new applications
based on their understanding of their domains. Users, with
their deeper knowledge of their knowledge domains, will
increasingly be important sources of new applications at
the expense of generic systems programmers (with
systems expertise but low domain expertise).
User Tailorability
 Research Fields in HCI
10. Information Utilities.
Public information utilities (such as CompuServe, home
banking and shopping, etc.) and specialized industry
services (e.g., weather for pilots) will continue to
proliferate. The rate of proliferation will accelerate with
the introduction of high-bandwidth interaction and the
improvement in the quality of interfaces.
Information Utilities
 Disciplines Contributing to HCI

“HCI discipline concern

with the design, evolution,
and implementation of an
interactive computer
system for human use
with the study of major
phenomena surrounding
them.”
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

❑ Distinguish the three parts of human-computer interaction.

❑ Have a clear understanding of the different interaction
metaphors.
❑ Identify the different goals of human-computer interaction.
❑ Recognize the importance of usability.
What is Human Computer Interaction (HCI)?

HCI consists of three parts:

Human: could be an individual user or a group of users.
Computer: could be any technology ranging from the general
desktop computer to a large scale computer system.
Interaction: any direct or indirect communication between a
human and computer.
Human
 Human
▪ Humans are limited in their capacity to process
information. This has important implications for
design.
▪ Information is received and responses are given via
several input and output channels:
▪ visual channel
▪ auditory channel
▪ haptic channel
▪ movement
 Human
▪ Information is stored in memory:
▪ sensory memory
▪ short-term (working) memory
▪ long-term memory
▪ Information is processed and applied:
▪ reasoning
▪ problem-solving
▪ skill acquisition
▪ error
 Human
▪ Emotion influences human capabilities.
▪ Users share common capabilities but are
individuals with differences, which should not
be ignored.
Computer
 Computer
▪ Input devices for interactive use, allowing text entry,
drawing, and selection from the screen:
▪ text entry: traditional keyboard, phone text entry,
speech and handwriting
▪ pointing: principally the mouse, but also touchpad,
stylus, and others
▪ 3D interaction devices
 Computer
▪ Output display devices for interactive use:
▪ different types of screen mostly using some form of a
bitmap display
▪ large displays and situated displays for shared and
public use
▪ the digital paper may be usable shortly
 Computer
▪ Virtual reality systems and 3D visualization have
special interaction and display devices.
▪ Various devices in the physical world:
▪ physical controls and dedicated displays
▪ sound, smell, and haptic feedback
▪ sensors for nearly everything including movement,
temperature, bio-signs
 Computer
▪ Paper output and input: the paperless office and the less-paper
office:
▪ different types of printers and their characteristics, character
styles, and fonts
▪ scanners and optical character recognition
▪ Memory:
▪ short-term memory: RAM
▪ long-term memory: magnetic and optical disks
▪ capacity limitations related to document and video storage
▪ access methods as they limit or help the user
 Computer
▪ Processing:
▪ the effects when systems run too slow or too fast,
the myth of the infinitely fast machine.
▪ limitations on processing speed.
▪ networks and their impact on system performance.
Interaction
 Interaction
The interaction between the user and the system has
four parts:
▪ User O
Output
▪ Input
▪ System S U
▪ Output System User
I
Input
 Popular Metaphors for Computers
▪ computer as a vast library (Memex, 1945)
▪ computer as a giant calculator (ENIAC, 40s-50s)
▪ computer as an intelligent assistant (Licklider, 1957)
▪ computer as sketchpad (Sutherland, 1962)
▪ computer as tool or typewriter (Engelbart, 1963)
▪ computer as a human pretender (Weizenbaum, ‘60s)
▪ computer as a network (Taylor, 1968)
▪ computer as a book (portable) (Kay, Xerox PARC)
▪ computer as desktop/windows (Xerox PARC, ‘70s)
computers for the rest of us (Apple, 1984)
 Successful Metaphors
▪ text editing as using a typewriter
▪ voice mail as answering machine or mailbox
▪ data as files (in folders or directories)
▪ deleting a file as throwing it in the trash
▪ applications as tools (sometimes with icons)
▪ programming as building objects
▪ programming as directing actors on a stage
▪ applications as agents
 Interaction Styles
Interaction can be seen as a dialog between the
computer and the user. The choice of interface style
can have a profound effect on the nature of this
dialog. The most common interface styles and the
different effects these have on the interaction. There
are several common interface styles including.
 Interaction Styles
Command Line Interface
It provides a means of
expressing instructions to be
computer directly, using
function keys, single
characters, abbreviations, or
whole word commands.
 Interaction Styles
Menus
A menu is a list of options
or commands presented to
the user of a computer or
communications system.
A menu may either be a
system's entire user
interface, or only part of a
more complex one.
 Interaction Styles
Natural Language
Language is by nature
vague and imprecise: this
gives it is flexibility and
allows creativity in
expression. Computers, on
the other hand, require
precise instructions.
 Interaction Styles
Question/Answer and
Query Dialog
The user is asked a series
of questions (mainly with
yes/no responses, multiple
-choice, or codes) and so
is led through the
interaction step by step.
 Interaction Styles
Form-Fills and
Spreadsheets
Form-filling interfaces are
used primarily for data entry
but can also be useful in
data retrieval applications.
The user is presented with a
display resembling a paper
form, with slots to fill in.
 Interaction Styles
WIMP Interface
WIMP stands for Windows,
Icons, Menus, and Pointers
(or maybe Windows, Icons,
Mouse, Pull-down menus).
WIMP is the style of
graphical user interface that
uses the above-mentioned
common widgets.
 Interaction Styles
Point-and-Click Interfaces
Point and click are the actions
of a computer user moving a
pointer to a certain location on a
screen (pointing) and then
pressing a button on a mouse,
usually the left button (click), or
another pointing device.
 Interaction Styles
Three Dimensional
Interfaces
Virtual reality is one of the
best examples of three-
dimensional interfaces, but
VR is only a part of a range
of 3D techniques available
to the interface designer.