Readings in Human-Computer Interaction

The effectiveness of the user-computer interface has become increasingly important as computer systems have become useful tools for persons not trained in computer science. In fact, the interface is often the most important factor in the success or failure of any computer system. Dealing with the numerous subtly interrelated issues and technical, behavioral, and aesthetic considerations consumes a large and increasing share of development time and a corresponding percentage of the total code for any given application. A revision of one of the most successful books on human-computer interaction, this compilation gives students, researchers, and practitioners an overview of the significant concepts and results in the field and a comprehensive guide to the research literature.
Like the first edition, this book combines reprints of key research papers and case studies with synthesizing survey material and analysis by the editors. It is significantly reorganized, updated, and enhanced; over 90% of the papers are new.
An invaluable resource for systems designers, cognitive scientists, computer scientists, managers, and anyone concerned with the effectiveness of user-computer interfaces, it is also designed for use as a primary or supplementary text for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in human-computer interaction and interface design.
* Human computer interaction–historical, intellectual, and social
* Developing interactive systems, including design, evaluation methods, and development tools
* The interaction experience, through a variety of sensory modalities including vision, touch, gesture, audition, speech, and language
* Theories of information processing and issues of human-computer fit and adaptation

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“Human-Inter-what?” clipped Simon, peeking over his morning paper with a loud crinkle. A favorite farmer of seventy-eight years at my local coffee shop, Simon never failed to give me the truth precisely as he saw it. I had asked him what he thought of Human Machine Interface Technology. “Sounds like science fiction to me. Don’t we already interact – interface, whatever – with machines? How else are we supposed to run the things?”

I laughed, but in a down-to-earth, back-to-common-sense way, Simon was right on. One encyclopedia explains Human-Machine Interface (HMI) technology, also known as user interface technology as the whole means by which human users interact with a particular system, such as a device, computer program or machine. HMI provides a mechanism by which users can input or manipulate a system, and provides the system a way to output or produce the effects of the users’ manipulation.

It’s not really so complicated. HMI is a broad term describing the “layer” between a person interacting with the machine and the machine itself. Applications are varied – from medical prostheses, such as cochlear implants, to computer-human interactions to the operation of vehicular Global Positioning System (GPS) devices.

For example, Web-based user interfaces accept input and provide output by generating Web pages transmitted via the Internet, which are then viewed by users through Web browser programs. Different implementations are utilized to provide real-time control in a separate program, effectively abolishing the need to refresh a traditional HTML-based Web browser.

The more exciting technologies include touch interfaces, which serve as excellent examples of the public’s increasing demand to be in control of their environment and their machines. Touch interfaces are graphical user interfaces using a touch-screen display as a device for both input and output.

This insistence is becoming apparent in the automotive industry, where consumers are demanding to be well-connected and in control. Most vehicular GPS devices, for example, are touch interfaces. Steering wheel controls can also use HMI technology to keep drivers connected through different wireless and electronic apparatuses. Certain corporations are even releasing vehicles in which much of the cockpit is run by HMI technology, such as reconfigurable instrument clusters, reconfigurable head-up displays (HUD), warning systems and multifunctional controls.

The trend seems to be in fewer gauges – reducing six-gauge systems, for example, to fewer with reconfigurable displays. There may be more use of a center cockpit, touch screens and reconfigurable thin film transistor (TFT) displays in the future, as well.

A report about HMI technologies stated the importance for designers to understand that HMI determines an operator’s perception about a machine. Designers are of vital importance, it went on to say, because operators need to be able to trust the apparatus – and trust their interactions with it – in order to make the technology successful. How skillful and mindful HMI designers are in their work will, in large part, determine that. HMI empowerment will come through ease-of-use features, ease of programmability, easy understanding and clear information displays.

According to that study, a portion of the designer population still considers HMI just a tool, but many technologies with vital benefits are poised to make HMI the central command station for monitoring and control operations. This technology has the power to transform equipment into better interactive instruments.

Focus will increasingly be on the integration of hardware and software across horizontal and vertical lines, as well as on security issues associated with HMI software, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. Escalating complexity and the high volume of connections requires this to be of current and future concern. Likewise, agility and portability are proving to be important trends in human-machine interaction and user experience research.

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About Author

Mike Trudel, Freelance Writer. Delphi Corp. is poised to apply its expertise and know-how to provide vehicle manufacturers and consumers with in-vehicle connectivity. To learn more about Delphi Corp., please visit www.Delphi.com/4Innovation or www.Delphi.com/4Connected.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Consumers Demand Control Through Human Machine Interface Technology

Are Personal Computers Becoming Too Personal?
from shopndrop.com

Has the PC replaced the dog as man’s best friend?

The rapid development of successive generations of high-speed computer chips has brought with it a bounty of personal amenities and business aids ranging from efficient interactive multimedia games to instantaneous online banking and trading to speedy access of CD data. But this high-tech blessing has come with a high-priced curse — a humanization of and attachment to a machine, hitherto unparalleled in the annals of human history. If the personal computer hasn’t yet replaced the dog as man’s best friend, it’s only because nobody has yet figured out a way to get it to lick your face.

Probably the most compelling factor in the humanization of the PC is its ability to hook up with the Internet. The notion that you can “meet” people for a “chat” while being alone in a room, catapults sociability to a new level – many age-old social mores fall by the wayside.

Gone are the days when you had to get dressed up to make an impression. On the net, you can dress down, slouch in your seat and have a hair-day that makes a thorn bush look divine in comparison, but as long as you know your gigabytes from your zip drives, you’re a mega-hit.

“Quick fingers” no longer has the connotation of a guy getting fresh with his date. On the world wide web, “quick fingers” is the biggest compliment you can pay a guy. A compliment for a woman would be, “The way you think, reminds me of my motherboard.”

One drawback of the online social arena, however, is that you can chat with someone for hours and not even be sure what gender they are. Sort of a throwback to the hippie days.

Although, “My car broke down,” no longer cuts it as an excuse for tardiness, the high-tech counterpart, “My modem broke down,” is even better. Due to a “modem breakdown,” you can not only be late for a meeting or a chat, but also “leave” (disconnect) early. What’s more, you can even leave right in middle of a boring babble – which is the rough equivalent of throwing a boring passenger out of a moving car in middle of the highway. Although, in a car, this may be considered rude behavior, on the net, it could be seen as a social improvement or “cultural upgrade.”

To the delight of many (cheap) guys, a “date” on the world wide web doesn’t cost more than a local phone call. Unless, of course, you want the company of a real human being and decide to actually meet the person you’ve been chatting with. But that sort of defeats the great achievements of modern technology.

What’s more, with your social sphere on the net encompassing literally the entire planet, you may now have to confront problems hitherto unencountered. It used to be bad enough to meet someone who was “wrong” for you. Now you have to contend with meeting someone who is “right” for you, but on the “wrong” side of the globe. How do you deal with this? Do you travel half way around the world just to meet someone?

And what if you fly down to Sidney, Australia, for a date and it turns out you don’t like the person? Do you say, “I have a headache, I’m going back to the airport to lie down?”

Some people take Internet sociability even a step farther — they get married on the net. Such nuptials are rife with nebulous legalities, and should be undertaken only by those who are fully aware of their ramifications.

In an Internet marriage, crashing your mate’s system on a regular basis may be considered spousal abuse. Uploading every time your spouse wants to download can be interpreted as “irreconcilable differences.” If your wife finds you in a chat room with another woman, it could be grounds for divorce, if she can prove you spoke about anything but fiber optic connections and backup utilities.

Then, there are divorce issues that are not yet clearly defined. Upon divorce, does your spouse get half your disk space. If your spouse was granted the websites you created together, do you have visiting rights? If you were promised the floppies in a prenuptial agreement, how easy is it for your spouse to do a flip-flop on the floppies?

These and other such vexing questions should be researched before getting involved in an Internet marriage. You’d be well-advised to consult a high-powered attorney, one who can recite at least fifty-six thousand loopholes per second.

In addition to changing some social customs, the PC has itself become such a powerful object of fixation that some people see it virtually as a member of the family.

One case in point is Bob (this is not his real Internet “handle” – to ensure his privacy, I’m using his real name). Bob went so far as giving his Pentium 3.5 GHz computer a name — Chippy. And for good reason. He says it does more tricks than Poochy. No, Poochy is not his dog. Poochy is his Pentium 2. His dog’s name is Commodore-128, named after an old computer that didn’t do much of anything. By some strange coincidence, his dog knows of 128 places to hide when he hears an intruder.

When Chippy came down with a virus, Bob rushed him to “Lee’s Emergency Room” (a computer shop where many a warranty has expired while waiting for a technician). Being told to take two floppies and call back in the morning, Bob stayed up with Chippy all night, running an anti-virus program called “Chicken Soup.” By the next day, Chippy was doing so well that his built-in tax program was able to demonstrate how you can legally become a Native American and claim your house as a casino.

Unfortunately, another friend of mine, Patricia, didn’t fare so well. Her computer, Meggy, of blessed memory and storage capacity, may her chips rest in peace, met with an untimely demise, many upgrades before its time. One day Meggy was as healthy as a mainframe with six redundant backup systems (the computer equivalent of an ox), the next day her life was zapped out of her by a hideous power surge. It was horrible. I wouldn’t wish it on a VCR.

Losing Meggy after twelve months was particularly painful for Patricia, who had been looking forward to nurturing Meggy through obsolescence. In search of closure, Patricia sued the power company for sixty-four million dollars – one million for every meg of memory she was deprived of. After several years of legal wrangling, she settled out of court for a year’s supply of environment-friendly, natural pulp, glossy inkjet paper. Manufactured, I believe, by Kodak and Pepperidge Farm.

In the final analysis, the key to computer usage is moderation and common sense. Don’t get so attached to your computer that you get emotionally distressed every time your AOL browser says “Goodbye.” Get up for a break once in while – if you look out the window and see the sun expanding into a supernova, you’ve been at your keyboard way too long. Don’t “chat” with anyone whose handle requires periodontal surgery to pronounce. And last, but not least, as soon as tech-support puts you on hold, put your house lights on a timer that turns them on and off every hour or so, so burglars know you’re home.

by Josh Greenberger
from shopndrop.com

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Question 2
There are very few systems whose designers are typical of the user population. Users differ because of:
1. age and gender only.
2. level of expertise only.
3. nationality or culture only.
4. disability only.
5. age, expertise level, nationality/culture and the impact of disabilities.
Question 3
Many people think an oven will heat faster if the thermostat is turned all the way to the maximum
setting. This is an example of:
1. a design error.
2. an incorrect design model.
3. an incorrect mental model.
4. naive physics.
5. a lack of intelligence.
Question 4
The ‘computer’ in human-computer interaction is defined as including:
1. A general desktop computer.
2. A large-scale computer.
3. An embedded computing device.
4. A process control system.
5. All of the above.
Question 5
A serious danger in interface design is:
1. to design in such a way that the interface supports the requirements of different kinds of users.
2. for the designer to consider himself/herself to be a ‘typical user’.
3. to produce an interface that provides for use of both the keyboard and the mouse.
4. to recognise the distinction between the designer’s view and the client’s model.
5. None of the above.

Question 6
Which of the following statements and guidelines are accurate?
A. As a designer, you should not view yourself as a typical user.
B. Sophisticated interaction mechanisms will prevent errors and frustration.
C. A well-designed interface will support novices in the process of becoming experts.
D. As users, we should trust designers’ intuition.
E. The gulf of evaluation is bridged if the user can determine whether or not he/she has
achieved the desired result.
Options:
1. All of the above
2. A, B, C and D
3. A, C and E
4. A, B and D
5. B, C, D and E.
Question 7
Which of the following statements are accurate?
A. The UNIX operating system was developed for expert users.
B. Interaction via chords means simultaneously using menus and mice.
C. Interface designers should collaborate with marketing experts in order to understand
characteristics of their target users.
D. If an interface is poorly designed, users tend to stop using it.
E. Designers should design a user interface as if they, themselves, are typical users.
Options:
1. A, C and E only
2. A, D and E only
3. A, B and E only
4. B and D only
5. A, C and D only.
Question 8
The end-user’s mental model is influenced by:
A. word processing and printers.
B. their goals and intentions.
C. the underlying algorithms and devices.
D. their daily tasks.
E. the objects and operation in the users’ tasks.

Options:
1. All of the above
2. A, B, D and E only
3. A, B and E only
4. B, D and E only
5. None of the above.
Question 9
HCI is a multidisciplinary field of study, incorporating:
A. technology
B. ergonomics
C. physiology
D. perception
E. cognition.
Options:
1. All of the above
2. A, B and E
3. A, B, D and E
4. A, B and D
5. None of the above.
Question 10
Consider the statements below. Only one is false. Which one is false?
1. Preece’s (1994) model of HCI has four components, namely people, work, technology
and the environment.
2. Dix et al (1998) define HCI as the study of people, computer technology and the ways in
which they influence each other.
3. The aim of INF1208 is not only to introduce HCI, but also to address the general issue of
user-centred design.
4. HCI is about people, computers and the environment, specifically the workplace
environment.
5. HCI is a multidisciplinary subject. Designing and developing an interactive artefact is
done better by a design team than by an individual.

Question 11
One of the most important principles of design is visibility, the property by which the visible structure
of well-designed objects gives clues to their operation. These clues are given by:
1. stereotypes, mappings and affordances.
2. affordances, constraints and mappings.
3. conceptual models.
4. mental models.
5. causality and stereotypes.
Question 12
Perception is influenced by:
A. maximum and minimum detectable levels.
B. interaction with physical objects.
C. background noise.
D. biological rhythms.
Options:
1. A, B and C
2. A, C and D
3. A and B
4. A and C
5. A, B, C and D.
Question 13
Which of the following constitute the psychology of how people interact with things?
1. The importance of visibility, appropriate clues and feedback on one’s actions.
2. The study of people and the study of computers.
3. The study of objects that people use.
4.

About Author

Josh Greenberger: A computer consultant for over two decades, the author has developed software for such organizations as NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies, AT&T, Charles Schwab, Bell Laboratories and Chase Manhattan Bank. Since 1984, the author’s literary works have appeared in such periodicals as The New York Post, The Daily News, The Village Voice, The Jewish Press, and others. His articles have ranged from humor to scientific to topical events. Visit his site: shopndrop.com