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HUMAN-COMPUTER
INTERACTION
What is human-computer interaction? Let’s define
it. HCI is about how computers and people communicate
with each other. In the early days of interface design,
that was about it. But the term has evolved to be much
more than communication. It’s about the whole computing
experience, including the cognitive and emotional aspects
of the user’s experience. Good human-computer interaction
empowers us, giving us confidence in our computing.
We interact
with a computer using an input device, be it a mouse,
keyboard, joystick or data glove. Clicking, double-clicking
and dragging items with a mouse gives the computer a
set of instructions, through the software’s interface.
Which is why you hear so much emphasis on interface
design.
Interfaces
are the design and layout of each different software
application. Click button X with your mouse and the
computer will do Y. When you do this, you are setting
up a dialogue between the machine and yourself, a conversation
if you like. For this conversation to have meaning,
both you and your computer have to understand what it
is that you want it to do – it’s all about
shared expectations. Dialogue cannot be one-sided, which
is why feedback is very important in user interface
design.
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Kristian
Hammond, of North Western University, explains his
take on human-computer interaction. |
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