HCI Interfaces: Command-Line & GUIs

• Interfaces are the points of interaction between users and computer systems in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

• These facilitate communication and enable effective task performance

• There are 12 different interface types

• Command-line

• Graphical User

• Multimodal

• Mobile

• Wearables

• Haptic

• Shareable

• Virtual reality

• Augmented reality

• Tangible

• Robot & Drones

• Brain-computer

Command-Line Interfaces

• Commands are typically typed as abbreviations at the command prompt
• Issuing commands can also occur through pressing certain key combinations or using fixed and programmed function keys
• Command-line interfaces are efficient, precise, and fast
• Deleting 10,000 files is easier with a single command than scrolling and highlighting files

Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)

• The Xerox Star interface led to the birth of the graphical user interface (GUI)
• The original GUI was called WIMP
• Windows
• Icons
• Menus
• Pointing Device

Menu Styles

• They are based on the application and type of device
• Flat list: used for smartphones and smartwatches
• Drop down
• Contextual
• Collapsible
• Mega: Used in websites where many options can be displayed using a 2D drop-down layout

Research and Design Considerations for GUIs

• Window management enables fluid movement between windows and monitors
• It is important to know how to switch attention between windows without distraction
• Spacing, grouping and simplicity design principles should be used
• Also you should carefully consider the the terms to use for menu options
• Mega menus are easier to navigate than drop-down ones
• You should use guidelines, style guides, icon builders, libraries and online tutorials when creating icons

Multimodal Interface

• Multimodal interfaces enrich user experiences by multiplying how information is experienced and controlled
• Different modalities include touch, sight, sound, and speech
• They support more flexible, efficient, and expressive means of human-computer interaction
• Input/outputs may be used simultaneously
• The Kinect was developed as a gesture and body movement gaming input system for the Xbox

Mobile Interfaces

• Handheld devices are intended to be used while on the move
• They have become pervasive, increasingly used in all aspects of everyday and working life such as phones, fitness trackers, and smartwatches
• Larger-sized tablets are used in mobile settings
• They are used by flight attendants, marketing professionals, and at car rental returns

Wearables

• Wearables are devices worn on the body
• They providing the user with a way of interacting with digital information while on the move
• First developments were head and eyewear-mounted cameras that enabled users to record what was seen and access digital information
• Jewelry, head-mounted caps, smart fabrics, glasses, shoes, and jackets are all wearables
• Applications include automatic diaries, tour guides, cycle indicators, and fashion clothing
• Steve Mann donned head and eye cameras in 1997
• Google Glass was released in 2014

Research and Design Considerations for Wearables

• They should be comfortable, light, small, fashionable, and preferably hidden
• They should be hygienic and easy to wash or clean
• It should be easy to remove and replace the electronic gadgetry
• Consider usability to determine how the user controls devices embedded in clothing

Haptic Interfaces

• They provide tactile feedback by applying vibration and forces to a person's body
• Use actuators that are embedded in clothing or devices like smartphones
• Gaming consoles employ vibration to enrich the experience
• Vibrotactile feedback can simulate the sense of touch between remote people
• Ultrahaptics creates the illusion of touch in midair using ultrasound to make 3D shapes
• Realtime vibrotactile feedback provides nudges when playing violin incorrectly, uses motion capture to sense arm movements that deviate from model and short vibrations on arms and hands are nudges

Research and Design Considerations Haptic Interfaces

• Consider where to place actuators on the body
• Whether to use a single or sequence of touches
• When to buzz and how intense
• How does the wearer feel it in different contexts
• New smartphone/smartwatch apps can use vibrotactile creatively

Shareable Interfaces

• They are designed for more than one person to use
• They provide multiple inputs and allow simultaneous input by co-located groups
• Large wall displays where people use their own pens or gestures
• Smartboards allow interactive tabletops where small groups interact with information using their fingertips

Smartboard and Interactive Tabletop Interface

• Provide a large interactional space that can support flexible group working
• Can be used by multiple users
• Can point to and touch information being displayed
• Can simultaneously view the interactions and have the same shared point of reference as others
• Found in Museums and galleries

Research and Design Considerations for Shareable Interfaces

• Core design concerns include whether size, orientation, and shape of the display affect collaboration
• Horizontal surfaces support more turn-taking and collaborative working in co-located groups compared to vertical ones
• Larger-sized tabletops do not improve group working but encourages more division of labor
• Having both personal and shared spaces enables groups to work on their own and in a group