Human-Computer Interaction Overview

Human-Computer Interaction; the study of how people interact with computers.

Guidelines for behavior in class, including avoiding distractions and asking questions.

Presence at class. Important for final exam eligibility (needed 80%).

The final assessment, worth 50% of the grade.

Individual task, worth 20% of the grade.

Group work (2-3 members) worth 30% of the grade, including a report and presentation.

Receiving credit for work that is not your own. Results in zero marks

Methods used to evaluate student learning, including final exam, assignments, and projects.

Measures of performance in the course, basis of final grade.

Contacting professor for issues. Important for clarification.

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is the study of how people interact with computers. It's a blend of computer science, behavioral sciences, design, and other fields.

HCI investigates interface design, implementation methods, evaluation techniques, new techniques, and related models & theories.

HCI aims to create more user-friendly and responsive computers.

HCI draws on computer graphics, operating systems, programming, and development tools to build computers.

HCI uses communication, design, linguistics, psychology & social sciences to understand user needs.

The interface, involving both software and hardware, is critical in human-computer interaction.

HCI professionals typically design graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and web interfaces.

HCI focuses on methods and techniques for designing, using, and evaluating effective interfaces, ultimately making computers more user-friendly.

Displays that are clear and understandable for the user.

Don't rely on a single sensory variable for critical information (e.g., only color or size).

Interpreting signals based on prior experience and expectations.

Presenting the same information in multiple ways to increase comprehension.

Use distinct cues to avoid confusing similar signals.

Principles that guide creating easy-to-understand displays.

Principles focused on the user's understanding and mental representation of the system.

Principles focused on attention and how to direct the user's focus on crucial information in the display.

Guidelines for creating user-friendly interfaces, focusing on the users, tasks, and iterative testing.

Prioritizing the needs and tasks of the target users when designing an interface.

Gathering measurable data about user interactions with a system, such as time spent or errors made.

Using a cyclical process of designing, testing, analyzing results, and redesigning an interface in order to optimize for users.

Clearly identifying the specific tasks users will perform with the software, along with the frequency of those tasks.

Collecting specific numerical data from users performing tasks with an interface, to observe and quantify performance.

Testing the interface with real users as early as possible in the development process.

Models that guide the interactive elements in the design process, including the interaction between users, designers, and systems.

Computer systems with many associated functions.

Computer graphics and animation will be widely accessible.

Systems handling images, voice, sound, video, text, and data.

Fast interaction due to faster speeds and new input/output devices.

Lightweight, large screens that use less power.

Small computers in everyday items (appliances, cars).

Adding information to our view of the world.

The communication point between humans and computers.

Displays should visually represent variables as they appear in real-world situations.

Moving elements on a display should visually match user's mental model of how they function.

Reduce effort needed to find and understand information on displays.

Displays should organize information logically, with related elements close together or similarly positioned.

Displays should efficiently use different modalities or formats (visual, auditory etc) to improve understanding together.

Displays of systems should match how users expect the system to function in their mind's eye.

Guidelines for designing effective and user-friendly displays that help users navigate and use information effectively.

Principles of display design can be categorized into perceptual principles, mental model principles, principles based on attention, and memory principles.