HCI Technologies PDF

IT1906 HCI Technologies Computing Platform Technologies in HCI Platform refers to a group of technologies that are used as a base upon which other applications, software, systems, and processes are developed. These can be viewed as toolsets for developin...

IT1906 HCI Technologies Computing Platform Technologies in HCI Platform refers to a group of technologies that are used as a base upon which other applications, software, systems, and processes are developed. These can be viewed as toolsets for developing and operating customized services. These are some examples of technological platforms (Spacey, 2019): Computing Platforms Game Platforms Robotics Database Platforms Media Platforms Analytics Web Platforms Mobile Platforms Security Computing platform refers to a specific hardware (computing device) and software (operating system) on which an application or software can be run. The computing platform conforms to a set of human-computer interaction (HCI) standards that enables software developers to create interactive systems and applications. New standards-based interfaces and open interfaces allow application programs to run on multiple platforms, while software developers have developed tools that enable applications to run on multiple platforms (Techopedia, n.d.). Mobile and Handheld Interaction The importance of usability and user experience (UX) for mobile and handheld interaction is continuously increasing. A mobile device, as represented by smartphones, is a crucial point where two (2) notable trends are converging: multimodal interaction and cloud-based services (Kim, 2015). There are two (2) commonly used devices in mobile and handheld interaction: Smartphone – It is a combination of a mobile phone and a handheld computer into a single device (Beal, 2015). This device has a built-in personal information management programs (such as electronic calendar and address book) typically found in a personal digital assistant (PDA) and an operating system (OS) that allows mobile applications to be installed. Smartphones can be used for Web browsing, sending e-mails, playing music, video streaming, text messaging, etc. (Hosch, 2018) Tablet – It is a computer that is intermediate in size between a laptop computer and a smartphone. Tablets and smartphones basically have the same functionalities. Early models of tablet computers used either a keyboard or a stylus for information input, but then these input methods were subsequently displaced by touch screens (Gregersen, 2019). High-End Cloud Service and Multimodal Client Interaction In implementing different interactive technologies and hallmarks of human intelligence, such as recognizing spoken words, sentences, images, and gestures, require artificial intelligence (AI). However, technologies with AI generally need large databases, long off-line learning processes, and heavy online computation for real- time responses. With this, high-performance servers – coupled with mobile clients that handle fast data input, capture, and transfer – offer a promising solution. Therefore, systems and applications utilizing high-end cloud services with high-performing servers can now facilitate various HCI-related computations, such as the following (Kim, 2015): Multimodal integration Large-scale and multi-user tracking Context-based reasoning Usage pattern analysis User characteristics deduction Big data gathering Artificial Intelligence – This refers to the ability of a digital computer or a computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with human intelligence. It is frequently applied in developing systems 09 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 1 of 3  IT1906 endowed with intellectual processing characteristics of human, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning, generalize, and learn from previous experience (Copeland, 2019). High-End Cloud Service – This pertains to any service made available to users via the Internet from a cloud computing provider’s server, instead of being provided by a company. It is designed to provide an easy and scalable access to applications, resources, and services, and is managed by a cloud services provider (Beal, n.d.). High-end cloud services make multimodal client interaction more feasible. Multimodal Client Interaction – This complements different operational restrictions. This has also been an active research ground in the academic world, beginning with the first pioneering multimodal interactive system developed by Bolt et al. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the early 1980s. Since then, various ways of combining multiple modalities for effective interaction have been devised (Kim, 2015). Natural/Immersive/Experiential Interaction Language understanding greatly involves natural language processing, which can be divided into two (2) processes: word recognition and sentence understanding. One good application of language understanding is voice recognition. Voice recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation or to understand and carry out spoken commands. This system enables consumers to interact with technology by speaking, which allows users to perform hands-free requests and other simple tasks. Voice recognition gained prominence and use with the rise of AI and intelligent assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Microsoft’s Cortana (Techtarget, 2018). Gestures play an important role in human communication. It can convey a specific meaning, or it can supplement other modes of communication. The main objective of incorporating gestures into HCI is to engage users into a more natural interaction. Gestures can either be from the human perspective (supplementary pointing vs. symbolic) or from a technological viewpoint (static posture vs. moving hand gestures). An example of how human gestures are integrated into a system is motion tracking (Kim, 2015). Motion tracking assists in tracking the movement of objects or humans and transferring the sensed data to an application that contains stored motion templates. It enhances human-computer interaction, plays a vital role in computer animation of a 3D model, and requires specific hardware and software programs to capture and process large amounts of data. This technology is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications and robotics (Techopedia, n.d.). Other examples of natural/immersive/experiential interaction: o Microsoft Kinect o Immersive teleconferencing o Nintendo Wii o Virtual reality training and education Mixed and Augmented Reality Virtual Reality (VR) – It is the use of technology to create a simulated environment. VR places the user inside an experience instead of images or videos on a screen. Users are immersed and able to interact with 3D objects by stimulating as many senses as possible, such as vision, hearing, touch, and even smell. But it is only limited in terms of availability of content and computing power (Bardi, 2019). Augmented Reality (AR) – This technology is an interactive, reality-based environment that uses the capabilities of a computer to generate natural or realistic display, sound, text, and effects to enhance the user’s real-world experience. AR combines reality and computer-based scenes and images to deliver a unified and enhanced view of an environment (Techopedia, n.d.). 09 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 2 of 3  IT1906 These are the following types of AR being used in different industries today (RealityTechnologies.com, n.d.): o Marker-Based AR – This type of AR uses image recognition technology, which uses a camera and a visual marker (such as QR/2D code) to produce results when the reader (smartphones and tablets) senses the marker. o Markerless-Based AR – It is one of the most widely implemented applications of AR that uses GPS, digital compass, velocity meter, and/or accelerometer embedded in a device to provide data based on the user’s location. o Projection-Based AR – This technology works by projecting light to real-world surfaces. It allows human interaction by sending light onto a surface and then detecting human interaction, such as touch, by differentiating an expected projection to an altered projection (caused by user’s interaction). o Superimposition-Based AR – Object recognition plays a vital role in this type of AR. It either partially or fully replaces a real-life object with a newly augmented view of the same object. Mixed Reality (MR) – It is the result of blending the physical world and the digital world, resulting in a “hybrid” environment. Interactive virtual objects are mapped to the physical environment, blending the real and the virtual. MR requires awareness of the geometry of the environment around the user, using it as a canvas to create an immersive content that is defined by the space the user is in. All these processes are made possible through a headset or headgear (Rogers, 2018). References: Augmented Reality (AR). (n.d.). In Techopedia. Retrieved from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4776/augmented-reality-ar on September 17, 2019 Bardi, J. (2019, March 26). What is virtual reality? [Definition and examples]. Retrieved from https://www.marxentlabs.com/what-is- virtual-reality/ on September 16, 2019 Beal, V. (2015, December 11). Introduction to mobile devices. Retrieved from https://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/mobile_OS.asp on September 16, 2019 Beal, V. (n.d.). Cloud service. Retrieved from https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/cloud_services.html on September 16, 2019 Copeland, B.J. (2019, May 9). Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/technology/artificial-intelligence on September 16, 2019 Gregersen, E. (2019, January 18). Tablet computer. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/technology/tablet-computer o September 16, 2019 Hosch, W. (2018, November). Smartphones. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/technology/smartphone on September 16, 2019 Kim, G. (2015). Human-computer interaction fundamentals and practice. USA: CRC Press. Motion Tracking. (n.d.). In Techopedia. Retrieved from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/31558/motion-tracking on September 16, 2019 Platform. (n.d.). In Techopedia. Retrieved from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/3411/platform on September 16, 2019 Reality Technologies. (n.d.). The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Augmented Reality (AR) Technology. Retrieved from https://www.realitytechnologies.com/augmented-reality/ on September 17, 2019 Rogers, S. (2018, December 4). What is mixed reality and what does it mean for enterprise?. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/solrogers/2018/12/04/what-is-mixed-reality-and-what-does-it-mean-for- enterprise/#7fd57b945df9 on September 17, 2019 Spacey, J. (2019, February 11). 16 types of technology platform [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://simplicable.com/new/technology-platform on September 16, 2019 Voice recognition (speaker recognition). (2018, January). In Techtarget. Retrieved from https://searchcustomerexperience.techtarget.com/definition/voice-recognition-speaker-recognition on September 16, 2019 09 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 3 of 3