Chapter 1:

Introduction to HCI
 Presented by: Abdul Rasheed Memon
M.Phil. Computer Science (2014)
Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science
University of Sindh, Jamshoro
What is Human Computer Interaction (HCI)?
 Human Computer interaction (HCI) is characterized as a
dialogue or interchange between the human and the computer
because the output of one serves as the input for the other in an
exchange of actions and intentions.

 HCI is the study of interaction between people (users) and

computers.

 Human Computer Interaction is concerned with the design,

evaluation and implementation of interactive computing
systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena
surrounding them.

 Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is an interdisciplinary field

in which computer scientists, engineers, psychologists, social
scientists and design professional play important roles.
Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is an
Interdisciplinary field
 HCI tackles questions concerning how people interact
with computers
◦ Are computers intuitive or complicated?
◦ Are computers rewarding or frustrating?
◦ How can computers be made accessible to everybody (e.g.
different physical abilities, different languages etc.)?
◦ To what level can computer interaction be standardized?
◦ Are computers “user-friendly”?
◦ What does it mean to be “user-friendly”?
 Human

 Computer

 Interaction

The goal of HCI is to improve the interaction between

users and computers by making computers more user-
friendly and receptive to the user's needs.
 Card, Moran and
Newell (1983),
described the Model
Human Processor
(MHP)

 A simplified view of the

human processing
involved in interacting
with computer system.
 Interacting with technology is cognitive.
 Human information processing referred to as cognition
 Human cognition process is involved when interacting with system, like
attention, perception and recognition, memory, learning, reasoning,
problem solving and decision making.
 Need to take into account cognitive processes involved and cognitive
limitations of users.
 Provides knowledge about what users can and cannot be expected to do.
 Identifies and explains the nature and causes of problems users encounter.
 Supply theories, modelling tools, guidance and methods that can lead to the
design of better interactive products.
 Must consider what are users good and bad at?
 communication
user system
 Interaction refers to a dialogue generated by the command and
data, input to the computer and the display, output of the
computer and the sensory/perceptual input to the human and
motor response output of the human.

 There are number of ways in which the user can communicate

with the system, batch input, direct manipulation etc.
 Interface is made up of a set of hardware devices and
software tools from the computer side and a system
of sensory, motor and cognitive processes from the
human side.

Interaction takes place at the Interface,

 Norman’s model concentrates on user’s view of the
interface

 Seven stages
◦ user establishes the goal
◦ formulates intention
◦ specifies actions at interface
◦ executes action
◦ perceives system state
◦ interprets system state
◦ evaluates system state with respect to goal
execution/evaluation loop
goal
execution evaluation
system
 user establishes the goal
 formulates intention
 specifies actions at interface
 executes action
 perceives system state
 interprets system state
 evaluates system state with respect to goal
execution/evaluation loop
goal
execution evaluation
system
 user establishes the goal
 formulates intention
 specifies actions at interface
 executes action
 perceives system state
 interprets system state
 evaluates system state with respect to goal
execution/evaluation loop
goal
execution evaluation
system
 user establishes the goal
 formulates intention
 specifies actions at interface
 executes action
 perceives system state
 interprets system state
 evaluates system state with respect to goal
execution/evaluation loop
goal
execution evaluation
system
 user establishes the goal
 formulates intention
 specifies actions at interface
 executes action
 perceives system state
 interprets system state
 evaluates system state with respect to goal
User interface: User interfaces mediate the interaction (dialog)
between humans and computers.
 The User Interface today is often one of the most critical factors
regarding the success or failure of a computer system
 [[

 Good UI design:
◦ Increases efficiency
◦ Improves productivity
◦ Reduces errors
◦ Reduces training
◦ Improves acceptance
© Worboys and Duckham (2004) GIS: A Computing Perspective, Second Edition, CRC Press
 “Today, user needs are recognized to be important in
designing interactive computer systems, but as
recently as 1980, they received little emphasis.”
J. Grudin

 A balance of two key features is needed for an

effective user interface

◦ Expressive: ability to achieve specific tasks efficiently

◦ Intuitive: ease of use, degree of effort required to learn
• Five commonly encountered user interface
paradigms:

Interface style Expressive

Command entry
Menu
Forms
WIMP
Intuitive
Natural language
• Command entry: human user issues commands directly
to the computer.

• Many different options customize commands (expressive).

• Requires user to learn large numbers of commands and

options (not intuitive).
• Menu interface: commands
organized into logical groups
(more intuitive than command
entry)

• A submenu can be used to present

further related list of sub-functions
or options

• Menu structure limits range of

options (less expressive than
command entry)

• Restricted form of WIMP

• Form interface: presents
specific questions to which a
user must respond in order to
perform some task.

• Intuitive, since users are led

step by step through
interaction.

• Not expressive, since form

allows access to only a few
specialized commands
• WIMP: stands for windows, icons, menus, pointers

• WIMP interfaces are familiar as they are the basis of

most desktop-computer operating systems
 Question/answer and query dialogue
 Point and click
 Direct Manipulation
 Three–dimensional interfaces
 Gesture Recognition
 Gaze Detection
 Speech and Speaker Recognition
 Pen based Interaction
 Motion Tracking sensors and Digitizers
 Taste and smell sensors
◦ Simple and natural dialogue
◦ Speak the user’s language
◦ Minimize user’s memory load
◦ Provide feedback
◦ Provide clearly marked exits
◦ Provide shortcuts
◦ Deal with errors in a positive manner
◦ Provide help
 Example: Speak the users’ language

 Terminology based on users’ language for task

◦ e.g. withdrawing money from a bank machine

 Use meaningful mnemonics, icons & abbreviations

◦ e.g File / Save
 Example: Minimize user’s memory load

 Computers good at
remembering,
people are not!
 Promote
Recognition over
Recall
◦ menus, icons, choice
dialog boxes vs.
commands, field
formats
◦ relies on visibility of
objects to the user
(but less is more!)
 Example : Provide feedback
 Continuously inform the user about
◦ what it is doing
◦ how it is interpreting the user’s input
◦ user should always be aware of what is going on

Multiple files being copied,

but feedback is file by file.
 HCI has traditionally been about designing efficient and effective systems.
 Well-designed interfaces can elicit good feelings in users.
 Expressive interfaces can provide comforting feedback.
 Badly designed interfaces make people angry and frustrated.
 Emotional interaction is concerned with how we feel and react when
interacting with technologies.
 Emotional interaction is concerned with how interactive systems make
people respond in emotional ways.
 Relaxed users will be more forgiving of shortcomings in design.
 Aesthetically pleasing and rewarding interfaces will increase positive
affect.
 User interfaces should be designed to match the skills, experience
and expectations of its anticipated users.
 System users often judge a system by its interface rather than its
functionality.
 A poorly designed interface can cause a user to make terrible errors.
 Poor user interface design is the reason why so many software
systems are never used.
 Designers should be aware of people’s physical and mental
limitations (e.g. limited short-term memory) and should recognise
that people make mistakes.
 One of the key concepts in HCI.
It is concerned with making systems easy to learn
and use

A Usable system is:

Easy to
Effective to Efficient to Enjoyable to
Easy to learn remember Safe to use
use use use
how to use
 In order to produce computer system with good usability;
Developers must attempt to

Understand Develop Achieve Put People 1st

•Their needs,
• The factors • Tools and • Efficient, capabilities and
that techniques effective, preferences for
determine to enable and safe
conducting various
tasks should direct
how people building
interaction developers in the
use suitable way that they
technology systems design systems
•People should not
change their way
they use the
system to fit with
it, instead system
should match their
requirements

The long term goal:

To design systems that minimize the barrier between the human’s
cognitive model of what they want to accomplish and the
computer’s understanding of the user’s task
 Why is usability important?

 Poor usability results in

◦ anger and frustration
◦ decreased productivity in the workplace
◦ higher error rates
◦ physical and emotional injury
◦ equipment damage
◦ loss of customer loyalty
◦ costs money