Human Computer Interaction

1. How can you define HCI (Human Computer Interaction) in your own words?
2. What does the situation below suggest? Read the story and say what should have been
considered from the very beginning of the process.
“I once spent six months working on a project, designing an interface for a new
manufacturing system. It used state-of-the-art technology and made use of colour graphics to
show the operator what was happening with each of the machines on the production line.
Sadly, when we came to rolling it out, we hit a major problem. ON the factory floor, the
operator had to wear protective clothing, with a special face mask, which turned everything to
black and white. He wanted to be able to use the interface without taking off the mask, which
meant he couldn’t see the colour. Consequently, a lot of my six months’ work was wasted.
3. Associate the concepts below with their definitions:
a. Perceptual system:
b. Motor system
c. Cognitive system
d. Haptic data
e. Ergonomics
f. Heuristic evaluation
g. Metaphor
h. Interface design
i. User input

A. data input in a computer system by a user

B. This carries information from the individual’s environment to the cognitive and motor
system.
C. designing the interaction between end-users and computer systems
D. where a software object represents a real-world object, or object used in other
software (e.g. scissors – icon to represent cutting)
E. design of equipment to reduce user fatigue, discomfort and injury
F. This is the part of the human system which is responsible for controlling movement.
G. A method for finding the usability problems in a user interface design.
H. This system processes information to perform work such as knowing, understanding,
deciding and problem solving.
I. data that is generated by or related to touch

4. The following professionals work in the field of human-computer interaction. Can you match
the name of their profession to the quotations below?
a. Company executive
b. Hardware designer
c. System tester
d. Interface designer
e. Psychologist
f. Project manager
A. Usually prototype consoles are not very intuitive, but I was able to find most of
the functions on this one really quickly.
B. There are several things I have to consider. Firstly, what resources do I have to
deliver this product?
 C. We have increased the amount of memory, but the size of the processor is the
same.
D. They say that we just have to have better technology than the competition to
increase profits. I don’t agree completely, but it is clear that improved system
performance is a major factor in selling lots of units.
E. We have lots of new functions on the console, but the important thing is whether
users can access them easily.
F. I did some tests with users to evaluate different metaphors the designers want to
use in the interface because these could help improve intuitiveness.
5. Read the information below, to find out more about Human Computer Interaction:

Human Computer Interaction, usually referred to as HCI, aims at improving the performance of
humans and computers together as a system. HCI draws on psychology and computer science in
order to provide user-friendly interfaces for computers. For example:

- Cognitive psychology provides models of perceptual, motor and cognitive systems by which
humans interact with the world.
- An engineering approach to the senses sees visual, aural and haptic data as channels for input
and output.
- Designers of input devices need to consider their responsiveness, usability and ergonomics.
- Heuristic evaluation can identify problems with the design of a user interface.
- Familiar metaphors in interface design help users create mental models of system objects
quickly.
- User input which completes one or more tasks in an action sequence, to achieve a specific
goal within the domain they are working in.