HUMAN COMPUTER

INTERACTION
Dr. Wajeeha Khalil
[email protected]
Outline
• Introduction
• Rules &Attendance
• Course outline
• Evaluation method
Rules and Regulations
• Students must reach the class-room in time. Attendance shall be marked at
the start of the class. Late-comers may join the class, but are not entitled to
be marked as “present”.
• Students failing to secure 75% attendance shall not be allowed to sit in the
final examination.
• Students, who are absent on the announcement date of assignment / test,
must get the topic / chapter of the test / assignment confirmed through their
peers. 
• Assignment submission dead-line must be observed. In case of late
submission, 10% marks per day may be deducted after due date.
• Mobile phones must be switched-off in the class-room.
Description
• The study of human-computer interaction enables system architects to design
useful, efficient, and enjoyable computer interfaces.
• This course provides an introduction to and overview of the field of human-
computer interaction (HCI).
• HCI is an interdisciplinary field that integrates theories and methodologies from
computer science, cognitive psychology, design, and many other areas.
• Course readings will span current theory and practice in interface specification,
design and evaluation, as well as current and classic research papers in HCI.
Course Contents
• Foundations
• Human
• Computer
• Interactions
• Paradigms
• Design Process: In this part, we concentrate on how design practice addresses the critical feature of an
interactive system usability from the human perspective. The chapters in this part promote the
purposeful design of more usable interactive systems.
• HCI and Software Process
• Design Rules
• Implementation Support
• Universal Design
Course Contents
• Models And Theories
• Cognitive Models
• Socio Organizational Issues and Stakeholder requirements
• Communication and Collaborative models
• Evaluation Techniques
• Outside the Box
• Groupware
• Ubiquitous Computing
• Hypertext , Multimedia and the World Wide Web
• UI/UX Design
• Advanced Topics
Objectives
• To gain knowledge on the interplay between humans, tasks, technology, and contexts.
• To gain knowledge on important human factors that affect human-computer interactions.
• To be able to conduct task analysis within contexts.
• To be able to apply HCI principles, guidelines, methods, and techniques for human-centered
information systems development.
• To be able to conduct HCI evaluations and usability studies.
• To be able to critique HCI designs of others.
Recommended Books and Literature
• Dix, A., Finley, J., Abowd, G., and Beale, R. 2004 Human-Computer Interaction (3rd Ed.). Prentice-Hall,
Inc.
• Benyon D, Turner P, Turner S. Designing interactive systems. Harlow, England: Addison-Wesley; 2005.
• Shneiderman, B. 2005 Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer
Interaction. Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc.
• McCracken, D. D., Spool, J. M., and Wolfe, R. J. 2003 User-Centred Web Site Development: a Human-
Computer Interaction Approach. Pearson Education.
• Rogers, Y., Sharp, H. and Preece, J. (2007), Interaction Design: Beyond Human Computer Interaction,
2nd. Edition Wiley & SoN
• Research Papers
Evaluation Method
• 6 Assignments 5%
• 4 Quiz 10%
• Mid Term 20%
• Final Term 60 %
• Attendance 5%
HCI INTRO AND
HISTORY
WHY HUMAN–COMPUTER NTERACTION?
• Computers and related devices have to be designed with an understanding that people with specific tasks
in mind will want to use them in a way that is seamless with respect to their everyday work.
• To do this, those who design these systems need to know how to think in terms of the eventual users’
tasks and how to translate that knowledge into an executable system.
• Designing usable systems is not simply a matter of altruism towards the eventual user, or even
marketing; it is increasingly a matter of law.
WHY HUMAN–COMPUTER
INTERACTION?
• National health and safety standards constrain employers to provide their workforce with
usable computer systems: not just safe but usable.
• For example, EC Directive 90/270/EEC, which has been incorporated into member countries’
legislation, requires employers to ensure the following when designing, selecting,
commissioning or modifying software: that it is
• suitable for the task
• easy to use and, where appropriate, adaptable to the user’s knowledge and experience
• provides feedback on performance
• displays information in a format and at a pace that is adapted to the user
• conforms to the ‘principles of software ergonomics’.
• Designers and employers can no longer afford to ignore the user.
HCI?
WHAT IS HCI?
• The term human–computer interaction has only been in widespread use since
the early 1980s, but has its roots in more established disciplines.
• Systematic study of human performance began in earnest at the beginning of
the last century in factories, with an emphasis on manual tasks.
• The Second World War provided the impetus for studying the interaction
between humans and machines, as each side strove to produce more effective
weapons systems.
• This led to a wave of interest in the area among researchers, and the formation
of the Ergonomics Research Society in 1949.
 WHAT IS HCI?
• Traditionally, ergonomists have been concerned primarily with the physical characteristics of machines
and systems, and how these affect user performance.
• Human Factors incorporates these issues, and more cognitive issues as well.
• The terms are often used interchangeably, with Ergonomics being the preferred term in the United
Kingdom and Human Factors in the English-speaking parts of North America.
• Both of these disciplines are concerned with user performance in the context of any system, whether
computer, mechanical or manual.
• As computer use became more widespread, an increasing number of researchers specialized in
studying the interaction between people and computers, concerning themselves with the physical,
psychological and theoretical aspects of this process.
• This research originally went under the name man–machine interaction, but this became human–
computer interaction in recognition of the particular interest in computers and the composition of the
user population!
 DEFINITIONS
• 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 HAS THREE COMPONENTS

• 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.
• human–computer interaction, does not necessarily envisage a single user with a desktop
computer.
• By user it means an individual user, a group of users working together, or a sequence of users
in an organization, each dealing with some part of the task or process. The user is whoever is
trying to get the job done using the technology.
• By computer it means any technology ranging from the general desktop computer to a large-
scale computer system, a process control system or an embedded system. The system may
include non-computerized parts, including other people.
• By interaction it means any communication between a user and computer, be it direct or
indirect. Direct interaction involves a dialog with feedback and control throughout
performance of the task. Indirect interaction may involve batch processing or intelligent
sensors controlling the environment.
• The important thing is that the user is interacting with the computer in order to accomplish
something.
Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is an
Interdisciplinary field
 Theory and HCI
• Unfortunately, no general and unified theory of HCI exists. Indeed, Hard To develop one.
• However, there is an underlying principle that forms the basis of our own views on HCI, and it is captured in our
claim that people use computers to accomplish work.
• This outlines the three major issues of concern:
• the people, the computers and the tasks that are performed.
• The system must support the user’s task, which gives us a fourth focus, usability: if the system forces the user to
adopt an unacceptable mode of work then it is not usable.
• There are, however, those who would dismiss our concentration on the task, saying that we do not even know
enough about a theory of human tasks to support them in design.
• The user’s current tasks are studied and then supported by computers, which can in turn affect the nature of the
original task and cause it to evolve.
• Example: Re-ordering of paragraphs in word processor.
HCI is required to be both a craft and a science in
order to be successful
• This word ‘task’ or the focus on accomplishing ‘work’ is also problematic when we think of
areas such as domestic appliances, consumer electronics and e-commerce.
• There are three ‘use’ words that must all be true for a product to be successful; it must be:
• useful – accomplish what is required: play music, cook dinner, format a document;
• usable – do it easily and naturally, without danger of error, etc.;
• used – make people want to use it, be attractive, engaging, fun, etc
• The last of these has not been a major factor until recently in HCI, but issues of motivation,
enjoyment and experience are increasingly important.
Basic Goal of HCI
USABILITY

One of the key concepts in HCI.

It is concerned with making systems easy to learn and use

A Usable system is:

Easy to
Easy to Effective to Efficient to Enjoyable to
learn remember Safe to use
how to use use use use