Intro Flashcards
(8 cards)
What is HCI concerned with?
Interactive System: “combination of hardware and/or software and/or services
and/or people that users interact with in order to achieve specific goals”
User Interface: “all components of an interactive system (software or hardware)
that provide information and controls for the user to accomplish specific tasks
with the interactive system”
Interactive Systems
Interactions receive instant feedback visible to the user.
is a computational system that allows
users to interact in real-time.
“Real-time” refers to system responses that users perceive as
instant – typically in the order of 100ms
Examples
* Desktop OS, e.g. Windows 10 or MacOS
* Mobile devices, e.g. Android or iPhone
* Augmented Reality, e.g. MS Hololens
* Ticket vending machines
* Command line interfaces, text editors
User interfaces
The user interface is the part of a system through which a user
can interact,
Examples:
* Graphical user interface (GUI) of any app or system,
e.g. of search engine, or powerpoint
* Voice user interface in a smart speaker (e.g. Alexa)
* Buttons, switches, wheels and levers in a cockpit
* Control panel of everyday devices,
e.g. microwave oven, alarm cock,
Human-Computer Interaction
“Human-computer interaction is a discipline concerned with the design,
evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human
use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them”
(definition in the ACM SIGCHI Curricula for HCI, 1992)
people vs machines
Machine centred:
People -
Distractable
Emotional
Illogical
Machine -Precise
Organized
Unemotional
people centred:
people - Creative
Compliant
Attentive to change
machines - Dumb
Rigid
Insensitive to change
Utility, Usability, User Experience
Utility: What a system (device, product, app,…) enables the user to do.
* The tasks they can complete in interaction with a system
* For a given goal, utility is an essential quality.
- Usability: How well a user can use a system to achieve their goals
- How easy or difficult is the system to learn and use? How efficient and
effective is the user interface? Have safe is the operation of the system?
User experience (UX): The actual experience of using a system
* How it behaves and what it feels like when we use it
* Utility and usability are fundamental for a good user experience
* But the use experience also depends on social and emotional factors
Economic relevance of HCI
Products that are easy to use are good for business
Improving the user experience can
* Increase productivity of users – completing tasks more efficiently
* Reduce costs – less training and less support needed
* Increase sales/revenue – online shopping
“Bad Usability is a Leaky Pipe”
On the Internet or App Store, the competition is never far away
* Just one click away
* Comparison is easily possible
* If users have a poor experience, they can easily go to
another site/app
