What Is HCI?

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is the field of study that focuses

on optimizing how users and computers interact by designing
interactive computer interfaces that satisfy users’ needs. It is a
multidisciplinary subject covering computer science, behavioral
sciences, cognitive science, ergonomics, psychology, and design
principles.
The emergence of HCI dates back to the 1980s, when personal computing
was on the rise. It was when desktop computers started appearing in
households and corporate offices. HCI’s journey began with video games,
word processors, and numerical units.
However, with the advent of the internet and the explosion of mobile and
diversified technologies such as voice-based and Internet of Things (IoT),
computing became omnipresent and omnipotent. Technological competence
further led to the evolution of user interactions. Consequently, the need for
developing a tool that would make such man-machine interactions more
human-like grew significantly. This established HCI as a technology, bringing
different fields such as cognitive engineering, linguistics, neuroscience, and
others under its realm.
Today, HCI focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating interactive
interfaces that enhance user experience using computing devices. This
includes user interface design, user-centered design, and user experience
design.
 Human-Computer Interaction

Key components of HCI

Fundamentally, HCI is made up of four key components:
1. The user
The user component refers to an individual or a group of individuals that
participate in a common task. HCI studies users’ needs, goals, and
interaction patterns. It analyzes various parameters such as
users’ cognitive capabilities, emotions, and experiences to provide them
with a seamless experience while interacting with computing systems.
2. The goal-oriented task
A user operates a computer system with an objective or goal in mind. The
computer provides a digital representation of objects to accomplish this goal.
For example, booking an airline for a destination could be a task for an
aviation website. In such goal-oriented scenarios, one should consider the
following aspects for a better user experience:

 The complexity of the task that the user intends to accomplish

 Knowledge and skills necessary to interact with the digital object

 Time required to carry out the task

3. The interface
The interface is a crucial HCI component that can enhance the overall user
interaction experience. Various interface-related aspects must be
considered, such as interaction type (touch, click, gesture, or voice), screen
resolution, display size, or even color contrast. Users can adjust these
depending on the user’s needs and requirements.
For example, consider a user visiting a website on a smartphone. In such a
case, the mobile version of the website should only display important
information that allows the user to navigate through the site easily.
Moreover, the text size should be appropriately adjusted so that the user is
in a position to read it on the mobile device. Such design
optimization boosts user experience as it makes them feel comfortable
while accessing the site on a mobile phone.
4. The context
HCI is not only about providing better communication between users and
computers but also about factoring in the context and environment in which
the system is accessed. For example, while designing a smartphone app,
designers need to evaluate how the app will visually appear in different
lighting conditions (during day or night) or how it will perform when there is
a poor network connection. Such aspects can have a significant impact on
the end-user experience.
Thus, HCI is a result of continuous testing and refinement of interface
designs that can affect the context of use for the users.

Importance of HCI
HCI is crucial in designing intuitive interfaces that people with different
abilities and expertise usually access. Most importantly, human-computer
interaction is helpful for communities lacking knowledge and formal training
on interacting with specific computing systems.
With efficient HCI designs, users need not consider the intricacies and
complexities of using the computing system. User-friendly
interfaces ensure that user interactions are clear, precise, and natural.
Let’s understand the importance of HCI in our day-to-day lives:

1. HCI in daily lives

Today, technology has penetrated our routine lives and has impacted our
daily activities. To experience HCI technology, one need not own or use a
smartphone or computer. When people use an ATM, food dispensing
machine, or snack vending machine, they inevitably come in contact with
HCI. This is because HCI plays a vital role in designing the interfaces of such
systems that make them usable and efficient.

2. Industry
Industries that use computing technology for day-to-day activities tend to
consider HCI a necessary business-driving force. Efficiently designed systems
ensure that employees are comfortable using the systems for their everyday
work. With HCI, systems are easy to handle, even for untrained staff.
HCI is critical for designing safety systems such as those used in air traffic
control (ATC) or power plants. The aim of HCI, in such cases, is to make sure
that the system is accessible to any non-expert individual who can handle
safety-critical situations if the need arises.

3. Accessible to disabled
The primary objective of HCI is to design systems that make them
accessible, usable, efficient, and safe for anyone and everyone. This implies
that people with a wide range of capabilities, expertise, and knowledge can
easily use HCI-designed systems. It also encompasses people with
disabilities. HCI tends to rely on user-centered techniques and methods to
make systems usable for people with disabilities.

4. An integral part of software success

HCI is an integral part of software development companies that develop
software for end-users. Such companies use HCI techniques to develop
software products to make them usable. Since the product is finally
consumed by the end-user, following HCI methods is crucial as the product’s
sales depend on its usability.

5. Useful for untrained communities

Today, user manuals for general computer systems are a rarity. Very few
advanced and complex computing systems provide user manuals. In general,
users expect the systems to be user-friendly and enable them to access the
system within a few minutes of interacting with it. Here, HCI is an effective
tool that designers can use to design easy-to-use interfaces. HCI
principles also ensure that the systems have obvious interfaces and do not
require special training to be used. Hence, HCI makes computing systems
suitable for an untrained community.
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Examples of HCI
Technological development has brought to light several tools, gadgets, and
devices such as wearable systems, voice assistants, health trackers, and
smart TVs that have advanced human-computer interaction technology.
Let’s look at some prominent examples of HCI that have accelerated its
evolution.

1. IoT technology
IoT devices and applications have significantly impacted our daily lives.
According to a May 2022 report by IoT Analytics, global IoT endpoints are
expected to reach 14.4 billion in 2022 and grow to 27 billion (approx.) by
2025. As users interact with such devices, they tend to collect their data,
which helps understand different user interaction patterns. IoT companies
can make critical business decisions that can eventually drive their future
revenues and profits.
A recent development in the field of HCI introduced the concept of ‘pre-
touch sensing’ through pre-touch phones. This means the phone can detect
how the user holds the phone or which finger approaches the screen first for
operation. Upon detecting the user’s hand movements, the device
immediately predicts the user’s intentions and performs the task before the
user gives any instructions.
Another HCI-related development is that of ‘Paper ID’. The paper acts as a
touchscreen, senses the environment, detects gestures, and connects to
other IoT devices. Fundamentally, it digitizes the paper and executes tasks
based on gestures by focusing on man-machine interaction variables.

2. Eye-tracking technology
Eye-tracking is about detecting where a person is looking based on the
gaze point. Eye-tracking devices use cameras to capture the user’s gaze
along with some embedded light sources for clarity. Moreover, these devices
use machine learning algorithms and image processing capabilities for
accurate gaze detection.
Businesses can use such eye-tracking systems to monitor their personnel’s
visual attention. It can help companies manage distractions that tend to
trouble their employees, enhancing their focus on the task. In this manner,
eye-tracking technology, along with HCI-enabled interactions, can help
industries monitor the daily operations of their employees or workers.
Other applications include ‘driver monitoring systems’ that ensure road
security. Moreover, in the future, HCI-enabled eye-tracking systems may
allow users to scroll through a computer screen just by rolling their eyeballs.

3. Speech recognition technology

Speech recognition technology interprets human language, derives meaning
from it, and performs the task for the user. Recently, this technology has
gained significant popularity with the emergence of chatbots and virtual
assistants.
For example, products such as Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana,
Google’s Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri employ speech recognition
to enable user interaction with their devices, cars, etc. The combination of
HCI and speech recognition further fine-tune man-machine interactions that
allow the devices to interpret and respond to users’ commands and
questions with maximum accuracy. It has various applications, such as
transcribing conference calls, training sessions, and interviews.

4. AR/VR technology
AR and VR are immersive technologies that allow humans to interact with
the digital world and increase the productivity of their daily tasks. For
example, smart glasses enable hands-free and seamless user interaction
with computing systems. Consider an example of a chef who intends to learn
a new recipe. With smart glass technology, the chef can learn and prepare
the target dish simultaneously.
Moreover, the technology also reduces system downtime significantly. This
implies that as smart AR/VR glasses such as ‘Oculus Quest 2’ are supported
by apps, the faults or problems in the system can be resolved by
maintenance teams in real-time. This enhances user experience in a
minimum time span. Also, the glasses can detect the user’s response to the
interface and further optimize the interaction based on the user’s
personality, needs, and preferences.
Thus, AR/VR technology with the blend of HCI ensures that the task is
accomplished with minimal errors and also achieves greater accuracy and
quality. Currently, HCI research is targeting other fields of study, such
as brain-computer interfaces and sentiment analysis, to boost the
user’s AR/VR experience.
A recent development in this regard has been enabled via ‘Dexta Haptic
Gloves.’ These VR gloves can sense and process touch parameters such as
surface hardness, softness, etc. These gloves can memorize a user’s finger
movements by locking and unlocking the finger joints as they interact in the
VR environment. Later, the gloves can replicate the recorded data of feelings
across various degrees in real life.
5. Cloud computing
Today, companies across different fields are embracing remote task
forces. According to a ‘Breaking Barriers 2020’ survey by Fuze (An 8×8
Company), around 83% of employees feel more productive working
remotely. Considering the current trend, conventional workplaces will
witness a massive rejig and transform entirely in a couple of decades.
Thanks to cloud computing and human-computer interaction, such flexible
offices have become a reality.
Moreover, an employee can access data on the cloud from any physical
location by exploiting cloud-based SaaS services. Such virtual settings
streamline workflows and support seamless collaboration with remote teams
across industry verticals without impacting productivity. Thus, with time, the
idea of traditional offices will cease to exist, mainly because of SaaS and HCI.

Goals of HCI
The principal objective of HCI is to develop functional systems that are
usable, safe, and efficient for end-users. The developer community can
achieve this goal by fulfilling the following criteria:

 Have sound knowledge of how users use computing systems

 Design methods, techniques, and tools that allow users to access

systems based on their needs

 Adjust, test, refine, validate, and ensure that users achieve

effective communication or interaction with the systems

 Always give priority to end-users and lay the robust foundation of

HCI
To realize the above points, developers must focus on two relevant
areas: usability and user experience. Let’s look at each category in detail:
1. Usability
Usability is key to HCI as it ensures that users of all types can quickly learn
and use computing systems. A practical and usable HCI system has the
following characteristics:

 How to use it: This should be easy to learn and remember for

new and infrequent users to learn and remember. For example,

operating systems with a user-friendly interface are easier to

understand than DOS operating systems that use a command-line

interface.

 Safe: A safe system safeguards users from undesirable and

dangerous situations. This may refer to users making mistakes

and errors while using the system that may lead to severe

consequences. Users can resolve this through HCI practices. For

example, systems can be designed to prevent users from

activating specific keys or buttons accidentally. Another example

could be to provide recovery plans once the user commits

mistakes. This may give users the confidence to explore the

system or interface further.

 Efficient: An efficient system defines how good the system is and

whether it accomplishes the tasks that it is supposed to.

Moreover, it illustrates how the system provides the necessary

support to users to complete their tasks.

 Effective: A practical system provides high-quality performance.

It describes whether the system can achieve the desired goals.

 Utility: Utility refers to the various functionalities and tools

provided by the system to complete the intended task. For

 example, a sound utility system offers an integrated development

environment (IDE) that provides intermittent help to programmers

or users through suggestions.

 Enjoyable: Users find the computing system enjoyable to use

when the interface is less complex to interpret and understand.

2. User experience
User experience is a subjective trait that focuses on how users feel about the
computing system when interacting with it. Here, user feelings are studied
individually so that developers and support teams can target particular users
to evoke positive feelings while using the system.
HCI systems classify user interaction patterns into the following
categories and further refine the system based on the detected pattern:

 Desirable traits – satisfying, enjoyable, motivating, or surprising

 Undesirable traits – Frustrating, unpleasant, or annoying

 IMPACT OF HCI IN SOCIETY, ECONOMY AND CULTURE

INTRODUCTION
HCI (Human Computer Interaction) has had a big impact on society
it also has affected other areas of peoples live such as the economy
and their culture. Human computer interaction has been around for
quite a long time now and designers are always looking for ways in
which they can improve it.
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENTS
HCl has leaded the way for software development; due to it we are
able to get even more informative and detailed images and
diagrams. For example HCI in software development led to scientist
to be able to construct detailed images of the Earths structure. It
also has led to being able to construct full 3D images of an unborn
human fetus.

GREATEST IMPACT DUE TO HCI

HCI has had the biggest impact with Mobile phones. Over the past few years
mobile phones have been getting smaller and lighter. They have also had
added to them as the years go by things such as a camera which can take
pictures and record videos, ability to access the internet and send and
receive emails. They also come with Bluetooth which allows people to share
things between phones.

DOMESTIC APPLIANCES
Many domestic appliances have evolved due to HCI. They have become easy
to use for people all over the world as instead of another language you might
not understand being on the machine it will just be a simple picture and
maybe some numbers. Which with the help of a small guide you get with
your product in your language will tell you what each image means.

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DISABLED USERS
HCI has helped those who have disabilities and have given them ways of
being able to overcome and use products that due to their disability would
have found it difficult to use. For example brail has been put onto computer
keyboards which help people who have difficulty seeing as they can fill the
lumps on each key on the keyboard and are able to understand which key
they are pressing. Tracker balls are also another deceives someone with a
disability such as RSI (repetitive Strain Injury). Tracker balls are basically a
small ball in a holder which can be rotated by hand to move a cursor on a
computer screen; they are kind of like a computer mouse which has been
turned upside down.

The Visually or the Hearing Impaired

Thanks to the development of HCI there have been many advances in the
hardware that the people who have difficulty hearing and seeing things on
the computer. Examples of these can be Screen Magnifiers or an enhanced
keyboard (such as the brail keyboard). Software has also been develop to aid
those who cannot hear or see very an example of which can be JAWS-which
is able to read what is on the screen for the user. Most computers also have
the ability to add subtitle to things such as when you are hearing things.

EXERCISING THE BRAIN

HCl has also allowed for development of software which has been proven to
help with brain exercises which helps boost cognitive performance an
example of this is DR. Kawashimas brain training. These help people who
may suffer from short time memory loss. It has also allowed them to be able
to talk when speech and gesturing is unavailable to them.

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
There are many different examples of hostile environments. which us
humans will would have difficulty or even would not survive being in (such as
the bottom of deep ocean trenches, other planets, Areas of high radiations or
areas that are unsafe for someone to be at. But thanks to HCI we have
developed methods of being able to explore these areas. Examples of this
are remote controlled robots which are built to be able to withstand the high
pressures of ocean trenches and are equipped with video cameras which
allow the person controlling it to see what the robot sees. We have also
developed with the aid of HCI ways of dealing with dangerous situations such
as looking for people who are trapped in a building which has collapsed or
even disabling a live bomb.

Robots are also used for data logging for example at the mouth of an active
volcano obviously isn’t the best place for a human to try and test its
temperature so instead robots which have special heat resistant bodies and
instruments to record accurate temperatures are used.

Robots are also used to replace so task that originally needed to be done by
air craft pilots.

HCI has also helped with the development of virtual reality which in turn has
helped train people to cope with dangerous environments such as dealing
with the G-force of formula 1 racing or learning how to fly complex air-craft.

IMPACT ON LEARNING
HCI has had a major impact on how people learn. Whether it be children in
school, young people at college and even university students. Some
examples of this are interactive whiteboards, hepatic pens (these give you
the sensation of feeling something on the computer screen). Calculators
have also evolved due to HCI in there early days they were very simple but
now days we have relatively cheap scientific calculators which can preform
many different functions.

The two major impacts of HCI on learning are that computers are far more
easier to use and are connected to the internet which has a wealth of
information on it. It has also changed how assignment are made out for
students. Most assignments now

days are created in Microsoft word, meaning its makes it easier for the
students who want are doing the assignments and it saves time for the
teacher.

Though HCI has quite a good impact on learning. It has had some negative
impacts as well. For example it has made things such as mobile phones far
more portable which means allot more students have them on them during
lesson time and they could easily get distracted from their lesson by their
mobiles.

HCI IMPACT ON ECONOMY

Introduction
HCI has had a big impact on today’s economy. It has allowed the
development of automated machines that have replaced some of the jobs
humans used to do. An example of this are the robots that have been
programmed to manufacture cards They have replaced human as they offer
greater productivity and cost less in the long run. They have also been
develops to operate tills in a super market instead of using a cashier at a
checkpoint, use wizards to analyse data and create graphs and charts.
INCREASED AUTOMATION
HCI has lead the way in automation in technology it has made people be able
to multi task more efficiently. When someone is developing an HCI they will
need to think of a way on how they can reduce the amount of effort and/or
knowledge that a user may need to input. BT allows people to send text
messages to a land line phone which the recipient can the access and have
the text spoken out to them while they are doing something else.

A Text reader allows the user to type things into a box which then gets read
out by the text reader. This has a big impact on the economy as it allows
people with who may have difficulty speaking will be able to do
presentations. They can also help break down speaking barriers as you can
get text reader that can translate read one language and they speak it out in
another.

With increased automation company’s will not have to employ as many

workers which means that they can save a lot more money. This means that
a company could sell their products at a cheaper price, however as there will
be fewer people who are employed this means that they may not be able to
afford the product as they wont have the money needed to buy things.
AUTOMATIC JUDGEMENTS OF OUTPUT
Computers in factors which help sort out items (such as food) which are
mass produced do so by grading produce by size and weight. The computers
control a conveyor belt in which there are holes that the items will fall down
if they meet the requirements of the hole e.g. its size. This helps business as
less time, money and effort is required in sorting out its products.

Another example of computers making an automatic judgement of Output

are the computers that are used in Nuclear Industry they use an online
monitoring system which will Test the chemical make-up and the quality of
the end product.

VOICE INPUT
Voice input is used in speech recognition hardware which is installed into
things such as elevators meaning that the occupant of the elevator can
simply say something open/close when getting into the elevator and then
say which floor they wish the elevator to travel to. This has an impact on the
economy as it allows simple everyday things a lot more easier which will
increase the productivity of a work place.

THOUGHT INPUT
Though input will allow users to control something just by thinking about it.
An example of this could be bionic arms which as well as being able to move
it around they can grip onto things easily. The impact of this is allows people
with disability to do far more things in the work place such as typing on a key
board or lifting objects.

VARIED WORKING ENVIRONMENTS

In today’s world due to technology people are able to carry out their work in
lots of different places. Some examples of things that have allowed us to do
this are USB sticks (which allow us to save are work on them then access
them onto another computer just by putting it in) Bluetooth, Wireless
internet (No need for cables to aces the internet. and the development of
video communications which allow for video conferencing. This has impacted
the economy as it has allowed for people to still carry out their work even
when they are not currently there.

More people can work at home and can have flexible working hours (great if
you have a young child). People can have remote internet access to
company networks. People tend to text one another instead of speaking to
confirm things such as meetings, PDA,s have replaced paper diaries and are
much better at helping people keep track on things.

there are some negative aspects however. There is much less daily contact
with co-workers and their is reduced face to face contact.
IMPACT OF HCI ON CULTURE
Introduction
HCI has had a very big impact on culture in the past few decades. It has
change the way people communicate and interact with one another. For
example HCI has lead the way for social networking to become a part of are
culture (1.15 Billion Facebook users world wide as of 2013). People are
texting/emailing each other instead of using other methods of
communication such as using a phone, sending letters and even just talking
face to face. Music has also changed due to HCI quite a while back you either
listened to music live or on a big record player. Now days people have
devices such as Ipods and MP3/4 players which are very light and easy to
carry and you can store lots of different songs on them to play at your will.
As well as being able to watch videos on the go, people can also have real
time video chat with one another even if they are on opposite sides of the
world making the world seem like a lot more smaller place then it actually is.

COMPUTER GAMING
computer gaming thanks to HCI has evolved to being able to be played on
lots of different devices such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets and console.
Gaming has also evolved so people can play with people from around the
world due to gaming evolving to be online. Another way gaming has changed
because of HCI is its graphics. Some of the earliest computer games where
text based and very confusing. We now have games like Grand Theft Auto V
which look very realistic and are a lot more simple (you can just pick up a
controller and start playing)

Computing games have a negative affect however it can make people very
anti social (especially games where you have to get things and do stuff).
People who are really into video games tend to have less verbal and face to
face communication with people. I

HCI has even lead to a loss of professionalism when talking to people (even
those who don’t play video games) people have develop habits of talking to
each other online or through text by using acronyms and shortening down
words to talk to people. This can make the way people talk to each other
seem very unprofessional and child like.

PSYCHOLOGICAL & SOCIOLOGICAL IMPACTS

HCI has some psychological & Sociological impacts as well. For example it
creates less variety of work in some environments such as in manufacturing
cars . This is due to the robots there that are designed to build cars at a
much more faster and efficient rate and means less specialised work is done
manually. They have replaced people with robots as cost in the long run are
reduced.

HCI has also lead to Deskilling which makes workers seem less valued by
their employees and feel demotivated, which could lead to them being less
productive at work.

LOSS OF SOME TRADES

Due to HCI being used to develop robots people less and less people are
learning Craftsmanship trades such as woods furniture manufacturer and the
people who create stain glass windows for buildings. this is because robots
can do these things at a much faster and less costly rate.