An Overview: What is HCI?
The start of a new year brings curious glances to the tech world. Expectations arise for the next ground-breaking announcement having the potential to hold people’s attention. It has become clear that technology and its various innovations have infiltrated its way into day-to-day routines, inviting ideas for a smoother experience. Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is an all-encompassing area of expertise which aims to cover every aspect of prototyping and deploying user-friendly interfaces and monitoring the resulting engagement. Think of HCI like that of a scrum master in an Agile approach: the study helps manage production processes efficiently as a scrum master would, in a typical software development cycle during the iteration and delivery of a product.
Although the concept of ‘human computer interaction’ has been in the picture since the 80s when desktop computers took to the rise in personal working environments, it’s only been a decade of heightened prominence. With the integration of various frontier technologies such as cognitive science, neurophysics, Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Behavior (IoB) and design fundamentals, this transformative research concept has expanded into a multidisciplinary field.
Real-world Scenarios of HCI
As the realm of technology progresses, it is pivotal to take note of design interfaces in order to prevent UI complexity and user-hostile experiences. Keeping up with the constant technological advancements and staying ahead of the curve can be demanding even if it’s exciting. The more complex systems get, the harder it is for individuals to explore interfaces. Oftentimes, this leads to frustrations among dissatisfied users. For this reason, when Human Computer Interaction principles are emphasized and implemented strategically, non-tech-savvy users can navigate through the system just as easily.
Mundane Instances
The term ‘HCI’ can seem intimidating and out of the world for any tech novice. What may not sound surprising is the fact that we encounter and intercommunicate with computer systems on a daily basis. They don’t just have to be desktop computer; the scope of its terminology has broadened since the introduction of diverse electronic devices like smartphones, ATMS, etc. Human computer interactions occur every other minute in your monotonous activities, whether it is filling a glass of water using your water dispenser, browsing channels on your TV through a responsive remote, harnessing IoT devices or virtual assistants to facilitate the workings of a smart home environment (controlling light sensors, locks) and other effective occurrences.
Tailored for the Physically challenged
The workings of HCI design strategies center around the accessibility and efficiency of its users regardless of their knowledge, familiarity and expertise within the systems. Researchers at various human computer interaction labs around the world have extensively developed solutions to combat and support users with special needs. Some of those conclusive discoveries include a browser-based application referred to as “Presydium”, offering collective information based on the previous medical history of the patient to paramedics on the go and breaking language barriers for the deaf, multiple institutions have advocated for the concept of 3D sign language options to be enabled across major entertainment platforms in hopes of easing communication. Beyond that, translations of textual content into a number of diverse languages are on the spokes, notwithstanding [Alt] captions that were already introduced.
Components of HCI
With the rise of research interests revolving around ‘user-centric computing’, answers to recurring questions like that of customizing design according to user requirements, the impact of verified assessments of communication between a user and the machine, determining the testing strategies used by UI/UX developers and psychological questions regarding the correlation of human interactive behavior potentially diminishing with age, are becoming evident.
HCI models are built on four vital components, namely: a human user, an efficient computer, the interface context and the supervise-able interactions happening between them. To understand the inner workings of the interactions between a computer and a human is complex, to say the least. And that’s just scratching the surface. We are well aware that humans and computers don’t share the same level of capabilities. A question then arises: how do they interact?
User
Any human computer interaction model being deployed works to ensure a seamless experience by cataloguing user behavior with respect to their cursor movements, navigations through Menu Bars or entered input information on the displayed forms. Furthermore, this helps the model learn and modify the interface based on the captured interaction patterns.
Resulting Task
Individuals tend to browse with a defined objective. That being said, a computer merely aligns itself to serve the required applications to accomplish the aforementioned task. Picture yourself browsing through the internet to watch a movie: You’d expect to be redirected to an ad-free, legal website once you choose a link from the available browser results. To carry through the intended work and satisfy the user’s needs, the system has to determine the complexity of a task, the necessary skills to be acquired by the user to uninterruptedly navigate and also calculate the approximate time it would take to operate.
Digital Interface
Despite the interface being the most visible component of the entire Human computer interaction model, it is also the most important out of the four. With similarities between the underlying workings of the user component and the digital interface, its responsive design is one of the things that draws a clear distinction. You don’t have to be a web developer or a software programmer to have noticed the subtle differences between a well-developed desktop website and the same when viewed on a mobile phone. These small, yet sophisticated optimization of designs could bring about a greater user experience.
Context
In addition to ensuring undisturbed and fluid intercommunication between the user and the machine, the model enhances technical and internal framework functions. Designers and developers leveraging the HCI model employ responsive design frameworks like Bootstrap and PWAs to provide a smooth and aesthetic adaption in line with the screen resolutions.
Design Principles
Attaining the right set of knowledge and expertise before the implementation of complex concepts is a prerequisite in the world of technology. The established design principles make the process a lot simpler by breaking down the most important aspects within the created application. It helps prevent major mishaps and delays before product delivery.
Human computer Interaction concept is brought to fruition using the waterfall software development life cycle (SDLC). Although it isn’t widely deployed in present-day initiatives, the waterfall model remains a base for the creation of other SDLCs. One of the clear advantages of deploying this framework is its well-written documentation of all the processes involved. In cases where there’s an unambiguous and stable requirement stated, this model is recommended by experts.
Mapping – This is the established connection between a user and an interface based on their corresponding input and output capabilities. The less complex it is; the more satisfied users will be.
Error handling – It is a well-known process of development integrated within a platform for the prevention of errors during an app’s initialization and the course of its time.
Facilitation and Consistency – Simplicity is key. As a developer or a designer, you don’t always have to create unique applications. Aim for the user’s satisfaction and you’ll be all set to go.
Exposure – Make sure to place important icons easily accessible to the user. Difficult and challenging designs deter users; not engage them.
Adaptability – the resulting application must be easy to navigate and properly documented. It shouldn’t be intimidating to users because of its intricate features.
Conclusion
To conclude, the integration of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) into the tech realm has instilled an unprecedented interpretation of the entire concept of design. The exceptional model has broken past several expectations, excelling by bridging the barriers between the world of humans and computers. HCI proves to not only create revolutionary technologies but also ensure smooth experiences and overall enjoyment of the users. Breaking down myths, it has transcended from typical desktop computers into several industry domains such as healthcare, virtual and augmented reality, the Internet of Things and the like. Delving into the field’s future potential, we can confidently state that human computer interaction, being a multidisciplinary field will continue to broaden its scope on various exciting advancements; catered to human behavior and responses.
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by Tahsin Fasila