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An Introduction to Human-Computer
Interaction
Human-Computer Interaction is an inter-disciplinary
field with historic roots in computer science. Other
fields that contribute to Human-Computer Interaction
include psychology, sociology, library science,
education, and industrial engineering. With this broad
base of knowledge, we can gain a better
understanding of what humans need from their computer
interfaces, to successfully compete work-related
tasks, to communicate with others, to learn, to
create, to explore, and for all of this to take place
with maximum satisfaction and minimum frustration. In
this tutorial, we will summarize the design,
development, and evaluation of computer user
interfaces, to meet the needs of real users. The goal
of this tutorial is to provide a broad introduction to
Human-Computer Interaction, and specific information
on how to understand users, their tasks, and their
environments, with the goal of using that information
to help build better user interfaces.
This tutorial is suitable for people with no
background in design or HCI. The following is a
preliminary outline for the day: - Introduction to
some general questions and thoughts (what does
the area of HCI include? are all parts important to
all developers?) - Understanding users and
getting to know their tasks (not every user is the
same, but how different are they? how do we
determine tasks? do all users have the same tasks? how
do we get to know how the users
perform tasks?) - Designing with the user (there are
several levels at which we can involve the
user - which to use? when? why?) - Designing visual
interfaces (how to make something
interesting yet still usable) - Evaluating interfaces
(what are some guidelines that are used? how
can this be done rapidly? at a low cost?) There will
be two or three hands-on exercises to help us
explore these topics. Handouts will also be
provided.
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