HUMAN COMPUTER

INTERACTION:
WHAT IS IT?
 HUMAN COMPUTER
INTERACTION
● Human–computer
interaction (HCI) is a
cross-disciplinary area
that deals with the
theory, design,
implementation, and
evaluation of the ways
that humans use and
interact with computing
devices.
Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:
Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
 HUMAN COMPUTER
INTERACTION
● Basically, HCI is the
study of how people
view, interact, and
behave with
technology and its
design, especially
computers and
smartphones.

Source: Simplilearn.com
 IMPORTANT CONCEPTS TO KNOW

INTERACTION USER EXPERIENCE

(UX)

HIGH USABILITY
INTERACTION

● Refers to an abstract
model by which humans
interact with the
computing device for a
given task, and an
interface is a choice of
technical realization
(hardware or software)
of such a given
interaction model.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Metaphor
• Files are like books.
• Folders are like shelves in the library.

How the Interaction Model Affects Interactivity on Systems

USABILITY
● The resulting interfaces
or product being
designed are easy to
use, efficient for the
task, ensure safety, and
lead to a correct
completion
of the task, process, or
steps.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
USER EXPERIENCE (UX)

● encompasses the
functional
completeness, high
usability, and aesthetic
appeal of the interactive
artifact, but also its
seamless integration
into one’s lifestyle or
even creating a new one
around it
GOALS OF HUMAN
COMPUTER
INTERACTION
(HCI)
 GOALS OF HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION

Functional Compelling User

High Usability Aesthetic Appeal
Completeness Experience
FUNCTIONAL COMPLETENESS

● This describes a system

or product that fully
meets user
requirements. It means
the software or tool has
all the essential
functions and abilities to
accomplish its intended
purpose, without any
missing elements.
HIGH USABILITY

● User-friendliness is key,
emphasizing how
smoothly and effectively
people can accomplish
their objectives using
the system. A product
with excellent usability is
easy to understand, has
clear navigation, and
allows users to
complete tasks with
minimal effort.
AESTHETIC APPEAL

● The external appeal and

sensory aspects of a
product play a crucial
role. An attractive
design captivates users,
forms positive initial
impressions, and
enhances overall user
satisfaction.
COMPELLING USER EXPERIENCE

● A powerful user
experience (UX)
combines practicality,
ease of use, and visual
appeal into a unified
design that fulfills user
needs across various
dimensions. This
comprehensive
approach addresses not
just functionality, but
also efficiency,
emotional connection,
and user enjoyment.
 The History of Graphical User Interfaces

Command-line interface (CLI) Hardware and Software Touchscreen

PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN COMPUTER
INTERACTION (HCI)
Know the User

● The phrase: “know thy

user” was coined from
William Hansen in 1971.

● Most user interfaces in

programs and applications
are designed and are
always centered around
users. Interaction and
interface MUST cater to the
user.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Know the User
● Universal Usability -
promotes “humane”
interfaces that cater to a
wide range of users across
age groups, skill levels
cultural backgrounds and
disability levels
● Also known as accessibility.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Examples of Ways to Achieve Universal Usability / Accessibility
Examples of Ways to Achieve Universal Usability / Accessibility
Understand the Task
● Different users will have
different methods and
techniques to finish a
specific task at hand, and
this must be reflected in
the structure of the
interface to simplify
implementation for all
users.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Understand the Task
● However, it is not always the
case that modeling interaction
after the user is the most
efficient approach. One must
remember that humans are
very adaptive and, as such, a
non user-based
task/interaction model may
sometimes developed based
solely on the general human
capacity.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Understand the Task
● The developer must make
sure that the software must
have all kinds of information
on how to use the software
not only for beginners but
also give expert users some
way to be able to maximize
their productivity through
keyboard shortcuts or
through other means.
How Would A Person Connect to the Internet with Varying Levels
of Expertise
Reduce Memory Load
● Keeping the user’s short-
term memory load light is of
particular importance with
regard to the interface’s
role as a quick and easy
guidance to the completion
of the task.
● The capacity of the
human’s short-term
memory (STM) is about 5–9
chunks of information

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Strive for Consistency
● Making sure elements in
a user interface are
uniform, and look and
behave the same way.
This helps constantly
prove a user’s
assumptions about the
user interface right,
creating a sense of
control, familiarity, and
reliability.
Source: De La Riva, M. (2021). Why is Consistency so Important in UI Design.
Retrieved from https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ui-design/the-
importance-of-consistency-in-ui-design/
Examples of Ways to Achieve Consistency
Examples of Ways to Achieve Consistency
Remind Users and
Refresh Their Memories
● Any significant task will
involve the use of
memory, so another
good strategy is to
employ interfaces that
give continuous
reminders of
important information
and thereby refresh the
user’s memory.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Remind Users and
Refresh Their Memories
● To maintain the user’s
awareness of the situation
and further elicit correct
responses, informative,
momentary, or continuous
feedback will refresh the
user’s memory and help
the user complete the task
easily.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Remind end-users through Notifications
Prevent Errors/Reversal
of Action
● While supporting a
quick completion of the
task is important, error
free operation is equally
important. As such, the
interaction and
interface should be
designed to avoid
confusion and mental
overload.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Examples of Ways to Prevent Errors / Providing Reversal of Actions
Naturalness

● Naturalness refers to a trait

that is reflective of various
operations in our everyday
life. For instance, a perfect
HCI may one day be realized
when a natural language–
based conversational
interface is possible,
because this is the prevalent
way that humans
communicate.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Naturalness

● One way to approach such

naturalness is to model
interaction
“metaphorically” to the real
life counterpart, extracting
the conceptual and abstract
essence of the task.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Naturalness

● Another way to approach

such naturalness is through
the use of affordances. a
property (or additional
cues) that appeals to our
innate perception and
cognition, thus making it so
intuitive that the interface
would require almost no
learning.

Source: Kim, Gerard (2015). Human Computer Interaction:

Fundamentals and Practice. CRC Press.
Examples of Possible Affordances