computer science

Outline of human–computer interaction

Outline of human–computer interaction is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Outline of human–computer interaction rather than just read about it. In short: The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to human–computer interaction: Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) – the intersection of computer science and behavioral sciences — this field involves the study, planning, and design of the interaction between people (users) and computers. Attention to human-machine interaction is important, because poorly designed human-machine interfaces can lead…

Key takeaways

Outline of human–computer interaction belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Outline of human–computer interaction to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Outline of human–computer interaction from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to human–computer interaction: Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) – the intersection of computer science and behavioral sciences — this field involves the study, planning, and design of the interaction between people (users) and computers. Attention to human-machine interaction is important, because poorly designed human-machine interfaces can lead to many unexpected problems. A classic example of this is the Three Mile Island accident where investigations concluded that the design of the human-machine interface was at least partially responsible for the disaster.

Definitions Human–Computer Interaction can be described as all of the following:

A field of science – systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. An applied science – field that applies human knowledge to build or design useful things. A field of computer science – scientific and practical approach to computation and its applications. An application of engineering – science, skill, and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge, to design and also build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes. An application of software engineering – application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the design, development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software. A subfield of computer programming – process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages (such as Java, C++, C#, Python, PHP etc.). The purpose of programming is to create a set of instructions that computers use to perform specific operations or to exhibit desired behaviors. A social science – academic discipline concerned with society and human behavior. A behavioral science – discipline that explores the activities of and interactions among organisms. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through controlled and naturalistic observation, and disciplined scientific experimentation. Examples of behavioral sciences include psychology, psychobiology, and cognitive science. A type of system – set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole or a set of elements (often called 'components' ) and relationships which are different from relationships of the set or its elements to other elements or sets. A system that includes software – software is a collection of computer programs and related data that provides the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it. Software refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of the computer. In other words, software is a set of programs, procedures, algorithms and its documentation concerned with the operation of a data processing system. A type of technology – making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, methods of organization, to solve a problem, improve a preexisting solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species' ability to control and adapt to their natural environments. A form of computer technology – computers and their application.

Styles of human–computer interaction Command line interface Graphical user interface (GUI) Copy and paste, Cut and paste Single Document Interface, Multiple Document Interface, Tabbed Document Interface Elements of graphical user interfaces Pointer Widget (computing) icons WIMP (computing) Point and click Drag and drop Window managers WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) Zooming user interface (ZUI) Brushing and linking Crossing-based interface Conversational user interface Voice computing

Related fields Human–computer interaction draws from the following fields:

psychology human memory human perception sensory system sociology and social psychology cognitive science human factors / cognitive ergonomics / physical ergonomics repetitive strain injury computer science computer graphics artificial intelligence computer vision visualization information visualization scientific visualization knowledge visualization design industrial design graphic design and aesthetics information design interaction design process-centered design sonic interaction design Interactive Art and HCI library and information science, information science information security HCISec speech-language pathology personal information management phenomenology

History of human–computer interaction History of human–computer interaction

Ivan Sutherland's Sketchpad History of automated adaptive instruction in computer applications History of the GUI

Interaction paradigms Time-sharing (1959) hypertext (Ted Nelson 1963), hypermedia and hyperlinks Direct manipulation (ex. lightpen 1963, mice 1968) Desktop metaphor (197x XEROX PARC) Windows-Paradigm Personal computer CSCW: Computer Supported Collaborative (or Cooperative) Work, collaborative software Ubiquitous computing ("ubicomp") coined 1988 World Wide Web (Tim Berners Lee 1989) Mobile interaction "sensor-based / context-aware interaction"-paradigm

Notable systems and prototypes Office of the future (1940s) Sketchpad (1963) NLS and The Mother of All Demos (1968) Dynabook (circa 1970) Xerox Alto (1973) Xerox Star (1981) Apple Macintosh (1984) Knowledge Navigator (1987) Project Looking Glass (circa 2003 or 2004) The Humane Environment (alpha release, 2004)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Outline of human–computer interaction

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Outline of human–computer interaction claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Outline of human–computer interaction before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Outline of human–computer interaction ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Outline of human–computer interaction

In research: Outline of human–computer interaction appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Outline of human–computer interaction in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Outline of human–computer interaction is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computing-related lists, Human–computer interaction, Outlines, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Outline of human–computer interaction outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Outline of human–computer interaction in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Outline of human–computer interaction means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Outline of human–computer interaction out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Outline of human–computer interaction in simple terms?

Why does Outline of human–computer interaction matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Outline of human–computer interaction?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Outline of human–computer interaction.