HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION (H.C.I.) 16 Aug 05 Lower Sixth computing lesson Prepared by:T.fina

HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION (HCI) Is also called as man machine interface – a term used to describe the interaction between a user and a computer; In other words, the method by which the user tells the computer what to o and the responses which the computer makes. It is important not to allow the word ‘computer’ to limit your vision to a PC sitting on an office desk. You also need to think in terms of a person getting cash from a cash machine, a pilot of a jumbo jet checking his instrument panels the operator of a high-volume duty photocopier, a scientist monitoring a chemical reaction, a musicion composing a symphony using appropriate hardware and software.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD INTERFACE DESIGN A good interface design can help to ensure that users carry out their tasks: –Safely (in case of a jumbo jet pilot,e.g.) –Effectively (users don’t find they have video’d 2 hrs of bulgarian clog dancing instead of the cup final). –Efficiently (users do not spend 5 mins trying to find the correct way to insert their cash card and type in their PIN & the amount of cash they want, and then leave without remembering to extract their card). –Enjoyably (a primary school pupil using a program to teach multiplication tables).

DESIGNING USABLE SYSTEMS 1 In order to design a usable interface, the designer has to take into consideration: –Who will use the system. Eg. Will the users be computer professionals ormembers of the general public who may be wary of computers? For educational program, will the users be young, e.g. primary school children, or teenagers on an A Level course? Will the system have to cater for both beginners and experienced users?

–What tasks the computer is performing. Is the task very repetitive? Do tasks vary greatly from 1 occasion to the next? A travel agent who spends most of the day making holiday bookings will require a different interface from an office worker who needs to be able to switch between word processing, accounts and accessing the company database. DESIGNING USABLE SYSTEMS 2

–The environment in which the computer is used. Will the environment be hazardous (in a lifeboat setting out to rescue a stricken vessel), noisy (in a factory full of machinery), or calm and quiet (some offices)? DESIGNING USABLE SYSTEMS 3

–What is technologically feasible (is it possible to simply dictate a letter to a word processor instead of typing it in?) DESIGNING USABLE SYSTEMS 4

MENU INTERFACE – GROUP PRESENTATION Group your self into 2 since you have an even total number. Presentation NEXTWEEK 23 AUGUST 05 from 100pm to 200pm and SUBMIT the attachment to my for Present the following several different types of menu interface with the pictures and the descriptions of each of them: –i. Full screen menu. –ii. Pull down menu. –iii. Pop-up menu.