Read time: 5 mins. The last decade has seen incredible leaps and bounds in the world of computing: 3D printers that can print other 3D printers, virtual and augmented reality applications can whisk a user away to new worlds, and voice-controlled devices can tell give you details about the weather and traffic. It will make it possible for machines to support people in cognitive tasks as well as physical tasks.
The future holds a lot of possibilities for people and machines working together. We interact with them constantly—some more than others—and the interaction is, unfortunately, not always as easy as we hope for.
Can you remember the last time you got frustrated with your phone for auto-correcting the wrong word, the coffee machine at work refusing to follow instructions, or that notoriously slow automatic door at the mall?
HCI is closely related to the field of User Experience UX design and is considered by many to be the forefather of this more modern approach.
Despite this common link, HCI differs from the more widely-recognised UX design in that its main focus is academic. Where UX designers will be charged with building new human-focused applications, products or services, HCI practitioners are more concerned with the research. This means HCI is focused mainly on developing empirical understandings of users, which can then help to inform the work of on-the-ground UX designers.
HCI is the study of how computers and machines can serve us better. The kind of information that HCI practitioners compile is used to constantly refine the world of UX design. But the truth is that user interaction design is the very essence of design. Human-computer interaction HCI is a multidisciplinary field of study focusing on the design of computer technology and, in particular, the interaction between humans the users and computers.
While initially concerned with computers, HCI has since expanded to cover almost all forms of information technology design. HCI surfaced in the s with the advent of personal computing, just as machines such as the Apple Macintosh, IBM PC and Commodore 64 started turning up in homes and offices in society-changing numbers. For the first time, sophisticated electronic systems were available to general consumers for uses such as word processors, games units and accounting aids.
Consequently, as computers were no longer room-sized, expensive tools exclusively built for experts in specialized environments, the need to create human-computer interaction that was also easy and efficient for less experienced users became increasingly vital. From its origins, HCI would expand to incorporate multiple disciplines, such as computer science, cognitive science and human-factors engineering. HCI soon became the subject of intense academic investigation.
Those who studied and worked in HCI saw it as a crucial instrument to popularize the idea that the interaction between a computer and the user should resemble a human-to-human, open-ended dialogue.
Initially, HCI researchers focused on improving the usability of desktop computers i. However, with the rise of technologies such as the Internet and the smartphone, computer use would increasingly move away from the desktop to embrace the mobile world.
Also, HCI has steadily encompassed more fields:. Practitioners of HCI tend to be more academically focused. They're involved in scientific research and developing empirical understandings of users. Conversely, UX designers are almost invariably industry-focused and involved in building products or services—e. With the broader span of topics that HCI covers, UX designers have a wealth of resources to draw from, although much research remains suited to academic audiences.
Those of us who are designers also lack the luxury of time which HCI specialists typically enjoy. So, we must stretch beyond our industry-dictated constraints to access these more academic findings. When you do that well, you can leverage key insights into achieving the best designs for your users. Interactions between computers and humans should be as intuitive as conversations between two humans—and yet many products and services fail to achieve this. So, what do you need to know so as to create an intuitive user experience?
We interact with many products and services daily, and the interactions designers make define the retainability of a product or service. If the solution is productive and the interactions are simple to understand, there is a high possibility of creating a delightful experience for the user. HCI design makes design accessible for every human regardless of their mental or physical capability.
Muditha Batagoda is a product designer and writer. He has over 10 years of experience working in the software industry as a developer and a designer and also enjoys podcasting, lecturing, and public speaking. GUI is integral for creating effective human—computer interaction. Learn more about GUI design principles here. Familiar with human factors? Learn about human factors in design and how to create a better user experience. Liz Jackson is the founder and chief advocacy officer of The Disabled List, a disability self-advocacy organization creating….
Teams have long had a love-hate relationship with design systems. While they solve a lot of key pain…. Skip to content Logo-full. Start Free XD Trial. Muditha Batagoda Sep 2, Illustration by Erica Fasoli. Each user brings their unique capabilities, personality, experience, cognitive abilities, and motivation to each interaction. Image credit unsplash. The user interacts with the computer to achieve a particular goal. The interface acts as the medium that connects the user and the computer.
The context defines when and where the user is going to interact with the product or service. Words by Muditha Batagoda. According to Dickard:. In the past, and even now, many companies start with solutions — they focus on building tools and systems for themselves rather than focusing on the people who will use them.
At Drexel, you not only get to learn about human-centered design and research, which underpins good HCI and UX, but you also learn to be critical and how to push back on dominant narratives and ways of thinking that might harm people. As the field continues to expand, expect students from disciplines outside of computer science or design to take an interest in HCI and UX.
For professionals in many different disciplines, understanding HCI and UX can provide an advantage that can help them thrive in an increasingly competitive and interconnected world. Professionals in fields ranging from marketing to engineering who can bring these skills to their organization can also position themselves at the forefront of a rapidly growing field.
We understand that students may have varying levels of experience and training in information systems. Choose to study full-time, part-time, in-person or online.
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