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Wollo University
Kombolcha Institute of Technology Agenda
College of Informatics
Department of Information Technology
 Definition of HCI
Course Title: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
Course Code: ITec3132  History of HCI
 Key people, events and ideas in HCI
Chapter 1
 HCI’s impact on society
Introduction to Human-
Computer Interaction (HCI)
Instructor : Habtamu Abate (M.Sc.)
Email: habate999@gmail.com

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What is Human-Computer Interaction HCI As Multidisciplinary

(HCI)?
 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 (human-computer interaction) is the study of
how people interact with computers and to what  "HCI is concerned with understanding the influence technology has
extent computers are or are not developed for on how people think, value, feel, and relate and using this
understanding to inform technology design." Wright & McCarthy
successful interaction with human beings. (2008)
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HCI != Usability HCI != Usability

 A usable system is easy to learn, easy to
In addition, HCI uses mathematical models
remember how to use, effective, efficient, safe,
and enjoyable to use. to predict users’ performance with a
 Usability is only one part of HCI, but has been one system.
of the main goals  Example: Fitt’s law to predict mouse
 For example, HCI has contributed to the movement time, or models that predict search
development of guidelines and standards that time or mental effort)
support designers. HCI also investigates new interaction
 HCI has also developed methods of paradigms or new ways of integrating
evaluation that help us to evaluate the usability technology in our daily lives (touch
of a given product/system (and other aspects of displays, VR/AR, Voice-based interfaces .. )
the user experience)
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HCI is an extension of traditional IT disciplines

Why do we do HCI in IT?  We design, scale, and evaluate computing systems for
particular tasks (e.g., parallel programming, network
routing)
 HCI incorporates humans into the computing system
 Understanding how and why human  Humans as an additional constraint
interaction breaks down is fundamental  Any computer system must be designed taking into
to designing better computing systems account :
 the physical constraints of the machine (e.g., processor speed,
 This study must include computer networking capabilities)
scientists, as we are the ones creating  the human physical and mental constraints (e.g., attention,
memory)
the technology.  (should we add, social level constraints?)

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History of HCI History of HCI

Digital computer grounded in ideas  Mechanical Computers http://www.thocp.net
 1623 Schickard makes "Calculating Clock".
from 1700’s & 1800’s 6-digit machine can add, subtract, bell indicates overflow.
 1674 Leibniz designs his "Stepped Reckoner”
Can multiply, with operands of up to 5 and 12 digits.
User turns a crank for each unit in each digit
Technology became available in the  1820 de Colmar makes "Arithmometer”
First mass-produced calculator. Does multiplication & division.
1940’s and 1950’s It is also the most reliable calculator yet.
Continue to be sold for about 90 years.
 1889 Felt invents the first printing desk calculator.
 1935 IBM introduces "IBM 601", punch card machine
The “user” concept is relatively new capable of 1 multiplication /second. 1500 are made.
 1945 Mauchly & Eckert "ENIAC” for ballistics.
30 tons, 1000 ft2 of floor, 140 kilowatts of electricity, 17,468 vacuum tubes

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Batch Processing Paradigm Shifter: Vannevar Bush

Computer had one task,  “As We May Think” - 1945 Atlantic Monthly
“…publication has been extended far beyond our
performed sequentially present ability to make real use of the record.”
No “interaction” between  Postulated Memex device
operator and computer  Stores all records/articles/communications
after starting the run  Items retrieved by indexing, keywords, cross
references (now called hyperlinks)
 (Envisioned as microfilm, not computer)
Punch cards, tapes for input
Serial operations  Interactive and nonlinear components are key

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Memex (1945) Mid 1960’s

“If the user wishes to consult a certain Timesharing mode of computing
book, he taps its code on the keyboard…”  Computers too expensive for individuals
“Frequently-used codes are mnemonic, so timesharing increased accessibility
that he seldom consults his code book;”  interactive systems, not jobs

 text processing, editing

“He can add marginal notes and
 email, shared file system
comments … even … by a stylus scheme”
“All this is conventional…
Need for HCI
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Paradigm Shifter: J.R. Licklider Video Display Units

1960 - Postulated More suitable medium than paper
“man-computer symbiosis” Sutherland’s Sketchpad as landmark
system
Couple human brains Computers used for visualizing and
and computing machines manipulating data
tightly to revolutionize
information handling

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Paradigm Shifter: Ivan Sutherland Computers as Toolkits

SketchPad - ‘63 PhD thesis at MIT Multipurpose toolkits
 Hierarchy - pictures & subpictures Abstracting out common tasks (tools)
 Master picture with instances (ie, OOP)
Reusable elements
 Constraints
At the disposal of humans
 Icons

 Copying

 Light pen for input

 Recursive operations

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Paradigm Shifter: Douglas Engelbart Paradigm Shifter: Alan Kay

Landmark system/demo: “Personal Computing”
 Mouse, windows
 Hypertext
Dynabook: Notebook sized
 Multimedia computer loaded with
 High-res display, multimedia and can
 Shared files, CSCW, store everything
 Electronic messaging, teleconferencing, ...

Desktop interface metaphor

Inventor of mouse
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Paradigm Shifter: Ted Nelson Personal Computers

Computers can help 1974 IBM 5100
people, not just business 1981 Datamaster
1981 IBM XT/AT
Coined term “hypertext”  Text and command-based
 Sold lots

 Performed lots of tasks the

general public wanted done
 A good basic toolkit

1978 VisiCalc
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Personal Computing WIMP

System is more powerful if Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers
it’s easier to use Timesharing=multiusers; now we need
Small, powerful machines multitasking
dedicated to individual WIMP interface allows you to do
Importance of networks several things simultaneously
and time-sharing Has become the familiar GUI interface
Kay’s Dynabook, IBM PC Xerox Alto, Star; early Apples
Time names “The Computer” Man of the
Year, 1982 (http://www.time.com/time/special/moy/1982.html)
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PCs with GUIs Xerox Star - ‘81

Xerox PARC - mid 1970’s  First commercial PC designed for
“business professionals”
Alto  desktop metaphor, pointing, WYSIWYG,
consistency and simplicity
 local processor, bitmap
 First system based on usability
display, mouse
 Paper prototyping and analysis
 Precursor to modern GUI,  Usability testing & iterative refinement
windows, menus, scrollbars  Commercial flop
 LAN - ethernet  $15k cost
 closed architecture
 lacking key functionality (spreadsheet)

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Apple Lisa - ‘82 Apple Macintosh - ‘84

Based on ideas of Star Aggressive pricing - $2500
Not trailblazer, smart copier
More personal rather Good interface guidelines
than office tool 3rd party applications
 Still $$$ High quality graphics
and laser printer
Failure (why?)

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Direct Manipulation Metaphor

‘82 Shneiderman describes appeal of All use is problem-solving or learning to
graphically-based interaction some extent
 object visibility Relating computing to real-world
 incremental action and rapid feedback activity is effective learning mechanism
 reversibility encourages exploration  Filemanagement on office desktop
 replace language with action  Financial analysis as spreadsheets
 syntactic correctness of all actions The dreaded dead metaphor
WYSIWYG, Apple Mac  Examples?…

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Speech, Language? Multimodality

Actions do not always speak louder Mode is a human
than words communication channel
Interface as mediator or agent  Not just the senses
e.g., speech and non-speech audio
Language paradigm are two modes

How good does it need to be?

 “Tricks”, vocabulary, domains Emphasis on simultaneous
How “human” do we want it to be? use of multiple channels for I/O
 (HAL, Bob, PaperClip)

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Hypertext The Interconnected Web

 Think of information not as linear flow but as The Network is the Computer
interconnected nodes
e.g. seti@home
 Nelson’s hypertext
 Bush’s MEMEX
 Non-linear browsing
 WWW ‘93

 Hypermedia

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Society as the Web platform Society as the next platform

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Fabrication (3D Printing) in HCI And beyond (VR/AR)

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HCI’s impact on society HCI’s impact on culture

We can now use computers as an Smartphones have changed how we spend
every-moment- partner our "empty times": should we read the
Less and less training is required for news? answer emails? chat with friends?
most application and devices play "2 Dots"? should we just be bored?
Some examples Social Media have influenced how we stay
 Touch screen: direct interaction with in touch with each other and how find new
objects friends and lovers.
 Voice control: for some people the only Games, more than entertainment, can be
way to interact with computers used as social and even productive tools.
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HCI’s impact on economy

Massive increase in productivity
Question?
HCI found how to speed up input and
reduce its complexity
People can perform tasks faster than they Next Lecture
used to  Human in HCI
Reduced need for training
More people can use technology than ever
before

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