Department of Computer Science

Contexts for HCI

Course : Human Computer Interaction

Instructor: Ahsan Ali [email protected]
SUFA INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE SHEIKHUPURA
Human-computer interaction (HCI)
• Human-computer interaction (HCI) is defined as the field of
study that focuses on optimizing how users and computers
interact by designing interactive computer interfaces that satisfy
users’ needs.
• Human-computer interaction (HCI) is the field of study that
focuses on optimizing how users and computers interact by
designing interactive computer interfaces that satisfy users’
needs. It is a multidisciplinary subject covering computer
science, behavioral sciences, cognitive science, ergonomics,
psychology, and design principles.
Human-computer interaction (HCI)
• The emergence of HCI dates back to the 1980s, when personal
computing was on the rise. It was when desktop computers started
appearing in households and corporate offices. HCI’s journey began
with video games, word processors, and numerical units.
• However, with the advent of the internet and the explosion of mobile
and diversified technologies such as voice-based and Internet of
Things (IoT), computing became omnipresent and omnipotent.
• Technological competence further led to the evolution of user
interactions.
• Consequently, the need for developing a tool that would make such
man-machine interactions more human-like grew significantly.
• This established HCI as a technology, bringing different fields such as
cognitive engineering, linguistics, neuroscience, and others under its
realm.
Key components of HCI
1. The user
• The user component refers to an individual or a group of
individuals that participate in a common task.
• HCI studies users’ needs, goals, and interaction patterns.
• It analyzes various parameters such as users’ cognitive
capabilities, emotions, and experiences to provide them with a
seamless experience while interacting with computing systems.
Key components of HCI
• 2. The goal-oriented task
• A user operates a computer system with an objective or goal in mind.
The computer provides a digital representation of objects to
accomplish this goal.
• For example, booking an airline for a destination could be a task for
an aviation website. In such goal-oriented scenarios, one should
consider the following aspects for a better user experience:
• The complexity of the task that the user intends to accomplish
• Knowledge and skills necessary to interact with the digital object
• Time required to carry out the task
Key components of HCI
• 3. The interface
• The interface is a crucial HCI component that can enhance the overall user
interaction experience.
• Various interface-related aspects must be considered, such as interaction
type (touch, click, gesture, or voice), screen resolution, display size, or
even color contrast. Users can adjust these depending on the user’s
needs and requirements.
• For example, consider a user visiting a website on a smartphone.
• In such a case, the mobile version of the website should only display
important information that allows the user to navigate through the site
easily.
• Moreover, the text size should be appropriately adjusted so that the user is
in a position to read it on the mobile device. Such design optimization
boosts user experience as it makes them feel comfortable while accessing
the site on a mobile phone.
Key components of HCI
• 4. The context
• HCI is not only about providing better communication between users
and computers but also about factoring in the context and
environment in which the system is accessed. For example, while
designing a smartphone app, designers need to evaluate how the
app will visually appear in different lighting conditions (during day or
night) or how it will perform when there is a poor network connection.
Such aspects can have a significant impact on the end-user
experience.
• Thus, HCI is a result of continuous testing and refinement of
interface designs that can affect the context of use for the users.
The context
• "Contexts for HCI" refer to the various environments, scenarios, and factors
that influence the design and use of human-computer interaction. These
contexts are critical to understanding how users interact with technology
and how to design systems that are effective, efficient, and satisfying for
their intended users. Here are some key contexts to consider:
• Physical Context
• Environment: The physical location where the interaction takes place (e.g.,
home, office, public spaces).
• Devices: Types of hardware being used (e.g., desktops, laptops, mobile
devices, wearables).
• Ergonomics: Physical comfort and accessibility considerations for users.
The context
Social Context
• Social Setting: Whether the interaction is individual or collaborative, and the social
dynamics involved.
• Cultural Factors: Influence of cultural norms and practices on technology use and
interaction styles.
• Communication: Social communication patterns and their impact on interaction design.
Organizational Context
• Workplace: Professional environments and how HCI supports work tasks and
productivity.
• Policies and Procedures: Organizational rules and how they affect technology use.
• Stakeholders: Various users and stakeholders involved in the interaction and their
needs.
The context
Technological Context
• Platform: The operating systems and platforms on which the
interaction takes place.
• Connectivity: Availability and reliability of network connections.
• Software: Applications and software ecosystems that support the
interaction.
Psychological Context
• User Goals: The objectives and tasks that users aim to achieve
through interaction.
• Cognitive Load: Mental effort required to interact with the system.
• Emotional State: Users' emotional responses to technology and
how it affects interaction.
The context
Temporal Context
• Time of Use: Time of day, frequency, and duration of interaction.
• Task Duration: How long tasks take and the implications for design.
• Temporal Patterns: Patterns of use over time and their impact on
design.
Socio-Technical Context
• Integration: How the interaction fits within broader socio-technical
systems.
• Interdependencies: Interactions between users, technology, and
societal systems.
• Innovation: The role of innovation and change in the socio-technical
landscape
The context
• Legal and Ethical Context
• Regulations: Legal constraints and regulations affecting HCI.
• Privacy: Privacy considerations and data protection.
• Ethics: Ethical issues related to user interaction and data use.
Importance of HCI
• HCI is crucial in designing intuitive interfaces that people with
different abilities and expertise usually access. Most importantly,
human-computer interaction is helpful for communities lacking
knowledge and formal training on interacting with specific computing
systems.
• With efficient HCI designs, users need not consider the intricacies and
complexities of using the computing system. User-friendly
interfaces ensure that user interactions are clear, precise, and natural.
HCI in daily lives

• Today, technology has penetrated our routine lives and has

impacted our daily activities.
• To experience HCI technology, one need not own or use a
smartphone or computer.
• When people use an ATM, food dispensing machine, or snack
vending machine, they inevitably come in contact with HCI.
• This is because HCI plays a vital role in designing the interfaces
of such systems that make them usable and efficient.
Industry
• Industries that use computing technology for day-to-day
activities tend to consider HCI a necessary business-driving
force.
• Efficiently designed systems ensure that employees are
comfortable using the systems for their everyday work.
• With HCI, systems are easy to handle, even for untrained staff.
• HCI is critical for designing safety systems such as those used
in air traffic control (ATC) or power plants.
• The aim of HCI, in such cases, is to make sure that the system
is accessible to any non-expert individual who can handle
safety-critical situations if the need arises.
Examples of HCI
IoT technology
• IoT devices and applications have significantly impacted our daily lives.
According to a May 2022 report by IoT Analytics, global IoT endpoints are
expected to reach 14.4 billion in 2022 and grow to 27 billion (approx.) by
2025.
• As users interact with such devices, they tend to collect their data, which
helps understand different user interaction patterns. IoT companies can
make critical business decisions that can eventually drive their future
revenues and profits.
• A recent development in the field of HCI introduced the concept of ‘pre-
touch sensing’ through pre-touch phones. This means the phone can
detect how the user holds the phone or which finger approaches the
screen first for operation.
Examples of HCI
• Upon detecting the user’s hand movements, the device immediately
predicts the user’s intentions and performs the task before the user
gives any instructions.
• Another HCI-related development is that of ‘Paper ID’.
• The paper acts as a touchscreen, senses the environment, detects
gestures, and connects to other IoT devices.
• Fundamentally, it digitizes the paper and executes tasks based on
gestures by focusing on man-machine interaction variables.
Examples of HCI
Speech recognition technology
• Speech recognition technology interprets human language, derives
meaning from it, and performs the task for the user. Recently, this
technology has gained significant popularity with the emergence of
chatbots and virtual assistants.
• For example, products such as Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana,
Google’s Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri employ speech recognition to
enable user interaction with their devices, cars, etc. The combination of
HCI and speech recognition further fine-tune man-machine interactions
that allow the devices to interpret and respond to users’ commands and
questions with maximum accuracy. It has various applications, such as
transcribing conference calls, training sessions, and interviews.