What is HCI?
CSE/ISE 323 Spring 2011
Tony Scarlatos
ACM SIGCHI Definition of HCI
“Human-computer interaction is a discipline
concerned with the design, evaluation and
implementation of interactive computing
systems for human use and with the study of
major phenomena surrounding them.”
Visualizing HCI
An Interdisciplinary Field
• Computer Science (application design and
engineering of human interfaces)
• Psychology (the application of theories of
cognitive processes and the empirical analysis
of user behavior)
• Sociology and Anthropology (interactions
between technology, work, and organization)
• Industrial Design (interactive products)
Related Research & Application Areas
Is HCI the same as Ergonomics?
The word "Ergonomics" comes from two
Greek words, "ergon" meaning work, and
"nomos" meaning "laws."
A typical ergonomics diagram for a computer workstation
International Ergonomics Association:
“Ergonomics is the scientific discipline
concerned with the understanding of
interactions among humans and other
elements of a system, and the profession that
applies theory, principles, data and methods
to design in order to optimize human wellbeing and overall system performance.”
So what about Human Factors?
• Human factors science is a multidisciplinary field incorporating
contributions from psychology, engineering, industrial design,
statistics, operations research and anthropometry.
• The science of understanding the properties of human capability
(Human Factors Science).
• The application of this understanding to the design, development
and deployment of systems and services (Human Factors
Engineering).
• The art of ensuring successful application of Human Factors
Engineering to a program (sometimes referred to as Human Factors
Integration). It can also be called ergonomics.
• In general, a human factor is a physical or cognitive property of an
individual or social behavior which is specific to humans and
influences functioning of technological systems as well as humanenvironment equilibriums.
Anthropometry
Anatomical measurements of an “average” man, woman and child
What is Interaction Design?
A New Term – User Experience (UX)
• User eXperience (UX) is about how a person feels
about using a system. User experience highlights
the experiential, affective, meaningful and
valuable aspects of human-computer interaction
and product ownership, but it also includes a
person’s perceptions of the practical aspects such
as utility, ease of use and efficiency of the system.
• International Organization for Standards (ISO):
“a person's perceptions and responses that result
from the use or anticipated use of a product,
system or service.”
Why User Experience?
Recent advances in mobile, ubiquitous, social,
and tangible computing technologies have
moved human-computer interaction into
practically all areas of human activity. This has
led to a shift away from usability engineering
to a much richer scope of user experience,
where user's feelings, motivations, and values
are given as much, if not more, attention than
efficiency, effectiveness and basic subjective
satisfaction.
Usability Vs. User Experience
Elements of UX
Design Components of UX