The reading
material gave a pretty good picture of what you should think about before beginning
a project in Human–Computer Interaction. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
is basically a set of processes, dialogues and actions through which a human
user interacts with a computer or a computer system. HCI can also be described
as a science that evaluates how well a design or an implementation of systems
is customized for human use.
HCI focuses
on the
user, which is the person who interacts with the product. Thus, the user’s
needs, requirements, aspirations and expectations are important matters to
consider. Understanding of who the user is, and the user’s technical capabilities
(regular, casual, professional or developing) is greatly advantageous while planning
the product.
Before
starting the work, it is important to have a clear understanding of the
problem space, which includes getting a good idea of the user
interface, a.k.a. the Man-Machine Interface(MMI), and the target
group’s needs. Furthermore, it is necessary to have a clear picture of the
product’s
usability, which includes understanding how the product can increase user
satisfaction, the product’s context of use, and to which extent it
can be used with effectiveness and efficiency.
By having a
good idea of the problem space, it should be easier to design the product. The
product’s visibility,
a.k.a. all the necessary controls that need to be visible for the user whenever the
user is supposed to be using them, and the affordance, that to say, the operations and
manipulations done to a particular object (for e.g. if they are supposed to be
pulled, pushed or slided) should be easier to decide upon.
Question to discuss on seminar:
·
What do you need to know about the target group before
you start to work on the design of the product?
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