ICTP211: The Human, Computer, and Interface

Harvard Mark 1

Was a large computer designed to assist in differential equation numerical computation.

Harvard Mark 1

It was developed at Harvard University by Howard Aiken and was funded and installed by IBM.

Harvard Mark 1

Also known as the computer (or the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC)).

Harvard Mark 1

Is a room-sized, relay-based calculator. The machine had a fifty-five feet long, eight feet in high and five tons in weight.

ENIAC

An all-electronic calculating machine was proposed by physicist John Mauchly in 1942.

ENIAC

It is designed between 1943 and 1945, was the first large-scale computer to operate without being slowed by any mechanical components at electronic level.

Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer

Definition of ENIAC.

PDP-1

Built in 1959.

PDP-1

It was the first consumer computer that concentrated on user interaction instead of the productive use of computer process.

PDP-1

The first computer game is generally assumed to be the game Spacewar!, developed in 1962 at MIT (Stephen Russell a.o.).

Programmed Data Processor-1

Definition of PDP-1.

Spacewar

Originally ran on a PDP-1 computer the size of a large car.

Grace Murray Hopper

The American computer scientist and rear admiral of the United States Navy was Grace Brewster Murray Hopper.

Grace Murray Hopper

She was one of the first Harvard Mark I computer programmers and a computer programming pioneer who invented one of the first links.

HCI

Is a collaborative area of research that focuses on computer technology development and, in particular, human (user) interaction with computers.

HCI

Has since grown to include almost all aspects of information technology design, although it was originally concerned with computers.

Human-Computer Interaction

Definition of HCI.

1. Useful

2. Usable

3. Used

Principle of HCI

Useful

Accomplish what is required (Functional, does things).

Usable

Do it easily and naturally without error (Does the right things).

Used

Make people want to use it (Be attractive, acceptable to org.).

Human Vision

Is a highly complex activity with a range of physical and perceptual limitations, yet it is the primary source of information for the average person.

The Sense of Hearing

Is often considered secondary to sight, but we tend to underestimate the amount of information that we receive through our ears.

Touch or Haptic Perception

The third and last of the senses. This sense is often viewed as less important than sight or hearing, imagine life without it.

Motor Control

How the way we move affects our interaction with computers.

The Ponzo Illusion

Is an optical illusion that was first demonstrated by the Italian psychologist Mario Ponzo (1882-1960) in 1913.

Mario Ponzo

He suggested that the human mind judges an object's size based on its background. He showed this by drawing two identical lines across a pair of converging lines, similar to railway tracks.

Muller-Lyer Illusion

Is a well known optical illusion in which two lines of the same length appear to be B .a C of different lengths.

Muller-Lyer Illusion

The illusion was first created by a German psychologist named Franz Carl Muller-Lyer in 1889.

Muller-Lyer Illusion

Is that our brains perceive the depths of the two shafts based upon depth cues. When the fins are pointing in toward the shaft of the line, we perceive it as sloping away much like the corner of a building.

1. Sensory Memory (Iconic, Echoic, Haptic)

2. Short-term Memory (Working Memory)

3. Long-term Memory

Information Stored in Memory (Human Memory)

Sensory Memory

Act as buffers for stimuli received through the senses.

Sensory Memory

Exists for each sensory channel: iconic memory, echoic memory, and haptic memory.

Sensory Memory

These memories are constantly overwritten by new information coming in on these channels.

Iconic Memory

For visual stimuli.

Echoic Memory

For aural stimuli.

Haptic Memory

For touch.

Short-Term Memory

Also known as the "working memory" that acts as a "scratch-pad" for temporary recall of information.

Short-Term Memory

It is used to store information which is only required fleetingly.

Short-Term Memory

Can be accessed rapidly, in the order of 70 ms. However, it also decays rapidly, meaning that information can only be held there temporarily, in the order of 200 ms.

Long-Term Memory

Our Main Resource.

Long-Term Memory

Here we store factual information, experiential knowledge, procedural rules of behavior - in fact, everything that we "know".

Long-Term Memory

Unlike working memory there is little decay: this recall after minutes is the same as that after hours or days.

Attention

Is the concentration of the mind on one out of a number of competing stimuli or thoughts. It is clear that we are able to focus our attention selectively, choosing to attend to one thing rather than another. This is due to the limited capacity sensory and mental processes.

Rehearsal Strategy

Uses repeated practice of information to learn it. When a student is presented with specific information to be learned, such as a list, often he will attempt to memorize the information by repeating it over and over.

1. Input/Output

2. Interaction

3. Virtual Reality

4. Memory

5. Processor

Elements of a Computer

Input Device

Are the hardware devices which take information from user of the computer system, convert it into electrical signals and transmit it to the processor.

Output Device

It is used to present information to the user from a computer.

Output Device

Take data from the computer system and convert it to a form that can be read by humans.

Computer Memory

Is a generic term for all of the different types of data storage technology that a computer may use, including RAM, ROM, and flash memory.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Computer: Short Term Memory

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Is your system's short-term data storage; it stores the information your computer is actively using so that it can be accessed quickly.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

The more programs your system is running, the more memory you'll need.

1. ROM (Read Only Memory)

2. HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

3. SSD (Solid-State Drive)

Computer: Long Term Memory

ROM (Read Only Memory)

It refers to computer memory chips containing permanent or semi-permanent data.

ROM (Read Only Memory)

Used to store the start-up instructions for a computer, also known as the firmware.

ROM (Read Only Memory)

Is non-volatile; even after you turn off your computer, its contents will remain. It is mostly used for firmware updates.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

Is a magnetic storage device that is installed inside the computer.

Solid-State Drive (SSD)

Uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data persistently, typically using flash memory.

Optical Drive

Is a storage device that uses lasers to read data on the optical media.

ROM (Read Only Memory)

Media that is pre-recorded.

Recordable (R)

Media that can be recorded once.

Rewritable (RW)

Media that can be recorded, erased, and recorded.

Interaction Models

Help us to understand what is going on in the interaction between user and system.

Interaction Models

They address the translations between what the user wants and what the system does.

1. Batch Processing (1950s)

2. Timesharing (1960s)

3. Networking (1972s 1st Email) (1970s)

4. Graphical Display (1980s)

5. Microprocessor (1980s)

6. WWW (1990s)

7. Grid/Cloud Computing (1995s)

8. Human Robot Interaction (This Era)

9. Tablet/Table Top Computing (This Era)

Interaction Paradigms

1. Command Line Interface

2. Menu Interface

3. Natural Language

4. Query Interface

5. Form-Fills Interface

6. Spreadsheets Interface

7. Wimp Interface

8. Point & Click Interface

9. Three Dimensional Interfaces

Types of User Interfaces

Command Line Interface

Expressing instructions to the computer directly.

Command Line Interface

Use function keys, single characters, short

abbreviations, whole words, or a combination.

Command Line Interface

Suitable for repetitive tasks.

Command Line Interface

Better for expert users than novices.

Command Line Interface

Offers direct access to system functionality.

Command Line Interface

Command abbreviations should be meaningful.

Menu Interface

Set of options displayed on the screen:

1. Less Recall (Easier to use)

2. Rely on recognition so names should be meaningful

Menu Interface

Selection by: Numbers, letters, arrow keys, and mouse combination.

Menu Interface

Often (frequent) options hierarchically grouped.

Menu Interface

Restricted form of full WIMP system.

Natural Language

Familiar to user.

Natural Language

Speech recognition or typed natural language.

Natural Language

Problems: Vague, ambiguous, and hard to do well.

Solutions:

1. Try to understand a subset

2. Pick on key words

1. Question/Answer Interfaces

2. Query Languages

Types of Query Interfaces

Question/Answer Interfaces

User led through interaction via series of questions.

Question/Answer Interfaces

Suitable for novice users but restricted functionality.

Question/Answer Interfaces

Often used in information systems.

Query Languages

Used to retrieve information from database.

Query Languages

Requires understanding of database structure and language.

Query Languages

Syntax, hence requires some expertise.

Form-Fills Interface

Primarily for data entry or data retrieval.

Form-Fills Interface

Screen like paper form.

Form-Fills Interface

Data put in relevant place.

Form-Fills Interface

Requires:

1. Good design

2. Obvious correction facilities

VISICALC

The first spreadsheet program.

Lotus 1-2-3

Followed VISICALC.

MS Excel

The most common spreadsheet program.

Spreadsheet Interface

Has a sophisticated variation of form-filling:

1. Grid of cells contain a value or a formula

2. Formula can involve values of other cells

3. User can enter and alter data

4. Spreadsheet maintains consistency

Wimp Interface

Windows, Icon, Mice, and Pointer/Pull-Down Menus.

Wimp Interface

Default style for majority of interactive computer systems, especially PCs and desktop machines.

Point & Click Interface

Used in:

1. Multimedia, web browsers, and hypertext

2. Minimal Typing

3. Use in ATMs

Three Dimensional Interfaces

Virtual reality.

Three Dimensional Interfaces

"Ordinary" Window Systems (Highlight Visual).