CS3009 Human Computer Interaction: The Early Days of HCI

These flashcards cover the key concepts and historical developments in the early days of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

HCI

Human-Computer Interaction, the study of how people interact with computers.

Ergonomics

The science of designing the workplace environment to fit the user, improving comfort and efficiency.

Sketchpad

An early computer program developed by Ivan Sutherland in 1962 that allowed for graphical interaction.

WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get, a user interface that allows editing of content in a form that is visually similar to the final output.

A/B Testing

A basic experimental design comparing two versions (A and B) to determine which one performs better.

Dependent Variable

The outcome or response that is measured in an experiment.

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated by the experimenter to observe its effect on the dependent variable.

Xerox PARC

The Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, instrumental in the development of graphical user interfaces and the personal computer.

Control Group

A group in an experiment that does not receive the intervention, used as a benchmark against which to measure the effects of the intervention.

Cognitive Style

The preferred way an individual thinks, learns, and processes information, significant in designing user interfaces.

Internal Validity

Assess if effects genuinely stem from the independent variable or if they are influenced by extraneous factors.

External Validity

Determine whether findings can be extrapolated to real-world settings beyond the laboratory.