Edward Nanno
IST 649, Human Computer Interaction
Introduction
My initial reason for taking IST 649 was based on feedback that I had received from colleagues that the Professor was expert in this new area called Human Computer Interaction. I was also told that the course would be engaging as it crosses over interdisciplinary areas while focusing on the utilization of technology to our maximum advantage. Some initial cursory research indicated that both of these statements were true and that I would benefit from taking such a course. In fact, in one of my previous jobs at a large custody bank in New York City (The Bank of New York), process design and reengineering were duties assigned to me. While we were able reengineer specific processes for optimal performance, I lacked the tools to apply these to computing system interfaces. I believe if I had taken this course, my understanding of how to measure performance within the system would have been invaluable. But I digress.
Learnings
Upon opening the course textbook, I was immediately captivated by the story about the NYSE computing upgrades. I was immediately hooked as I could relate to the topic. HCI is focused upon goal orientated, real world contextual solutions. Within this framework creating fundamental matrices, which help guide the development of effective HCI within an organization, is essential. TSSL and ‘Fit’ are two methodologies created to assist the creator of an HCI throughout the life-cycle process.
The TSSL model is an important aspect of the process map. As it breaks down the system into the task, semantic, syntactic and lexical levels, an ontology appears. This is usually a combination of the system designer and the programmer. The relationship because these two parties is unknowable but if the interface is a good one, then the designer and programmer must be using some, if not all, of these principles.
The ‘Fit’ model seems to acknowledge that humans (surprisingly) use computers. This human element seems to have been overlooked in many of the legacy designs that companies created in the past. This oversight has led to many physical problems. Why else is ergonomics necessary? In motion studies done in the industrial age, observations about the movement of workers led to improvements in how the work was done. These improvements led to greater efficiency, a main goal in any organization.
These two models gave me some fundamental tools to work with when creating my first web page (assignment one). Having worked on computers since the early 1980’s in high school, many of these design and format issues never crossed my mind. In fact, in the early evolution of computer software, the human component seems to have been an afterthought. Clearly, such semantical pointers such as a printer icon were not feasible early on, yet one was not really engaged with the system and have a feeling of control over the software as we are now. So as I went about my task of creating the web page, I felt control over the process. I could choose the colors, the amount of scrolling required, and add tabs that I wanted to lead the user to different information. I felt, for the first time, an amount of control over a system, one which I had never experienced before. Not only did I have control, but I knew my decisions were based on actual research so these were sound decisions. This was a great feeling since most people feel powerless in the face of technology.
The second assignment of evaluating two websites using HCI concepts build upon my initial satisfaction. After having creating my own page, I could now look with an educated eye at other designs and formats. What I found is that while there are some websites which seem to cater to the potential user (I chose Aljazeera news), there are a plethora which seem to have never thought about HCI considerations at all! In my analysis of Zynga’s website and their popular social networking game, Mafia Wars, I was shocked to see 19 different colors on the landing page with no obvious ‘correct’ next move.
The third assignment was profound in that Morae gives an objective and subjective analysis of the usability of a web site. Having a tool which records mouse movement, time between click, position of the pointer on the page and time spent on task really objectifies the analysis. It is not debatable whether a person clicked on the wrong link or took twice as long on task as another participant. This gave me a sense that real ‘hard’ science was happening in my evaluation. I wasn’t just saying ‘so and so’ didn’t interact well with the site, I actually had data to confirm the operation. The subjective, video profile, could add some confirmation but really is an ancillary aspect of the system since it really needs interpretation of a frown or puzzled look.
The group project was very successful in that we all came together on task with varying views on how to proceed. It was quite easy to design and create the first ‘bad example’. It was a little harder to create the second ‘bad example’ as we chose a design format similar to the final ‘good example’. Making the decisions as to why this drop down box should go here rather than there, we focused on the TSSL model and on our view of Aesthetics and Fit. This is where the group conversation and interaction became quite interesting. While there are certain ‘fixed’ principles guiding our decisions, often the subjective aesthetic decisions were the most controversial. It didn’t really surprise me, being a philosopher, since Ethics and Aesthetics are the most uncertain topics in philosophy. So discussing ‘how the user should interact’ and ‘what is the best method for obtaining that interaction’ made me conclude that we were, indeed, on the right track.
Turning to the class discussions, these were engaging and clearly handled by an expert. What I found most riveting was the compelling nature of the presentation. Prof. Zhang didn’t just go over the textbook, but actually expanded upon the topics. This led me to believe that her work was ongoing and made me look at some of her recent publications. We were given the framework laid out within the text, but she made the field come alive in the lectures. The additional information given in class, crossing various disciplines, yet ultimately unified in this science known as HCI was truly a pleasurable experience.
Within the class presentations, I learned quite a bit about emerging technologies and how these are affected by HCI. Some of the presentations made it clear that this new field, HCI, is about to burst open with a flood of new ideas. Taking the evoMouse presentation for example, it was clear that the genesis of the project was to make a more ‘human friendly’ mouse interaction. All computer users to some degree, suffer from hand strain from using a mouse. This solution seems to bypasses the damage caused from mouse overuse (carpal tunnel syndrome). In fact, some of my classmates suffer from this condition so the appropriateness of looking at this field was very real.
.
Objectives
Since I had no prior experience, to my knowledge, of Human Computer Interaction, I had no learning objectives to meet. I am interested in knowledge and how that knowledge can be applied to real world situations. While the coursework helped learn the foundations of this science, the application of the concepts in the individual and group work cemented this knowledge firmly.
The moment that the theory and practice came together for me the first time, was within the computer lab testing exercise. I realized at that point, that the theoretical framework which we were learning at the time, can be applied in some very valuable ways. The use of distracting devices while trying to perform a task led me to an appreciation of why people spend so much time on the internet. While we don’t usually just sit down in front of our computers and say, I want to spend some time reading up on the news, we tacitly think this within our brains. However, the creators of internet content do not want us to efficiently perform the tasks that we intend to perform. They want us ultimately to reach our task goal, but only after giving themselves many chances to generate revenue from our engaging their site(s). Karl Marx said it the best, economics is the simple most important determining factor in history. So our goals and the content provider’s goals are only marginally synchronized. They want us to find the information, but like the rat in the maze, the cheese is only obtained after working through a plethora of possible channels. For some reason, this thought had never occurred to me and thinking of myself as a lab rat chasing cheese, was somewhat distasteful.
So, ultimately, while my main goal in taking any University class is to learn something about the subject, often these learnings are serendipitous.
Final Thoughts
The main take-away from this course is the integral importance of HCI considerations in computer interface and back-end design. This could be summed up by an HCI term, usability. Improving users’ task performance and reduce their effort can be partially accomplished by automating user activity. Striving for a ‘Fit’ between the information represented needed and presented can be achieved through a ‘cognitive fit’. That is, the designer’s conceptual model, the user’s mental model and the actual system display support the efficiency of the system. Providing and constraining affordances help to capture real world knowledge. It is the proper use of affordances which draws the user’s attention to performing one action while de-empasizing other possible actions. The principle, design for error, acknowledges that errors will occur. The designer, while trying to avoid having the user make an error, should create an indicator that tells the user an error has been made. Designing the system for an enjoyable and satisfying interaction is a lofty goal, but is paramount in terms of usability. After all, if the system is not satisfactory, it will go unused.
Often times, computing systems are an amalgamated combination of legacy systems forced to interact with modern software. Making these legacy systems interoperable is one thing (like when one bank buys another and they are running on different platforms). How the user interacts with these various systems is left to corporate trainers. However, there is now a step added within the process of computing, training, using and performing. This is a step where an IT professional, utilizing the principles of HCI, can reengineer process design with the user in mind. This will lead to greater efficiency, greater morale and ultimately, greater profits for the corporation.
There is however, a deeper philosophical concept at play here. It is not simply noble to maximize efficiency, morale and profits but to also utilize technology to our maximum advantage as human beings. In an essay published in 1954 as “The Question Concerning Technology”, the German philosopher Martin Heidegger questions the very ontology of technology, that is, what is its purpose. He proposes that technology at its very ‘essence’ is related to the ancient Greek concept of ‘physis’, a concept meaning to ‘bring forth’. He maintains that there is a teleology inherent in technology and our goal as humans is to bring forth into being, that world which nature has unfolded. Kevin Kelly, in his latest book, What Technology Wants, pushes this concept further and states this is what technology desires.
“In 1949, John von Newmann, the brainy genius behind the first useful computer, realized what computers were teaching us about technology: ‘Technology will in the near and in the farther future increasingly turn from problems of intensity, substance, and energy, to problems of structure, organization, information, and control.’ No longer a noun, technology was becoming a force – a vital spirit that throws us forward or pushes us against us. Not a thing but a verb.” (Kelly 2010, p.41).
I am proud to be within a field which is fundamentally changing not simply the way we communicate, but also the very nature of being.
References
Heidegger, M. (1977). The question concerning technology, and other essays. Harper Torchbooks.
Kelly, K. (2010). What technology wants. Viking Adult.
