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Definition The
Human-Computer Interface (HCI) deals with the methods by which computers and their
users communicate. It is the process of designing interface software so that computers
are pleasant, easy to use and do what people want them to do. Dealing with HCI
requires the study of not only the hardware of the computer, but that of the human
side also. Therefore attention must be paid to human psychology and physiology.
This is because to build a better
two-way communication, one must know the capabilities and limitation of both sides.
This seminar also deals with concepts and guidelines that should be followed in
order to produce a good HCI. Specifically dealt with topics include Dialogue Design,
Presentation Design, General Input and Output. HUMAN
PSYCHOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY This section
mainly deals with the way humans communicate. The
human brain is where all the cognitive functions take place. It is ultimately
where a human receives, interprets and stores information. Information can be
processed by the sense organs and sent to the brain faster and more precise than
the brain can handle. Many models have been developed in order to try and use
a computer analogy to brain functions but with mixed success. They are however
quite useful because they present to us a model with which we can illustrate capabilities
and limitations. These models suggest that
there are two forms of human memory: short term and long term. Each sense appears
to have its own short-term memory, which acts like a buffer or staging area for
input from the particular sense organ to the brain. Any memory that is not reinforced
and moved to long-term memory is forgotten. Short term memory has a capacity of
about seven blocks of information but this too seems to be able to be increased
with practice and added levels of abstraction and association. In
order for information to be remembered it must be moved into long-term memory.
This can be a conscious act as in deliberately memorizing something through repetition
or unconscious as when a particularly interesting piece of data is retrieved and
requires more thought. No maximum size of long-term memory has yet been determined.
This aspect of memory and the fact that the human brain can only process so much
information is important to the layout of an HCI. People sometimes describe a
particular screen as "too busy". What this means is that there is too
much information on the screen at once. The brain is incapable of taking in so
much information at once and ambiguity and confusion results. Precision should
be a primary concern for the HCI designer.
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