Human–Computer Interaction

Overview of Human–Computer Interaction

The origins of HCI arose from computer science (e.g., computer architecture, processing, graphics), but the study was quickly adopted by other relevant fields including, but certainly not limited to, cognitive and behavioral psychology, ergonomics, industrial engineering and manufacturing, human factors, design, cognitive science, information science, science and technology studies, management information systems, and communication studies. Therefore, it is inappropriate to define HCI as a subdiscipline of computer science as it has taken on its own research agenda and identity. The widespread adoption of computers has encouraged HCI study and instruction in virtually all fields that consider information technology, which has allowed such work to integrate and consider all of these perspectives. Collectively, these fields seek to determine how best to design computers for human use, which extends broadly from the technical engineering of the interface to ensure function as well as the “softer” human design elements that encourage practical and social engagement.

Emergence of HCI research as it is conceptualized today began with the introduction of the first desktop computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s; however, the foundation of HCI work can be traced back to the mid-1940s through the individual work and visions of Vannevar Bush and Alan Turing. In subsequent decades, engineers and designers such as Grace Hopper, Doug Engelbart, Ivan Sutherland, Alan Kay, and many others would continue this work to perpetuate the creation and widespread use of modern, in-home, and workplace computers. Although the desktop computer signifies the beginning of modern HCI research, conceptualizing HCI work as a function of higher quality desktop usability is now a somewhat antiquated idea. Rather, the field of study has evolved with the rapidly increasing technological innovation and sophistication. Moore’s law suggests that the complexity of computing hardware (the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit) and the resulting capabilities of such hardware have and will continue to grow at an exponential rate, as demonstrated by the existing private market that introduces enhanced versions of technology (e.g., smartphones, tablets) every 6 to 12 months, each with improved capabilities that far outpace and obviate its predecessor. It is because of this rapid evolution that HCI has had to become one of the most dynamic research areas within both academia and the private sector. Where until recently researchers focused on enhancing desktop interfaces, research has expanded to include devices such as laptops, handhelds, wearable technologies, robots, virtual and augmented reality devices, and a host of other computerized technologies with which one might interact daily.

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