HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION AND EVOLUTION OF USER INTERFACES

USER INTERFACE DEVELOPMENT Interaction design is not user interface software design. Developing a user interface involves: Interaction Component how a user interface works, its look and feel and behavior in response to what a user hears, sees and does. Interface software component code that instantiates the interaction component.

User Interface Development Development of user Development of user interface interaction software Premise: Describing interaction from users view should result in more usable design than describing it from software or programmer view. What is easiest for the programmer is rarely best for the user. One head, two hats emphasizes different roles. Evolution of good design requires: Product content, human factors or an interaction design. Process techniques and tools for developing an interaction design. A significant cause of poor usability in product is lack of understanding of proper development process.

SYSTEMS AND INTERFACE ARCHITECTURE Architecture refers to the look and feel of the interface. It is characterized by Dialogue Style, Structure and Content of presentation. Dialogue Style, Structure, and Content Style refers to the character and control of the information exchange (i.e., command languages, menu selection, question-answering are all examples of different types of dialogue style)

Structure refers to the formal description in terms of the ordering of the structure (i.e, objectoperation / operation-object) Content refers to the semantics of the information exchanged in terms of the user's general knowledge of the meanings of words and specific knowledge of the nature and consequences of computer representation and actions
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Background and Development of Human Computer Interfaces The interaction between end-users and the computer is said to take place at the human computer interface (HCI). Systems engineers have been to busy building interfaces to worry where they came from. The historical development of human computer interfaces is interesting because the generations are not sharply separated from each other but rather each generation seems to develop from the previous one or contains some special elements of the previous one. Generations of User Interfaces Nielsen,( 1993) and Baecker and Buxton, (1987) gave an outline of the interaction styles in the following chronological order: Batch Systems. Non-interactive user interfaces Line-Oriented Interfaces. The user could only interact with the computer on the single line that served as the command line : Question and answer dialogues Command line dialogues Full-Screen Interfaces. Space of interface design changed from one to two dimensions: Menus, Form Filling, function keys, WIMP interfaces. Possibility of window overlap. Interaction style is Direct Manipulation. Next Generation User Interfaces: Add time, sound, voice, 3D spatial dimension

1.0 Batch Interaction These were the first interfaces to be implemented. They were not interactive and all commands had to be specified before the result of any of them could be verified. The interaction between the system and the user was through a single point in time when the batch was submitted to the system. Batch jobs had one main advantage, which was and still is that they can be run without user supervision while todays interaction styles will require one to monitor the progress of the job, so that interruption ad modification of the job is possible. 2.0 Line-Oriented Interfaces These types of interaction styles are also referred to as one-dimensional. The user is allowed to interact with the computer on a single line, which acted as the command line. This type of interfaces had two main disadvantages: First once the user was through with input and hit the enter key his input could not be modified. Second they did not give room for users to move about the screen. 2.1 Question-Answer Dialogues These are types of line-oriented interfaces. Interaction involves exchanges prompted for by the computer. The user can only answer one question at a time. This type of interaction is best suited for well structured situations that involve only a small number of options that can be predicted in advance, and in which it is acceptable to have the user being directed by the computer rather than having the
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freedom to structure the task in ways suitable for him. The problem with this type of interaction is that the user cannot edit his answers once submitted. 2.2 Command Line Dialogues This is also a type of line-oriented interfaces, which allows the user to control the application with a series of keystrokes commands, phrases or some sequence of these. It is a popular interface that is more refined than most interfaces. Compared to natural-language command languages it has no inherent meaning for the user and that makes it different from other interfaces. The user is allowed to control the dialog using a command, which is executed by the system immediately allowing the user to give it another command. A major disadvantage of the command languages is that they require memorisation of syntax rules that may prove to be obstacles for the inexperienced users. Therefore only the experienced users prefer command languages because of the faster completion time they allow. 2.3 Natural-Languages Interfaces This is perhaps the dream and ideal type of interface for inexperienced users, since it permits users to interact with the computer in their everyday or natural language. There are no special skills required of the user.
>List the first three top students.
Mary Otieno Lillian Owiti Nancy Macharia >List the last two students Ann Wachera Linda Wamaitha

Figure 1.0 Natural language user interface. The diagram above shows an example of an interface using natural language (in Italics). The questions are straightforward. However since the English language is ambiguous, natural language cannot be taken to mean typical written or spoken English otherwise there might not be any hope of using it as a tool of communication with the computer. 3.0 Full- Screen Interfaces This type of interaction is also referred to as two-dimensional. Form-filling system and menu-based system are types of full-screen interfaces. In addition full-screen interfaces often apply the function keys on the keyboard as a primary means of interaction, which apart from accelerating interaction, they are so few that users often are able to learn them by heart. 3.1 Form Filling A form is a display of requirements, in which various options and values are specified and integrated in a single display system. The form often is a facsimile of the paper form already familiar to the user (Kendall and Kendall, 1992). Three factors affect the quality of form filling interaction styles. Extent to which the logic of the form mirrors the logic of the system for which it is structuring the input.
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 The clarity of the design and visual presentation of the screens. Degree to which the program accepting input into the various fields on the form facilitates the keying of data that is correct and reliable. When a form directly mirrors the system that the user is manipulating the interface becomes an example of direct manipulation. Form filling is still common in modern interfaces in the form of dialogue boxes. They are however more dynamic than traditional forms and may contain pop-up menus and ways to assist the user while the form is being filled out. The main drawback when it comes to form filling is that experienced users may become impatient with input/output forms and may want ways to enter data that are more efficient and fast. While the main advantage of the input/output form interface is that the printed version of the filled-in form provides excellent documentation. It will show field labels as well as the context for entries. 3.2 Menu systems Menus present most of the commands and high-level options available in a program. So that the user can determine what a program does simply by scanning through the menus. Menus may take up the full screen or occupy only a small part of the screen in most windows systems. A menu interface provides the user with an on-screen list of available selections. A user using a menu system is limited to the options displayed. The user does not need to know the system, what one needs to know is what task should be accomplished. Menus are not hardware dependent though there are variations. They can be set up to use keyboard entry, light pen or mouse. They can also be selected using numbers, letters or the keyword. Users who are not touch-typists would prefer the numbers since they are easier to locate on the keyboard. 3.0 Direct Manipulation After menu systems next came direct manipulation interfaces. These ones supplies the user wit a strong metaphor of the application. A user can interact with this information through direct actions such as replacing information, moving information and so on. Interfaces provided by most word processors or screen editors are a fine example of direct manipulation interaction. More system sophistication is needed with direct manipulation. A major advantage of direct manipulation is the constant and continuous feedback on task accomplishment that it provides. This helps changes or reversals in operation to be made quickly, without incurring error messages. The creation of direct manipulation interfaces poses a challenge, since an appropriate model of reality or acceptance conceptual mode of the representation must be invented. This requires combining several skills in a way that stretches the capabilities of most systems analysts and programmers. 4.0 Pervasive and ubiquitous Computing Characterized by mobile, embedded and virtual systems in PDAs, Laptops, Palmtops and other wireless devices that support computation everywhere. This is supported by internet and web based technologies
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