Human Computer Interaction special investigation

The traditional idea of technology, as a tool for productivity and work efficiency has shifted dramatically over the past years. The idea of a computer as solely a Business Machine, such as an IBM (International Business Machine) almost seems farcical in today’s age of personal computing, mobile computing and user produced content. This shift, that can be partly associated to the drop in technology and decreased software complexity, has allowed home users and small organisations to access the same standard of computing available to large corporations with the ability to afford previously expensive infrastructure and training costs.

Along with the shift from the traditional workplace role of technology, a swing in the typical user base has also occurred. The typical user is no longer an employee of an organisation working a 40 hour week to achieve a set goal. A typical user could be a young child researching for a school project, an old lady emailing her daughter, a teenager discussing the latest fashion craze on MSN or the typical middle aged able bodied worker we are all so familiar with. It is undeniable that these individuals are all users, yet they have different goals, motives and abilities.

This convolution of the technology user base has created a shift in all computer related disciplines. Software engineers are no longer solely designing outcome based strategic software, computer manufacturers are no longer producing beige-boxes indicative of the pre-2000 corporatization of technology, and HCI methodologies are shifting to include users that are non workers, in non work situations.

While still relevant in the traditional workplace, methodologies such as GOMS model, Hick’s law and Fitts’ law; frameworks for predicting interface speed, are no longer relevant to the majority of personal users, as their motives are not governed by speed and productivity.

In the coming weeks, this Human Computer Interaction blog special will focus on the challenges HCI now faces as the traditional idea of computing changes.

-Jeremy Smith