Human-Computer Interaction

 Imagine an architect who builds a house as per design principles. Also think about the different users he services. Each user has his own impressions of what he wants from a house. But due to marketing and sales promotion strategies the end product is thrust on the users. Similarly a computer is a human invention that is conditioned and worked on by computer engineers. The Internet is fashioned by a few people, but is used by so many others. For example why are there two backslashes in every URL we type? Why could it not be anything else such as a simple name? Why are we forced to sift through zillions of bytes of data every time we browse the Internet? Can the web become more personal, just to suit our own needs? The designers of such technology carry an enormous responsibility of not misleading the users.

Another important issue that such inventions force us human beings to acquire skills that we do not require to possess. For example using the Internet requires special skills. So we are forced to train our mind to learn Garbage. Already Green house gases have caused considerable pollution and global warming.

What is the effect of learning such skills on natural human evolution? Surely detrimental, because other organisms are more bio and zoo conscious than humans who are forced to become tech conscious as well.

Just sitting in natural conditions enjoying dinner and a walk is more than enough. Also from the point of view of usability can a computer respond to our own thoughts? Can a mobile device just recognize voice dictations, or can a computer learn from our signals. The answer is yes and there are branches of study in research methods that focus on such improvements.

Imagine a Mobile phone that listens to your own voice when you say "Please dial this number" or "Please call Rob" or "Please play me a good song ". How far away is entering characters on the keyboard of a Mobile phone or a computer different from the way we humans think normally. Can a computer answer a question such as "I saw an elephant flying" and remark stating that it is not possible for an elephant to fly? How much more do we have to go in order to achieve human intelligence with our computing devices? I

Imagine a computer that listens to your voice when you say,

"Hey mate what happened in the Game Yesterday". Also imagine an ear phone that fetches relevant information from the Internet and spills out the details to you just in the manner you converse with your neighbor.

Web personalization is a field of study where current research methods are applied to study the sites a user browses, sites that he normally sees and also computes using probabilities the information the user requires to see everyday on his personal web page. Similarly a computer can remind you take your medicines or remind you with your own voice to visit the Dentist or pay some pending bills. Current technology is very far away from the user.

Interaction between users and computers occurs at the user interface which includes both software and hardware for example, characters or objects displayed by software on a personal computer's monitor, input received from users via hardware peripherals such as keyboards and mice, and other user interactions with large-scale computerized systems such as aircraft and power plants.

A basic goal of HCI is to improve the interactions between users and computers by making computers more usable and receptive to the user's needs

There is also no indication of what the users like to see from their computer, though most of the improvements are fashioned by techies and engineers. HCI will aim to bridge the gap between the user and the computer and provide for systems that are synchronized with the users thought processes as well.

There is one thing for certain, humans may be in a position to understand technical progress, but nature is no position to understand the same and we must use our caution and discretion when applying methods to innovations that have large scale effects.

The author is a dual master of science by research in Information Technology and Industrial Engineering. He has worked for many years in leading IT Services firms worldwide. He writes on academic theory, IT services, cricket and current affairs.

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