| Human computer interaction (HCI) evolved as a recognized discipline that attracts innovation and creativity. For the last 25 years, it inspired new solutions, especially for the benefit of the user as a human being, making the user the focal point that technology should serve rather than the other way around. The advent of the Internet, combined with the rapidly falling prices and increasing capability of personal computers, among other things, made the 1990s a period of very rapid change in technology. This has major implications on HCI research and advances, where peoples’ demands and expectations as users of technology increased.
There is currently no agreement upon definition of the range of topics which form the area of humancomputer interaction. Based on the definition given by the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction Curriculum Development, which is also repeated in most HCI literature, the following is considered as an acceptable definition:
Human-computer interaction is a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use in a social context, and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them.
A significant number of major corporations and academic institutions now study HCI. Many computer users today would argue that computer makers are still not paying enough attention to making their products “usable”. HCI is undoubtedly a multi-disciplinary subject, which draws on disciplines such as psychology, cognitive science, ergonomics, sociology, engineering, business, graphic design, technical writing, and, most importantly, computer science and system design/software engineering.
As a discipline, HCI is relatively young. Throughout the history of civilization, technological innovations were motivated by fundamental human aspirations and by problems arising from human-computer interactions. Design, usability and interaction are recognised as the core issues in HCI.
Today, profound changes are taking place that touch all aspects of our society: changes in work, home, business, communication, science, technology, and engineering. These changes, as they involve humans, cannot but influence the future of HCI since they relate to how people interact with technology in an increasingly dynamic and complex world. This makes it even more essential for HCI to play a vital role in shaping the future.
Therefore, preparing an encyclopedia of HCI that can contribute to the further development of science and its applications, requires not only providing basic information on this subject, but also tackling problemsthat involve HCI issues in a wider sense, for example, by addressing HCI in and for various applications, that is, e-learning, health informatics, and many others. |