Intro and Context For HCI

Human Computer Interaction

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is the field of study that focuses on optimizing
how users and computers interact by designing interactive computer interfaces
that satisfy users’ needs. It is a multidisciplinary subject covering computer
science, behavioral sciences, cognitive science, ergonomics, psychology, and
design principles.
Key components of HCI

Fundamentally, HCI is made up of four key components:
1. The user
The user component refers to an individual or a group of individuals that

participate in a common task. HCI studies users’ needs, goals, and interaction
patterns. It analyzes various parameters such as users’ cognitive capabilities,
emotions, and experiences to provide them with a seamless experience while
interacting with computing systems.
2. The goal-oriented task
A user operates a computer system with an objective or goal in mind. The

computer provides a digital representation of objects to accomplish this goal. For
example, booking an airline for a destination could be a task for an aviation
website. In such goal-oriented scenarios, one should consider the following
aspects for a better user experience:
• The complexity of the task that the user intends to accomplish
• Knowledge and skills necessary to interact with the digital object
• Time required to carry out the task
3. The interface
The interface is a crucial HCI component that can enhance the overall user
interaction experience. Various interface-related aspects must be considered,
such as interaction type (touch, click, gesture, or voice), screen resolution, display
size, or even color contrast. Users can adjust these depending on the user’s needs
and requirements.
For example, consider a user visiting a website on a smartphone. In such a case,

the mobile version of the website should only display important information that
allows the user to navigate through the site easily. Moreover, the text size should
be appropriately adjusted so that the user is in a position to read it on the mobile
device. Such design optimization boosts user experience as it makes them feel
comfortable while accessing the site on a mobile phone.
4. The context
HCI is not only about providing better communication between users and
computers but also about factoring in the context and environment in which the
system is accessed. For example, while designing a smartphone app, designers
need to evaluate how the app will visually appear in different lighting conditions
(during day or night) or how it will perform when there is a poor network
connection. Such aspects can have a significant impact on the end-user
experience.
Contexts for HCI

In Human Computer Interaction studies, the context describes the actual
conditions under which the software system is used. Determining the context of
the system means describing how the software system interacts with the user in
normal day to day situations. It is important to carry out usability tests,
prototyping sessions, meetings, user studies and other "user-dependent sessions"
in the correct context of the system to get the most accurate results from your
findings.
In context-aware software systems, determining the context of use can allow the
application to modify it's current behavior to better interact with the user.
Context information will typically include anything that can be used to

characterize the situation of the user, system or any other relevant entities.
Context can be decomposed into disjoint categories or types to help define the
context of the software system. Although these context types may differ by
opinion, the most commonly recognized are the User Context, the Time Context,
the Physical Context and the Computing Context.
Types of Context in HCI
User Context
▪ The user context (also known as personal context) represents information
about the end-user, which interacts with the system.
▪ This includes information such as the user profile (age, preferences), the
user’s location (e.g. absolute position, indoors, outdoors) and orientation,
nearby objects, the people nearby and the social situation.
Time Context
▪ The time context covers relevant information related to time such as
absolute time, date, day of the week and season.
Physical Context
▪ The physical context includes everything which is measurable in the
environment of the system with which the user interacts.
▪ This includes temperatures, noise levels, lighting situations, traffic

conditions, etc.
▪ In the simulator presented to the right, the physical world is affected by the
computer simulation. The actuated chassis responds to the user's input
through the computer.
Computing Context
▪ The computing context contains everything related to computational
resources.
▪ This can include things such as available networks, network bandwidth,

communication costs and nearby computational resources such as printers
or fax machines.
Example of HCI Contexts
1) Mobile Devices
The most important factor when considering context for a mobile device is the
user context. Mobile devices are portable and typically travel alongside the user.
By identifying the user's location, the mobile device can adapt to these
circumstances and provide relevant and useful information. For example, when
the user is searching for restaurants, the mobile device can identify the current
location and provide results that are local. This helps the user with relevant
information and improves the user experience.
Almost all mobile devices include a calendar or some type of personal task
planner. The time context of the mobile device is very important when it comes to
the user's schedule.
The physical context of the device can play an important role in the human
computer interaction of the device. If the mobile device can identify noise levels,
it can adjust the ring volume for the current situation. The same principle applies
to lighting levels. When the device senses the user is working in a dimly lit
environment, it can increase the brightness level of the screen.
Lastly, the computing context of the mobile device: This context type is rarely
seen by the user. One example of identifying the computing context is having the
device become aware of available networks and bandwidth levels. In high
bandwidth situations, the device should be able to update all of the user's feeds,
send/receive mail and do any necessary system updates. In low bandwidth
situations, only the bare minimum of networking tasks should be completed. The
battery life of mobile devices is very important to users. By recognizing the
current mobile context, battery life can be preserved.

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Human Computer Interaction

Human Computer Interaction

Key components of HCI

The user component refers to an individual or a group of individuals that

2. The goal-oriented task

A user operates a computer system with an objective or goal in mind. The

• The complexity of the task that the user intends to accomplish

• Knowledge and skills necessary to interact with the digital object

• Time required to carry out the task

For example, consider a user visiting a website on a smartphone. In such a case,

Contexts for HCI

Context information will typically include anything that can be used to

Types of Context in HCI

▪ This includes temperatures, noise levels, lighting situations, traffic

▪ This can include things such as available networks, network bandwidth,

Example of HCI Contexts

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