Human computer interaction - Annotated Bibliography Example

?Bewley The involved are all renowned ities on user interface design and are pioneers in this field. A major part of the design processof the “Star” workstation was the user interface. Human cognition was taken as the base guideline and three human factors were experimented with. Selection scheme tests showed the amount of buttons and kind of pointing device to select text. Icon tests showed the optimal shapes for recognition. Graphics tests showed that the line drawings interface needed revision. The focus was on basic users of computers who relied on recognition largely. The system was to be kept as simple as possible so that learning did not pose much of a problem. The studies conducted were largely qualitative in design except for the selection schemes that were tabulated statistically in terms of errors during usage. Even the statistical portions of the study were not well documented enough to warrant sturdy critique. The study is largely irrelevant in terms of HCI today as the study represents basic and early developments in HCI. The paper can however be considered to be watershed as it addresses major questions for development of user interfaces. The results of the paper are also significant as modern trends in user interface creation are similar to the findings of the paper. Moreover the paper displays some bias as it only investigates a limited number of human cognition areas. The total study spanned six years and multiple tests which indicates that more issues could have been addressed. The paper is highly relevant to HCI as it represents the trends in the early development of HCI in general and the early development of graphical user interfaces in particular. The paper represents a shift from qualitative investigation methods to quantities methods. In itself this paper is symbolic of the transformation from qualitative investigation to quantitative investigation in the field of HCI. The paper is also reflective of how small segregated development has helped to make HCI and user interface design what they are today. Bush The author of this paper is a respected scientist in the scientific community of the Allies. The paper is set in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and the author concentrates on the large amounts of learning and research produced during the war effort and the inaccessibility posed by the large volumes of information available. Towards the middle the author begins to envision the kind of devices required to access the large banks of information with the greatest convenience. The idea is further developed to envision a device resembling a modern computer in principle but differing largely in terms of design and operability. The author is confined to the use of hardware based techniques to achieve large advances in user interfaces. The chief methodology utilised by the author is speculation based on advances in user interfaces and HCI as far as the Second World War. The excessive utilisation of speculation as the chief method discounts the credibility of the paper to a large degree. The author’s findings are nothing more than mere ideas with little practical ground to bank on. The paper cannot be declared to be a watershed as there is little evidence that the advances imagined by the author were put to practical use immediately. Instead the evolution of HCI and user interfaces went through multiple other stages before it got to its current state. The paper can be related in its speculation to modern technology especially for indexing although the author’s methods for indexing are irrelevant today. Moreover the compression of data speculated by the author is highly relevant to ground realities today although again the author fails to provide any real solutions for it. The study is biased towards qualitative speculation rather than taking facts and building on them. There is not quantitative data or research anywhere in the paper at all. The paper can be seen as very early attempts at envisioning modern user interfaces and HCI but little else can be related about practical connotations. Dourish and Bellotti The authors of this paper are well respected in the fields of collaboration in workspaces. Both have been active contributors and have amounted to a number of publications. The paper was concerned with analysing various approaches including QUILT, PREP and GROVE for collaboration in document editing. These approaches represent the synchronous, asynchronous and combined efforts for document collaboration. The latter part of the study deals with assessment of software “ShrEdit” that has was tested with three teams for a 20 minutes and a subsequent 90 minutes task. The study can be divided into two distinct portions. The first portion deals with a literature review while the second portion deals with observations over the ShrEdit test. The authors have relied on a merely qualitative review that is itself restricted to only three major questions in relation to ShrEdit. No quantitative data was presented nor was any scheme defined to determine quantitative responses (such as errors) which could be used for statistical purposes. This discounts the credibility of the paper as statistical inference is absent and the qualitative observations are highly native in their methods. The paper cannot be considered as a watershed as it reports already available findings and banks on crude primary research. Moreover the paper has also lost its relevance to modern collaborative user interfaces that are far more organised and rooted in “shared awareness”. The study can also be seen to be a little biased as it keeps concentrating on “shared awareness” as the primary leading factor in collaborative user interfaces as well as HCI. The paper holds some relevance to user interfaces for collaborative environments as it shares some common aspects with them but the lack of detailed investigation makes it largely irrelevant. In terms of the bigger picture of HCI, the paper can be seen as a crude effort to document contemporary trends and software observations but there is little else that can be extracted. Most of the arguments and conclusions presented by the authors seem more like personal opinion than anything else. Moreover the initial literature review is too complicated to be comprehended given the current scenario as the methods reviewed are largely obsolete today and the reader may not possess knowledge of them. Dourish (Context) The author is a respected authority in the field of HCI and user interaction and possesses vast experience as a researcher and as a practising member of the HCI community. This paper by the author explores the issue of context when applied to HCI in general. The author places great emphasis on the social aspects of context especially when applied to HCI and user interfaces. He tries to explore differences between the social context and the scientific context and suggests methods for bridging these gaps to create a product that reflects both contexts as best as possible. The primary technique used by the author is exploration of literature along with injection of his personal perceptions on the issue at hand. The development of ideas cannot be labelled as quantitative in any form at all. The paper is highly relevant to the field of HCI as it deals with traditional problems in HCI with new approaches. There is a dire need to find or create a framework which translates user’s needs into the user interface creator’s efforts. The paper can be considered as watershed because it attempts to deal with this issue by delineating the human aspects of this problem. The paper is pretty well rounded so there are no biases in the investigation. All possible aspects have been discussed by the author in a qualitatively comprehensive fashion. The author has divided the paper into different distinct sections where he builds every concept from scratch. The paper is highly relevant to the field of HCI especially in the contemporary period. This paper can be viewed as a reflection of future trends in thinking behind HCI. The author has introduced new ways to look at the traditional concept of “context” in HCI and user interface problems. Moreover he has introduced other concepts such as ethno methodology in great detail unlike other authors who assume that the reader is already well aware of these concepts. This paper attempts to redefine the conventional methods to view HCI and user interface in terms of “context” and provides startling and novel though as to the future of HCI. Hughes, King, Rodden, Andersen The authors of this paper are all from different backgrounds including anthropology and software engineering. Most members of the authoring team were just starting out in their careers when this paper was written and published. The anthropologists involved are the most senior members of the team. The tone of the paper is rather informal and seems directed towards beginners and novices in the field of HCI. The paper is exclusively composed of nothing but the ideas of the authors. Little factual evidence has been presented to reinforce the ideas of the authors. There is a case study for an air control operation for software but it has been explored sparingly. The greatest emphasis of the paper lies on exploring the “ethnographic” frontier to HCI design. The authors contemplate the use of ethnographic techniques to design various kinds of user interfaces and to include ethnographic techniques into the conventional fold of HCI design. No hard facts have been related by the authors except for speculation and no data is available in a quantitative format and with a statistical inference. However a test was conducted on air traffic control and data could have been generated from there. The paper does provide a reflection into the future of HCI and current trends indicate that the author’s viewpoints have been incorporated to some extent in contemporary HCI design. However the paper is biased to some extent in the promotion of ethnography as a HCI design technique and fails to fully appreciate other conventional design techniques. Moreover the paper’s text uses a lot of informal terms that further discount its credibility. The paper is relevant to HCI as it provides a window into one school of thought behind HCI design. Given that some of these ethnographic design principles have been incorporated too, the paper cannot be considered to be irrelevant altogether. This paper and other papers similar to it have promoted the case for ethnography in HCI and user interface design so their contributions to contemporary trends in HCI cannot be underestimated. Rogers The author is a renowned academic in the field of HCI and possesses large teaching and research experience. Ubiquitous computing has been explored by the author in great detail and context aware computing has been used for comparison. The central focus of the author is in exploring the dimensions of Weiser’s vision for calm computing versus his criticism. The author insists on finding medium ground to both approaches to produce something meaningful and usable on which further advances in ubiquitous computing could be based. Context aware computing has been explored in decent detail and the author has concentrated greatly on its limitations when applied to human behaviour patterns. The study conducted by the author is a juxtaposition of her ideas and views on the issue of ubiquitous computing. Most arguments made by the author are supported with either facts or sound and relevant examples. Ideas developed throughout the paper are purely qualitative in nature and quantitative data is absent. The paper is highly relevant to the contemporary trends in HCI which are trying to provide computing solutions that are intelligent and adaptable but still a notch above artificial intelligence. Moreover Weisner’s concept of computers that appear and disappear as required is also relevant as HCI is taking up more and more time of people’s lives. The paper emphasises on idiosyncrasies in patterns of human behaviour that make it difficult to program computing devices to find fitting solutions every single time. The paper cannot be claimed as a watershed paper as no new research of a substantial scale is related. The study is mostly not biased except for certain lines of argument that stress on ubiquitous computing as the only solution and discount other methods altogether. The paper in question is highly relevant to HCI especially in contemporary times as it delineates alternative ways of looking at design approaches for HCI. Moreover this paper can be seen as providing future lines of development as per HCI and user interfaces in particular and for computing in general. Schmidt, Bannon The authors are researchers at a university in Denmark. At the time of the publication of this paper the authors were just entering the field of HCI. The paper concentrates on the various aspects of CSCW (computer supported collaborative work) and their applicability to HCI, sociology and computing. The authors have examined in detail the expansion of collaborative frameworks for supporting team and group efforts. The evolution of such systems has been explored in detail as well and the authors have promoted the idea of collaboration between different fields to advance CSCW. The paper is largely dotted by the views of the authors on this subject. Most ideas presented by the author are supported by secondary literature review. The paper is entirely qualitative in nature and rests on speculations about CSCW and other related fields to support it including HCI. No quantitative data has been presented nor has any reference been made to statistical investigations in studies that have been quoted. In this sense the study is entirely based on the ideas of the authors alone. The paper was far more relevant at the time it was published than it is now because collaborative frameworks have gone beyond the ideas outlined in the paper. The paper cannot be considered as a watershed paper in any sense because it is merely an extended literature review incorporated with the author’s views. The authors have also attempted to extend existing CSCW frameworks beyond conventional practices of small teams and have instead advocated for a ubiquitous approach to deal with the issue. The study cannot be claimed as too biased as the authors have presented all differing aspects on CSCW development schemas in great detail. However the emphasis of the authors was still based on ubiquitous solutions to CSCW problems. The paper can be seen to be related to HCI only though marginally as the paper also extensively involves sociological and computing based aspects that tend to shadow HCI largely. As far as the bigger picture is concerned, the paper can be seen as representing a school of thought as to how CSCW systems should have developed in terms of HCI. Smith, Irby, Kimball The authors are all respected and renowned researchers in the fields of HCI and user interfaces and were employed by Xerox when this paper was published. The paper details the Star interface designed by Xerox which can be considered a landmark in terms of both user interface developments as well as advances in HCI. The primary method used in the paper is to relate various aspects and functions of the Star interface and to support them with screenshots. The paper is well structured, comprehensive and easy to follow although the related technology is over three decades old. The study cannot be seen to be biased in any manner because it simply relates available aspects and functions of the Star interface. There is no argument for or against other such systems and only the Star interface and its aspects and functions have been discussed. Moreover the paper reads more like a descriptive user manual than anything else. The evolution of various things in the user interface has been related in sufficient detail to help the reader follow the paper with ease. In this sense the paper’s quality cannot be discounted in any manner at all and the integrity of various perspectives is also well cemented. The paper is still relevant to modern practices in HCI and user interfaces to a very large extent. The paper can be easily considered as watershed because even contemporary computing systems display striking similarities to the user interface delineated in the paper. Moreover advances in certain aspects of the Star interface such as icons, replacement of command line systems with fully graphical GUIs, inbox and outbox, email through Ethernet connections etc. are all aspects of the day to day life of individuals using computers and thus the user interfaces and subsequently the HCI. Therefore the paper in question can be considered as watershed in terms of HCI advancement and growth. The paper is highly relevant to the field of HCI / IxD even today as it represents major progress that is still visibly around us every day. Moreover the trends put in place by the development of the Star interface and its subsequent impacts on HCI and the way it progressed is a major aspect of the HCI evolution story to date. Want, Hopper, Falcao, Gibbons The authors of this paper are all researchers for the Olivetti Research laboratory based in Cambridge, England. The focus of the paper is to delineate an active badge system in detail. Existing systems to monitor people’s progress inside office buildings, hospitals and other similar environments has also been touched upon. The system explained by the paper relies on IR (infra red) sensors and detection systems. Other than the user interface aspects of the system, the authors have also investigated the social aspects of using active badge systems. The issues of privacy and safety of using active badge systems have been discussed in detail. The chief method used in the paper has been to develop aspects of the system through appropriate diagrams and statistical reporting. The system was actively installed and monitored and fitting statistics were gathered to prove the efficacy of the system. These statistics have also been used to provide an effective critique of the system. The paper is a fitting combination of qualitative and quantitative investigation over an active badge system. The paper is still relevant to modern trends in HCI and user interfaces. The paper can be claimed as a watershed paper as the delineated system is an industry first although it is still a prototype. The study cannot be claimed to be biased as it does not argue for one method over the other without any evidence. The study clearly brings about an active badge system against other current monitoring techniques such as paging and calling with enough evidence to support the entire train of ideas. The study is highly relevant to HCI and modern user interfaces because the study reveals modern trends in these fields. The paper can be seen as a reflection of emerging trends in HCI and user interface design. Tracking people is being redefined in terms of the user interface and the paper reflects this. The paper fits into the bigger picture of HCI / IxD as it delineates new fields where HCI and user interfaces are being applied. Weiser The author was a well respected researcher and member of the HCI / IxD community and is considered by many as an authority in these fields. The author explores the dimensions of ubiquitous computing for the future based on developments in the Palo Alto laboratory that he works at. The laboratory had developed user interface devices such as the ones in use currently including personal computers, laptops, pads, tabs and detection systems. The primary method used by the author is to explore the devices created in the laboratory and their use with appropriate evidence. Moreover the author also explores a scenario where ubiquitous computing is being applied into the daily life of an average individual. The provision of hard facts and a conceptual vision lends a great deal of credibility to the paper. Moreover the paper is logically structured and easy to follow. The paper is highly relevant to modern trends in user interfaces as well as HCI and IxD. The same cannot be said of the various techniques used to design HCI and user interfaces because a lot of evolution has taken place since the author’s time. However what is extremely striking is the fact that the author’s estimates of future trends in HCI are stunningly true save a few nit gritty details such as the use of Bluetooth in place of infra red technologies. The paper can be considered as a true watershed paper given the author’s visionary outlook along with logically structured estimates that seem like fulfilled prophecies today. The study is not biased in any sense as it merely projects the author’s point of view and does not contrast or place preference for one system over the other in any form. Moreover the paper can be considered as a complete landmark in the field of HCI / IxD as it can be seen as a beacon for future research into HCI and its applications. The movement of modern technology towards HCI can be seen as a result of the author’s vision even if in part alone. Read More