Human Computer Interface - Essay Example

?Human Computer Interface Introduction The “Human Computer Interaction” is commonly defined as the “discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them” (Gaines, 1988). Sensor based human computer interactions can be listed in chronological order of technology advancement as follows; Pen-Based Interaction, mouse & keyboard, joysticks, motion tracking sensors & digitizers, haptic sensors, pressure sensors and taste/smell sensors (Mehrotra & Deore, 2012). User experience can be vastly enhanced by incorporating multiple sensors into virtual environments because people can immerse into another world more naturally and easily by using their whole body (Schrammel et. al., 2010). Therefore, the Human Computer Interface continues to expand in the field of human-computer communication bandwith by incorporating multiple sensory channels. Meanwhile the growing societal recognition of the needs of people with physical disabilities and neurodegenerative diseases also provide special application domains for Brain-Computer Interface (Tan & Nijholt, 2010). Some researchers advocate “user interface consistency” as the golden rule in Human Computer Interaction dialogs. Possibility of automating the designs, monitoring, evaluating and comparing the interface properties are the most attractive benefits of consistent designs. However, a clear definition for consistency cannot be found in research literature. In general a consistent design is have, (1) internal interface design consistency and (2) external consistency of interface features with features of other interfaces familiar to the users. Users can obtain convenient, less expensive and versatile products by consistent designs. Example: the training time is 100% to 300% less compared to the random user interface design. Nevertheless some researchers advocate that diverting primary focus from users and their needs into consistency, as narrowing the spectrum of software engineering (Grudin, 1989). Haptic Technology MacLean, 2000, defines “haptic feedback” as the “computer control over the tactile or kinesthetic properties of a physical interface, permitting realtime representation of a changing virtual or remote environment rather than a specific, constant handle” (p. 2). In general, haptic feedback is a mechanical response created by the haptic interface in terms of a special vibration sensation. Conventional vibration alerting differs from the haptic feedback as the latter involves advanced vibration patterns and waveforms that convey rather informative messages from a dynamic virtual environment to users. Human brain comprises of various visual, audible, smell, taste and haptic sensory neurons that are stimulated when an objects contact with the respective sensory channel. Sensory receptors located in the human body such as; muscles, tendons, joints and skin in the hands are important for human performances equally to hearing and visual sensing (Torre, 2006). Characteristics of the human brain have largely shaped the designing of modern human-computer interfaces. In the history, models of Human Computer Interactions were dominated by audio-visual simulations (Hayward et. al., 2004). Incorporating haptic, pressure, taste and smell sensors in remotely controlled and virtual environments can be considered as the greatest achievement in modern software engineering. Haptic technology is largely aimed at enhancing the operator performances and user experiences by kinesthetic and touch channels stimulation. Humans are rather cautious when touching a surface compared to looking at it. Such characteristics have shape the modern Human Computer Interfaces. Researchers advocate that haptic feedback is rather effective when used in conjugation with other sensory modalities. Example, Morris et. al., 2007, used haptic feedback for teaching undergraduate students a sensorimotor skill that have a force-sensitive component and requires recalling a sequence of forces. In the above study haptic and visual training in conjunction was found effective, rather than either training approach was used alone. Haptic technology is highly useful for robotics and virtual reality. New humanoid robots for example, contain various haptic sensors that are sensitive and aware of touch (Iwata, 2003 and Barfield & T. Caudell, 2001). In medical surgeries, teaching, training & guiding, telecommunication industry, automobile dashboards, capacitive touch, touch screens, control sticks and video games, the user experiences and operator performances are highly improved by incorporating haptic feedback (Precision Microdrives, n.d.). User-Centric Design Process User centric design process allows software engineers to identify the measurable interface properties. Such properties are incorporated in design consistency. Human Computer Interface is a multi-layered and multi-modal structure consisting of the manipulated environment, interaction model, physical interface and user. User is a major component that plays a decisive role in multi-sensory interaction models. The user-centric design process comprises of the following steps; market definition, task analysis, competitive evaluation, design and walk-through, evaluation & validation, and benchmark assessment. Identification of the target audience, competitors and the core product are carried out initially. Morris et. al., 2007 indicate that it is rather important to address the specific issues of user such as “what senses & limbs are available for the task, special training requirements and what are all the things user wants to do in the interface?” (p. 5). User surveys and standard task analysis methods are applied for the above purpose. Competition evaluation is commonly carried out by asking users to perform the same task in different designs and rate their level of satisfactions with respect to each of the design. Commonly, "lo-fi" prototypes such as simple sketches are evaluated by the users. Strengths and weaknesses of the different interface designs can be identified by performing the comparative product evaluation. User satisfaction information is used in design and walk-through stage to choose solutions for the issues of the design of interest. Evaluation and validation is performed by periodically obtaining users’ feedback relating to the updates of the software. Commonly, accomplishment of the important tasks by the users is monitored with a working prototype. Benchmark assessment reveals the changes in market and user preferences and hence leads into a new market definition. Therefore the user-centric design process for a single product can be recursive (Torres, 2001). Human Motion in Human-Computer Interface The use of motions in the human computer interface had been scarce until the recent past largely due to the limitations in motion capture techniques. Collecting motion data by using the old technologies was expensive, inconvenient and unreliable. Infamous Animal Locomotion (1887) and Moving Light Display (1973) experiments can be listed as very early attempts to collect motion data. Schrammel et. al., 2010, categorize the motion capture methods as follows; vision based techniques, example, cameras with markers or without markers, angle sensors attached to the human body joints, position/orientation & accelerometer sensors attached to the human body and single elements of body motions example, fingers in table top touch screen computers (p. 306). Recent technology advancements have enabled the researchers to obtain reliable motion data at a lower budget. Current applications of motion capture include advanced user interfaces, motion analysis for clinical and sports training purposes, surveillance systems and virtual environments. References Barfield, W. and Caudell, T. (2001). Fundamentals of Wearable Computers and Augmented Reality, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah . Gaines B. R. (1988). A Conceptual Framework for Person-Computer Interaction in Distributed Systems. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man & Cybernetics, 18(4), 532-541 Grudin, J. (1989). The Case Against User Interface Consistency. Human Aspects of Computing, Communication of the ACM, 32(10). Retrieved from http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/jgrudin/publications/ Hayward, V., Astley, O.R., Her nandez, M. C., Grant, D., and Torre, G. R. (2004). Haptic interfaces and devices. Emerald Insight, 24(1). Retrieved from http://www.roblesdelatorre.com/gabriel/ Iwata, H. (2003). Haptic interfaces. in J.A. Jacko and A. Sears (eds), The Human Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies, and Emerging Application, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah. MacLean, K. E. (2000). Designing with Haptic Feedback. Symposium on Haptic Feedback in the Proceedings of IEEE Robotics and Automation (ICRA’2000), San Francisco, CA, April 22-28, 2000. Retrieved from http://www.cs.ubc.ca/labs/spin/publications/related/ Mehrotra, S.C. and Deore, R. S. (2012). Past,Present And Future Of Human Computer Interaction. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT), 1 (6). Retrieved from http://www.ijert.org Morris, D., Tan, H. Barbagli, F., Chang, T. and Salisbury, K. (2007). Haptic Feedback Enhances Force Skill Learning. Second Joint EuroHaptics Conference and Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems (WHC'07). Retrieved from https://engineering.purdue.edu/~hongtan/pubs/ Precision Microdrives. (n.d.). Introduction to Haptic Feedback. Precision Microdrives. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved from http://www.precisionmicrodrives.com/haptics-haptic-feedback-vibration-alerting/ Schrammel, J., Paletta, L. and Tscheligi, M. (2010). Exploring the Possibilities of Body Motion Data for Human Computer Interaction Research. Springer. n.a. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/ Tan, D. and Nijholt, A. (2010). Brain-Computer Interfaces and Human-Computer Interaction. Springer. n.a. Retrieved from http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/ Torres, J. (2001). Practitioner's Handbook for User Interface Design and Development. Prentice Hall PTR Read More