IT Matters

Beyond Human Computer Interaction

January 17th, 2006

Human Computer Interaction (HCI), combines computer science with insights from a variety of disciplines like ergonomics, psychology, and product design to make computers easy to use.

The field of HCI is reasonably mature and it is safe to say that the rules of the game are well understood. It works like this: You coax/cajole managers to invest a small portion (5-10%) of the product (software) development budgets on HCI (usability) and gently prod the developers to show some love for their users.

A (rough) measure of HCI maturity is revealed by doing a search on Google - the phrase “Human Computer Interaction” results in a staggering 4.6 million matches. HCI may have crossed the chasm and become mainstream but a giant force now requires us to reassess whether what we know in HCI is adequate. The challenge comes from the ubiquity of portable devices used for communication, entertainment and information: today such devices outnumber computers.

And we have to go beyond HCI to Human Device Interaction!

To see a world in a grain of sand
User expectations are ever rising and they want all computer functionality and more from the tiny devices they carry in their hand. The place and role of these smart devices in the users’ life is also very different from that of computers: computers were productivity tools while portable devices are personal (or may be even personality!) expressions.

And a heaven in a wildflower
The mantra for success: Combine ease of use with elegance in design to develop product that strikes an emotional cord with the user. For the quarter ending Dec’05, Apple sold many more iPods than they thought they could and beat the most optimistic estimates of Wall Street analysts by a billion dollars! Getting Human Device Interaction right is music to everybody’s ears.

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
Be it taking care of senior citizens or keeping a safe watch over children; reaching out to others or relaxing by yourself - the portable devices hold the infinite promise of digital deliverance. The technology required for these smart devices – processing capacity, storage space, batter power - is more or less in place. The softer elements of HDI are the difficult ones to master.

And eternity in an hour
What works in the world of computers does not work so well in the world of portable devices.They may have tolerated sub-optimal experience in computers, but users will not tolerate complex and cumbersome portable devices that ignore their needs.

The computer users operated using the “Mohammed goes to the Mountain” model. Using a computer involved some learning and you had to jump through many hoops to accomplish your tasks. But devices-to-go for users-on-the-move should be as easy as a-b-c.

HDI is currently in early stages. Using the same barometer (Google), the phrase “Human Device Interaction” reveals less than 200 results. Unlike HCI, which happened after-the-fact, (after computer-hell and user fury were unleashed), a conscious and concerted effort for advancing HDI is in order. Standing on the shoulders of HCI, the HDI discipline can however make rapid advances in a short time.

In the user experience realm, what we need to focus on is very clear.
Human Device Interaction. You heard it here first.

Entry Filed under: Usability, Human Computer Interaction, Human Device Interaction