The full form of HCI is Human-computer interaction. HCI (Human Computer Interaction) is a field of study that refers to communication between the human user and a computer system. Here interface refers to a medium or interaction between the computer and the end user. It is also known as CHI (Computer Human Interface) or MMI (Man Machine Interaction). It is concerned with design, evaluation, and implementation. It is used to provide a user-friendly environment.
What is Human?
It refers to the people who interact with the system. In the context of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), it encompasses users, stakeholders, designers, developers, and any other individuals involved in the design, development, and use of computer systems.
What is Computer?
It refers to the technological devices and systems with which humans interact. This includes desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, wearables, IoT devices, and other digital interfaces through which users engage with software applications and services.
What is Interaction?
It Describes the exchange of information, actions, and feedback between humans and computers. Interaction can take various forms, such as inputting commands, clicking buttons, swiping gestures, typing text, viewing output, receiving feedback, and responding to prompts.
Objective of Human-computer interaction(HCI)
Human uses digital devices to perform various activities. HCI is to design systems in such a way that make them efficient, stable, usable, and attainable. Lack of communication can result in poorly designed user interfaces. It provides a way to reduce design time through various task models.
Use Cases of HCI
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Smart home:
- Smart homes refer to home amenities that have been fitted with communication technology enabling some degree of automation or remote control. It includes control of air conditioning, heating, and lighting through voice-activated commands or mobile apps. Home security systems are also fitted with communication technology to alert the residents in case of burglary.
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Biometric Sensors:
- Biometric sensors are the use of human biometrics in various technological applications. It can be used in access controls for example granting access to a computer network or security system.
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Autonomous vehicle:
- An autonomous vehicle is one that can drive itself. Tesla is a company which pioneered the engineering of autonomous driving vehicles. It has advanced autopilot technology which allows real time navigation updates.
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Virtual assistants:
- Another innovation in this era is the intelligent virtual assistant or intelligent personal assistant. It is a software agent that can perform task or services or an individual based on commands or questions. These virtual assistants can interpret human speech and respond via voices.
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Smart phones for Visual Disabilities:
- There are some features present in smart phones that make the life of people with disabilities easy. Voiceover is a screen reader which basically means that your phone will talk out loud and tell you what’s on the screen. User can control it with certain touch gestures. There are some other features also like Magnification.