HCI: Lesson 2

This article is the second one of this serie which deals with Human Computer Interaction. During this course, we see all the different things that we have to think about when designing som applications, in order to optimize the comfort of usage. In the first article, we focused on the human behaviours like cognition and perception. In this lesson, we will study a short history of HCI, and speak about user interfaces.

History of HCI

The most important phases

This discipline started to be studied around 1970, when the informatic technologies started to spread. The main goal was to make applications easier to use. This field changed through time, but the mix between computer science, design and psychology stayed crucial. In the previous article, we spoke about the evolution from mainframe (one computer for many people) to ubiquitious computing (many devices for each person). In this transition, we can distinguish four major steps:

- the invention of the first computer: the Zuse Z3, which is an enormous calculator without easy interface (its size is around one room). It marks the beginning of our adventure.

- the creation of the first "personal" computer: the Xerox Alto. This one is easier to use, can enter in the office of one person, and is a pillar of the turning point we all know.

- the appearance of technology in our pocket: the iPhone. Nowadays, everyone has several digital tools (computer for work, console for games), but the phone can replace many devices such as a camera, a calendar, a music player or a calculator. This is the starting point of the ubiquitous computing era.

- a revolution in computer interaction: the first VR headset. Now we are not just using technology to help us, but to immerse ourselves in new worlds.

The most important figures

- Vannevar Bush (1945): he is one of the pioneers of the internet. He developed powerful tools for solving equations, and was involved in the development of the atomic bomb. Above all, he revolutionised the field with his article "As we may think", in which he set out his theory on an information society (hypertext, links between people, ....). He talks about a machine, MEMEX, which would be able to extend human memory. These two topics will become hypertexts and the web.

- Ivan Sutherland (1963): he is a computer scientist that has been given the Turing Award for Sketchpad, a MEMEX inspired invention. His contribution to the field of HCI is enormous as he was the first to create a graphical user interface, and he was also one of the pioneers of virtual and augmented reality.

- Douglas Engelbart (1965): he worked at Xerox Parc for the creation of the first personal computer. He created the mouse for the user, hypertext or collaborative systems that are crucial for a great human computer interaction.

- Alan Key (1972): he improved personal computers by inventing GUI, object orienting programming but especially laptops. His OOP creation allows him to be given the Turing award.

All these persons created big revolutions in the first phase of our story. They manage to democratising cutting-edge technologies, and laying the foundations for what will become the HCI that we are studying. Then, new computer scientists were able to give a more psychological aspect to user experiences.

- Stuart Card (1983): this researcher in Xerox PARC is the creator of the term "Human Computer Interaction". He is one of the first to try to add psychological and physiological aspect to Computer Sciences.

- Donald Norman (1988): this consultant for HP and Apple is known for having focus on user-centered design, he is widely known for "The Design of Everyday Things".

- Mark Weiser (1988): he worked as a CTO for Xerox PARC, and was working on Ubiquitous Computing principle. This leds him to work on many prototypes: tablets, laptops or large display devices.

- Hiroshi Ishii (1997): this computer engineer focused his work life on aesthetics, design and tangible user interfaces (interactions between screens and real objects).

Finally, we obtain this timeline, with all the persons we talked about, and also the major actors of this field.

PS: we can find many informations and work papers in Google Scholar

Also, important conferences permitted to see revolutionary papers: CHI, CSCW, UIST or UbiComp.

The question now is to try to imagine what will come next, what will be the next paradigm shifts. We must also consider that this vision is from our world, with what we know, and maybe we will discover totally new things that we don't know now.