Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) integrates concepts and methods from computer science, design, and psychology to build interfaces that are accessible, easy to use, and efficient.
In the early 1960s, at a time where computers were scarce, expensive, bulky and formal-scheduled machines used for automatic calculations, Douglas Engelbart saw their potential as personal interactive tools. He initiated a research program aimed at developing computing hardware and software to augment the human intellect, to increase a person’s capabilities to approach a complex situation, to gain comprehension to suit his or her particular needs, and to derive solutions to problems. At the Stanford Research Institute, he and his colleagues created the first system realizing this vision. Their oN-Line System (NLS) was not only designed to augment the capabilities of its users, but also to foster their collaboration. Among other firsts, its 1968 demonstration featured the introduction of document processing, hypermedia, shared files, messaging, real-time distant collaboration, multiple windows and the computer mouse. NLS was way ahead of its time. It impressed and inspired many people. Few realized the vision behind it, however. Due to complex hierarchies of modes and commands, it was also difficult to use and required substantial training. This difficulty with initial use and its reliance on networked time-shared computers were fatal to the system, and Engelbart’s vision of personal computing as an augmentation tool somewhat faded away.
Research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has been spectacularly successful, and has fundamentally changed computing. Just one example is the ubiquitous graphical interface used by Microsoft Windows 95, which is based on the Macintosh, which is based on work at Xerox PARC, which in turn is based on early research at the Stanford Research Laboratory (now SRI) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Another example is that virtually all software written today employs user interface toolkits and interface builders, concepts which were developed first at universities. Even the spectacular growth of the World-Wide Web is a direct result of HCI research: applying hypertext technology to browsers allows one to traverse a link across the world with a click of the mouse. Interface improvements more than anything else has triggered this explosive growth. Furthermore, the research that will lead to the user interfaces for the computers of tomorrow is happening at universities and a few corporate research labs.
Most scholars and historians in the field of HCI agree the birth of the discipline was in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, which coincides with the launch of the Personal Computer (PC). The origins in personal productivity interactions are bound to the desktop, so to speak. The discipline started as a specialty area in computer science with several research labs being started around the United States. Most of these research labs were at large research universities, with two of the larger being Stanford and MIT. Universities partnered with industry to create research labs as well with some notable lab collaborations being Xerox, IBM, and AT&T. During this time, Graphical User Interfaces were coming of age and the leading researcher in this arena was Xerox PARC labs.
It is clearly impossible to list every system and source but some are listed below:
Software Tools and Architectures
- UIMSs and Toolkits
- Interface Builders
- Component Architectures
Application Types
- Drawing programs
- Text Editing
- Spreadsheets
- HyperText
- Computer Aided Design (CAD)
- Video Games
Other Areas
- Gesture Recognition
- Multi-Media
- 3-D
- Virtual Reality and “Augmented Reality”
- Computer Supported Cooperative Work
- Natural language and speech
- Robotics
Basic Interactions
- Direct Manipulation of graphical objects
- The Mouse
- Windows
Jonathan Grudin is a Principal Design Researcher at Microsoft working in the fields of human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW). Grudin is a pioneer of the field of CSCW and one of its most prolific contributors. His collaboration distance to other HCI researchers has been described by the Grudin number. Grudin is also well known for the Grudin Paradox or Grudin Problem, which states basically with respect to the design of collaborative software for organizational settings, “What may be in the managers’ best interests may not be in the interests of individual contributors, and therefore not used.” He was awarded the inaugural CSCW Lasting Impact Award in 2014 on the basis of this work. He has also written about the publication culture and history of HCI. His book From Tool to Partner, The Evolution of Human-Computer Interaction was published in 2017.
Three key areas composed the discipline at the advent of HCI. They were: Computer Science, Cognitive Psychology, and Design. These areas have expanded in the past decades to include: Human Factors Engineering, Industrial Design, Interaction Design, Branding, Anthropology, Technical Communications, Market Research, Software Testing, and Training to name a few. The growth of the discipline has been far reaching, and as a result has attracted many disciplines to participate in the research. The field of HCI has far reaching research, combines several disciplines, and has enriched every theory and method it has appropriated. The roles of the UX practitioner have their foundations in HCI. The two are inseparable.
The original and abiding technical focus of HCI was, and is, the concept of usability. Current roles in HCI emerge in the UX sector such as Experience Researcher, Industrial Designer, Human Factors Specialist, Usability Engineer, Information Architect, and the UX Researcher. These positions all fall within the spectrum of HCI practitioner.
