An interface is the point of contact between two systems. This paper deals with the dynamics involved in the contact between human beings and computers. Human-computer interface concerns itself with the multifarious methodologies and the numerous processes which are involved when designing computer interfaces. It also involves the methods used in implementing, evaluating and comparing the various human-computer interfaces . One of the long term goals of the human computer interface is to design a wide range of systems which either do away with or minimize what humans intend to cognitively achieve by interacting with the computer and the computer’s capacity to understand the intention or the task of the user.
In a nutshell, human-computer interface is the point of communication between the computer and the human user. Such communication is affected by a number of factors for example the task environment, the status of the areas of interface, the rate at which input is flowing, the output rate, feedback mechanisms and the machine environment. This paper will shed a lot of light on a wide range of issues pertinent with the human-computer interface phenomenon.
The uses and importance of haptic feedback:
The term “haptic” is a Greek term which means “touch”. Haptic feedback, therefore, concerns itself with the use of a wide array of advanced vibration patterns, wave forms and touch mechanisms with an intention of conveying information to the user or operator of a computer gadget . There are a number of computerized devices which make use of haptic feedback mechanisms to convey information to the user. Examples of these devices are modern mobile phones, touch displays and interfaces and modern tablet personal computers.
Such haptic feedback mechanisms improve the experience of the user with computers. The user only needs to use their fingers to communicate with their computerized devices and they have the feedback. Haptic feedback is of two types: the vibro-tactile and the kinesthetic feedback. The vibrotactile feedback in its operation mechanism stimulates the human sub-cutaneous tissue so that there is sufficient body contact with the machine. An example of a computerized device that makes use of this mechanism is the modern touch-screen mobile phone. Kinesthetic feedback on the other hand focuses on the entire movement of the human body. It is usually used widely in stimulating trainers in the medical field.
Haptic feedback is cheap, one of the reasons why it is preferred to the other forms of computer usage. It is also fast to work with and it is not prone to the numerous mistakes experienced with the other computer usages. It, therefore, has the capacity to improve the performance of the computer operator because the operator does not need to use a lot of their energy and time when working with the device. Due to absence of the many buttons that are characteristic of the other devices and which are made with sound appliances, the haptic feedback enhances privacy. It can also be reconfigured to fit the wishes of the user. Lastly, it increases user satisfaction by reducing complication and stress. This is because of the increased speed and accuracy at which the devices operate.
The various types of the human memory and their impact on the human-computer interface
The human brain has two major regions; the cerebral cortex and the sub-cortical region. The main functions of the subcortical region is to control such basic functions of the human body as heart rate, respiration, fear, temperature regulation, learning, memory and reflexes. The cerebral cortex, on the other hand, is the bigger of the two regions and its main functions are, among others, to give support to most sensory organs, motor processing organs as well as other higher-level processing organs for example reasoning, language processing, pattern recognition and planning. The human-computer interface mechanism focuses majorly on this region because it is the more complex of the two regions. It is further divided into two hemispheres namely the left and the right hemispheres. The two hemispheres sense and control each other. The interaction between the human body and the computer therefore borrows a lot from the manner in which the human brain functions. In many ways, human thinking is equated to a computer because it has different areas of memory: the sensory register whose main role is to react immediately to a number of stimuli, the short-term storage which holds data temporarily and the long term storage which holds data for a long period of time. It, therefore, goes without saying that the computer works in slightly the same way with the human brain.
The potential outcomes of not using consistency in human-computer interface
Many activities are carried out during the human-computer interaction some of which are: pointing the cursor at a point on the window with the aid of the mouse, clicking at a document using the mouse, dragging items and other documents using the mouse and placing items on various folders in the computer. All this calls for a high degree of consistency. A slight lack of consistency in the work that the user is engaged in definitely leads to inefficiency. The nature of consistency may be in form of behavior, interactional techniques with the computer or even the presentation of the work on the computer. Consistency is usually governed by some basic principles for example continuity, attitude, experiences and expectations.
The steps involved in the User-Centric Design Process (UCD)
The user-centric design process is an approach to a system development in a human computer interaction and specifically focuses on making the computer systems usable. The activity may be described as a multidisciplinary one because it involves a number of steps. The design process normally focuses itself on the usability goals, the characteristics of the user, the flow of the work and also the tasks involved in the process. The basic goal of a User-centered Process is to come up with products which have a high degree of usability. The process strives to come up with a product that is useful, effective, learnable and likeable. It involves a number of steps such as analysis, design, evaluation implementation and then deployment to the users. The process should put into consideration the user requirements, must incorporate user feedback in the final product and also integrate the user-centered design with all the other development processes
The role of human motion in the design of the human-computer interface:
Human motion is an important aspect of the human body and most importantly the human-computer interface. Its most important goal is to bridge the gap of information between human beings and computers. Some of the human body movements as far as computers are concerned are eye gestures, hand gestures arm motion and finger movements. All these movements have the goal of coming up with a gesture-based human-computer interface.
References
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Jacob, R. J. (2008). Eye Movement-Based Human Computer Interaction Techniques: Toward non-command interfaces. Washington DC: Human Computer InteractionLab. Naval Research Laboratory.
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