What is Human Computer Interaction?

HCI is the study and the practice of usability. It is about understanding and creating software and other technologies that people will want to use, will be able to use, and will find effective when used.

HCI is the study of how people use computer systems to perform certain tasks. It tries to provide us with all understanding of the computer and the person using it, to make the interaction between them more effective and more enjoyable.

HCI is a multidisciplinary field:

where:

and the goals are:

• Produce usable, safe, and functional systems.
• Understand how people use technology.
• Develop tools and techniques to enable building suitable systems.
• Achieve efficient, effective, and safe interaction.
• People come first (this belief underlies the whole theme of HCI).

Scrutable Autonomous Systems:

Usability

“A usable software system is one that supports the effective and efficient completion of tasks in a given work context”

— Karat and Dayton, 1995.

A usable system is:

• easy to learn