Interface: the connection through which a system element and another element or
the system’s environment exchange information --> handle inputs and outputs.
System interfaces: interaction between elements of the system; e.g., received
email gets automatically forwarded; a database listener; Application Program
Interfaces (APIs).
User interfaces: interaction between the system and its (human) users.
Human Computer Interaction:
Journals:
International Journal in Human-Computer Studies.
Human-Computer Interaction.
International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.
Physics:
Input:
Touch (finite and discrete).
Mouse (finite and discrete).
Typing (infinite but discrete).
Voice (infinite and continuous).
Etc.
Output:
Text.
Graphic (point, line, polygon).
User-centered design (again):
A User Interface (like the system as a whole) must be able to support user tasks.
Use the requirement scenarios to design and test (cognitive walkthrough) the interfaces (usability).
HCI: subfield of Human Factors Engineering (ergonomics).
User Interface metaphors:
Direct manipulation: click/drag vs.imperative linguistic (command-line)
Desktop (from above (norm) or oblique).
Experiments with dimensionality and spatialization:
