Book Image

Learn Human-Computer Interaction

By : Christopher Reid Becker
Book Image

Learn Human-Computer Interaction

By: Christopher Reid Becker

Overview of this book

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a field of study that researches, designs, and develops software solutions that solve human problems. This book will help you understand various aspects of the software development phase, from planning and data gathering through to the design and development of software solutions. The book guides you through implementing methodologies that will help you build robust software. You will perform data gathering, evaluate user data, and execute data analysis and interpretation techniques. You’ll also understand why human-centered methodologies are successful in software development, and learn how to build effective software solutions through practical research processes. The book will even show you how to translate your human understanding into software solutions through validation methods and rapid prototyping leading to usability testing. Later, you will understand how to use effective storytelling to convey the key aspects of your software to users. Throughout the book, you will learn the key concepts with the help of historical figures, best practices, and references to common challenges faced in the software industry. By the end of this book, you will be well-versed with HCI strategies and methodologies to design effective user interfaces.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
1
Section 1 - Learn Human-Computer Interaction
5
Section 2 - How to Build Human-Centered Software
11
Section 3 - When to Improve Software Systems

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Introducing HCI and UX Design, outlines the goals the reader will work toward throughout the book, as well as an introduction to the author's perspective. It will frame the space and professions that the knowledge in this book is relevant to and will ask some key questions that will guide the reader throughout their journey.

Chapter 2, Human-Centered Design Principles, focuses on the explosion of software made possible through the introduction of the internet in 1990. It will also explore samples of how the principle is applied to software, and explore various tools we can use.

Chapter 3, Interface Design Values, focuses on the tools and approaches used by software teams to tackle various problems.

Chapter 4, Human-Centered Thinking, talks about how design and development cycles lead to better outcomes.

Chapter 5, Human-Centered Methods for User Research, focuses on qualitative and quantitative user research methods that you will be able to apply in your own projects.

Chapter 6, User Insights for Software Solutions, shows us how user research data builds trust and relationships. It will show us how to align our software solutions according to the users' needs.

Chapter 7, Storytelling and Rapid Prototyping, acts as a review of how systems diagramming and user input builds testable experiments.

Chapter 8, Validating Software Solutions, demonstrates how we can employ human-centered methods to gather user testing data. It also shows us how to use data to capitalize on our solutions.

Chapter 9, Improving Software Systems with Data, outlines the process of validating the usability and accessibility of a software solution. Throughout this chapter, we will look at how we can reinforce our software solutions with the help of data.

Chapter 10, Human-Centered Solutions, showcases software solutions as a feedback loop to culture. It also shows us how to use the past to capitalize on and improve our solutions.

Chapter 11, Extending HCI, continues by discussing education, team values, and the design community. It shows us why HCI is valuable for teams, and why we should evangelize the value of human-centered design to each team member.

Chapter 12, The Future of HCI, explores embedded systems, ubiquitous computing, and seamless interactions that are pushing the future of HCI into new frontiers.