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

MVC, not MVP

Furthermore, as an HCI designer, you will work on solving problems for your users. In Silicon Valley and on the mouths of those involved in business start-ups is the term Minimum Viable Product, or MVP:

An MVP is the idea that a production team should produce the simplest version of a software product that offers only the highest value to its users in order to be first to market. An MVP focuses on the impact of learning in new product development. If you are not familiar with Eric Ries, he wrote a book called The Lean Startup, which has impacted the way many software companies, entrepreneurs, and start-ups have oriented their software development teams and in turn, developed software solutions. The MVP helps in the validation of ideas upfront and holds that learning comes in the form of whether your customers will actually purchase your product.

As we have been discussing, human-centered software has the ability to address the requirements of an MVP. A key premise behind...