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

Continually better software

Regardless of the computer code used to write a computer program, there are some ideas that make up every human-centered solution. Like we discussed before, humans change and, therefore, a software solution is not fixed but is rather highly dynamic. A software solution requires iteration. Iteration is the repetition of a process. The HCI design process produces a software solution and can be accomplished faster through designing, testing, and iterating that solution.

The design of any software has proven to be better with iteration. The very nature of software code being written by people speaks to why iteration is essential. Humans make mistakes, and with every mistake, we learn, but without the ability to iterate or correct these mistakes, they would persist in our software solutions. Luckily, code is not written in stone and is not impossible to change or iterate. Software is an idea, and we design coded solutions to prove that these ideas are working....