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

Using agile development cycles

How does HCI build great software? This is a tough question to crack. If it were easy, every piece of software would be great. Instead, it is tough and made even harder as humans adapt to technology, demanding more from our software interfaces, and embed software into their daily lives. There is some luck that goes into getting software right, and it is found at the bottom of caring about your user first. Any piece of software can be made even harder through the choices a team makes about the process of how they design and develop. The challenge is in how much risk versus reward a software team is willing to carry throughout the design and development process. Some software gets built with high risk, where all the assumptions and requirements are gathered up front. Then, all the features are designed at once, and all the elements are developed before everything is tested and launched into the world as a fully baked software solution.

The waterfall design...