HCI Lecture HW2

HCI researchers, input devices and interaction paradigms.

1/ HCI Researchers:

-> Find one current researcher in the field of HCI and write about one of her/his current research projects in the general field of HCI.

Ben Shneiderman is an American computer scientist and professor at the university of Maryland. He conducted fundamental research in the field of HCI, developing new ideas, methods and tools such as the Direct Manipulation Interface.

His latest research (2020) is called Human-Centered AI: A second Copernican revolution. The HCAI framework aims to fill the gap between ethics and practice with specific recommendations for making successful technologies that augment, amplify, empower, and enhance humans rather than replace them.

Rather than being scared of a future where machines rule, HCAI will guide researchers towards putting humans at the center of AI to create powerful tools.

In the past, AI algorithms and systems where built to enhance machine autonomy and performance. As for HCAI, the user experience and his performance are the ones that are emphasised. Researchers and developers for HCAI systems focus on user needs, explainable systems, and meaningful human control. People come first and serving human needs is the goal.

Shneiderman insists on having Reliable, Safe and Trustworthy (RST) systems. With technologies such as elevators, cameras, powered wheelchairs etc, users appreciate the high levels of automation, but also appreciate the fact that they can operate and control the devices as they please.

Furthermore, he mentions that apart from allowing users to express their intent through visual interfaces, they should be able to get a feedback about the current state of the device, the progress as well as a completion notification.

So, for HCAI systems, a good design is crucial to have high automation but also high human control.

In my opinion, it's becoming essential to lean towards Human-Centerd AI. Machines should collaborate with humans instead of replacing them especially with the emergence of fully automated technologies such as cars for example.

Users should be able to have more control over the devices that they use on a daily basis and they should understand more about the way they work so they'd be able to take action in case an error occurs.

Moreover, these fully autonomous systems absolve humans of ethical responsibility which makes them even more dangerous thus making it crucial to rapidly take action.

2/ Ivan Sutherland:

-> Read the "Ultimate Display" and discuss what Ivan Sutherland was able to predict that currently is already happening and try to think of what of his vision could potentially become reality in the future?

In the "Ultimate Display", Ivan Sutherland mainly discusses how humans can and will interact with computers and screens. Whether it's through touch, voice or sight.

He starts by mentioning that computers are perfectly able to plot and display dots but still don't manage to do the same with images. In this case, he was able to predict the invention of the graphic user interface.

Then, he states that typewriters are very common and easy to use, but they are not linked to a computer nor a screen. So, he predicts that one day in the future, humans will be able to interact with computers through typing : he's talking about keyboards.

And finally, the biggest invention that Sutherland tackles in his article is the motion sensor. The device to which these sensors are connected is able to measure the position of a person's head and modify the image accordingly. He invented the first VR headset.

Ivan Sutherland almost predicted everything right about the future of human computer interactions. However, he also talks about a smell and/or taste user interface that is yet not developed nowadays but remains at the center of current researches in the field of HCI and that will certainly be used in the near future.

3/ Input devices and interaction paradigms:

-> Present and classify (What type of user interface) one new or failed input device/technique that was presented in research and media. Discuss why you think the input device did not succeed or why it will/won't succeed in the future.

I once stumbled upon a weird keyboard while reading an article online, The Kinesis KB600 Contoured Keyboard. It had all of the basic keys but they were separated into concave sections, one for each hand, and also for the thumbs as we can see in the image above:

This device was described as being able to "boost productivity and reduce major risk factors so the hands are positioned in a relaxed, natural position".

But, that's not it, this keyboard comes with a programming tool that allows the user to customize the keyboard's layout, to record macros or remap the keys.

Well, I think that this keyboard is not really worth buying. First of all, it's sold for 349$ on Kinesis' website, so it is obviously too expensive. Any regular person won't go through the trouble of buying it for this price even if it can indeed be better for your posture.

The second problem of this product, or any new device as a matter of fact, is that users are already used to normal keyboards that they use on a daily basis. So, purchasing this one means that they'll have to learn everything again from scratch.

Personally, I know that I'll only use it if i'm obliged to rather than taking the initiative of getting it by myself. But it might not be the case for everyone.

Maybe these two factors explain why we never really heard about the product as opposed to other new technologies that spread all over the news and the internet.