Chapter 6:
Summary:
The concept of a Creative Programming Environment led to the implementation of the graphic user interface, which is now prevalent is operating systems from Microsoft and Apple. These modern systems stem from a project called Pygmalion, which was done by David Canfield Smith at Xerox Parc in the 1970s. It inspired the concept of programming by example, which deals with the issue of abstraction.
Discussion:
I'm actually very grateful for this research. I love my GUIs. Back when I first started programming, our computers were so simple that when you turned them on, they would come up to a prompt. We had no mouse. We would type out a program listing in BASIC and execute it. Then came the days in DOS in the 90's and I became adept at moving through that.
When I started using Windows 3.1, I was unsure about it. I liked that I could put up pictures in the background, but still hadn't gotten the concept of folders. I was used to traversing directories from the command line. I don't think it was until Windows 2000 that I started to appreciate it. Now, I widely prefer the flexibility I can get with a GUI and the design possibilities I get that I couldn't get with just a simple command line. I'm looking forward to a future with more touch and haptic feedback possibilities, as well as other innovations that can come from these interfaces.
Chapter 7:
Summary:
The Xerox Star was a system designed in the late 1970s. It had a reference guide called the Red Book. The user interface for this machine was designed prior to the design of the hardware, and it was considered of primary importance in the design of the system.
There were several design principles employed in the development of this system. These include consistency, a pre-designed user's model, seeing and pointing versus remembering and typing, WYSIWIG, universal commands, simplicity, modeless interaction, and user tailorability.
Discussion:
There are a lot of neat things that came out of Xerox in the 1970s. I like my mouse. I like my GUI. WYSIWIG is a good paradigm, since I hated having a lot of guesswork testing print outs back in the 90's. I don't care that Apple and Bill ripped 'em off. I like the innovations that came out of the work they furthered from the Xerox groups.
Chapter 9:
Summary:
This chapter introduces a concept concerning the way computers are becoming integrated in ways in which we do not notice them in our everyday lives. The designs are becoming as such that they are indistinguishable from normal objects we use on a continuous basis. Slowly, the technology is beginning to "disappear" and become less obvious.
According to the text, the average user of technology is not very interested in interacting with a computer system so much as they are interested in interacting with information. To this end, much work is being done to make this integration more ubiquitous and easy to use. This includes things like smart buildings and touch screens that seamlessly present information to the users.
Discussion:
I think that we as computer scientists and technologists are a smaller percentage of the population that doesn't like the complexity of computer systems. When I tell someone that I'm a programmer, it's like their eyes glaze over and they make the "Wow" face as if I'm some genius. And I really don't feel all that smart sometimes. My machine has a good tendency to make me feel like a big doofus. And then I remind myself of the process and rewards and I dig back in.
Chapter 10:
Summary:
Location-based services are applications that involve the location of the user as an integral part of their design and implementation. The market for this is currently undergoing a period of growth and is expected to experience a rapid expansion in the future.
One technology that has come from this arena is the Active Badge system. It allows sensors to pick up an infrared signal wherever the user is located that the system can scan and has the ability to locate the person spatially. It also allows the system and other workstations attached to it to identify the individual. It allows for simple entry and exit at key checkpoints.
Discussion:
Active location technology is simultaneously cool and terrifying. It's nice to be able to see that my friend is at TCBY, so I can text her to pick me up a yogurt "while she's up." However, I also enjoy my semi-anonymity while I'm in public, but if someone can track my movement's because my phone is feeling more social than I am at the moment? .... That's not something that makes me happy. And if I've suddenly got Big Brother on my back at work just because I wanted to go socialize with a co-worker for a couple of minutes, I'm not cool with that, either. Why does the system need to know where I am every stinking minute of the day? I like it for ease of access, but there's a fine line where it goes from being useful to being abusive and oppressive. I think it's important for us to find that line and stay on the proper side of it.
Chapter 46:
Summary:
The concept of mental models in computing become a topic of research in the early 1980s. The idea came from the area of cognitive science, which included topics from such fields as psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, and philosophy. These mental models were assumed by researchers to apply to some abstract representation in the mind's of people. They were used as a way for designing computer systems, based on the way people interacted with the idea of the system.
There was a specific model referred to as GOMS. This stands for goals, operators, methods, and selectional rules. Goals are what the user wants to accomplish with the system. Operators are the actions that the user is able to perform within the system. Methods refer to the series of subgoals the user employs in attempting to achieve the main goals. Selectional rules has to do with any goals with multiple methods.
Discussion:
I didn't really connect with this one. I probably should have, considering I acquired a degree in Psychology earlier in my academic career and this topically had some connection to it. I think that the mental models could be useful in predicting human behavior when it comes to interacting with technology. I think that it has many applications to HCI. I have not much more to say on this one. Sorry. Next!
Chapter 47:
Summary:
The field of HCI relies heavily on qualitative methods more than strict laws. One law that is important to HCI is Fitt's law. This law is simplified as MT = a + b log2 (2A/W). To explain, MT is the movement time, a and b are regression coefficients, A is the amplitude of the movement, and W is the width of the target. In other words, the rime required to move to a specified target are a function of distance one has to move to the target and the size of the target itself.
This law is quantitative, not qualitative. It can be used as a design framework. It has been used to increase efficiency in user interaction, such as lowering selection time. Popup menus inside the operating system are another example of where these values have been used. Another is expansion of menu items. Anything that can be applied to target distance and size can be applied to the design using this law.
Discussion:
Wow! There was an actual equation in there! I was beginning to think there was little to no formalization in this subfield of computing. It's not that I am all for the usual status quo text in computer science. I could just as easily have become an English major or a History major. It's just that I didn't want to be called "Coach" on a daily basis.
I think there are a number of interesting principals embedded in this text. I like that things like popup menus had some immediacy to this material. I hadn't actually thought about why the context menu on my Windows background popped up right where I clicked. I was just used to the convention and went with it. But now it is making me look at a number of things in the design of my system in a whole new light. Maybe I am starting to like that little "Windows" button at the bottom of my computer keyboard a bit more now...
