Evaluation of the impacts that a future development in Human Computer Interface (HCI) could bring

What have I chosen?

Microsoft Surface is a new multi-touch computer that allows multiple users to interact with it, all without using traditional ways to access a PC. Microsoft Surface is currently an electronic table that you can use by natural motions, hand gestures and by placing physical objects on it.

Microsoft Surface goes on sale in January 2012. Even though this development in HCI has been invented, it still has not been released yet and the technologies provided by it are fairly new. There are not many other computer interfaces like it, which is why I have chosen it. Only a few companies use them at the moment including the Royal Bank of Canada, but in the future, a lot of other companies and home users will have them.

Microsoft makes Surface, however I have come up with my own version called Microsoft Air. Air is my own enhancement that is more futurist and I believe better than Surface. It is basically a room with projectors and a 3D way of viewing your applications and files, as explained later on.

How does it work?

Microsoft Surface has had many prototypes. The original version (1.0) used a lot of equipment to work and was very bulky, due to the fact it used a projector for the display. Since then, it has developed a lot; the new version on sale in 2012 is now known as 2.0, and it is a lot smaller.

Since Microsoft only makes software for computers, the same aspect goes for Surface 2.0. “Surface” is just the software platform for the device. The name of the glass table or the computer hardware is the Samsung SUR40.

It features the following specifications:

·      40-inch (1-meter) LCD screen;

·      4-inch (10.2-centimeter) unit depth/thickness for easier horizontal mounting;

·      2.9 GHz 64-bit AMD Athlon X2 dual core processor;

·      1 GB AMD Radeon HD graphics processor;

·      4 GB DDR3 RAM;

·      320 GB hard drive;

·      Wired (1 GB Ethernet) and wireless (802.11 and Bluetooth) network hardware;

·      Physical connectors include HDMI, stereo RCA, USB and SD card;

·      Embedded 64-bit Windows 7 Professional operating system;

·      Corning Gorilla Glass to protect the surface;

·      Recognition for more than 50 simultaneous touch points.

The device works by recognising your touch movements on the glass surface, which then tells the operating system what to do. No mouse and keyboard are needed because it is one big touch screen.

The device is good if you need multiple users interacting with one device – you can share information with each other or connect the devices to it. The software included allows you to control the way Surface works. Generally speaking though, the Surface platform uses the following software for it to work properly and for the touch screen to be recognised:

·      Embedded Windows 7 Professional 64-bit;

·      .NET Framework 4.0;

·      Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) 4.0;

·      Microsoft XNA® Framework 4.0;

·      Windows PowerShell and DMTF DASH support, and enhanced administrator tools.

Some features of Microsoft Surface

The core features of the Surface designed by Microsoft are:

·      Concierge. This is used so that your company can tell users some of your venue locations on a map. Users can browse the locations by lists, view these locations on the map, navigate the map and get driving directions to the different locations.

·      Photos. This is used so that you can browse and manage photos and videos. The photos can be on you’re your Surface computer or devices that are placed on the Surface table.

·      Music. This adds music to your Surface, allowing you to browse, select and play any sound files. You can get music from CDs and downloads.

·      Water. Water is an interactive screensaver – it is applied when Surface is not being used. It is used so that you can see the effects that Surface uses, and how it recognising hand gestures.

Other sample applications provided by Microsoft:

·      Games Pack. These are games for the hospitality and entertainment industries. The games are Chess, Checkers, Tiles and Ribbons.

·      Financial Services. This shows how your customers could invest their money, by using a fictional bank. Graphs, videos, services options and items on the screen help them to make decisions.

·      Live Stream. This is a social networking application used so that customers can view your Twitter, Flickr and RSS. They can submit their own social messages as well as looking at yours.

·      Bluetooth Connect. This is used so that your Surface computer can share files with Bluetooth devices. You can share pictures, contacts, ringtones and a lot of other files.

·      Mobile Connect. Similar to Bluetooth Connect, this application is used for people to connect their mobile phone to Surface. They can share their photos, contacts and other information in a nice layout.

There are some applications made by other companies that have already been developed for the Microsoft Surface. Some examples of them include:

·      After-Mouse: Photos. This program allows you to view, modify and send (to email or Facebook) photos.

·      After-Mouse: Paint'Touch. This program allows four children to draw, colour and erase drawings. Educational games are also provided.

·      Brown University: Garibaldi. This application is designed so that you can view large paintings that are not possible to view by human hands, since they are so big (that are kept on a wheel for storage). However, this particular one is for Garibaldi Panorama.

·      Customer Solutions Group LLC: Digital Folio. This application allows you to manage products that you might like to buy online in a good way so that you can compare prices.

·      InfoStrat: “The Wonder of Light: Touch and Learn” at the Smithsonian Institution. This application is for anyone who likes to learn about science and history, as it allows you to use everyday items (e.g. paintbrush, magnifying glass) to learn kinaesthetically.

·      IntuiLab: IntuiFace Presentation. This program will create stunning visual presentations for Surface and other touchscreen devices.

·      Nsquared: The 1^st application by this company is Thoughts, which allows you to create drawings. Make Words is a spelling game for children. Chemistry teaches users about the periodic table. There are also other applications by this company.

·      Touchtech AB: Tourist Guide. This program provides information to tourists wanting to explore a city, such as activities, sites, restaurants and any items that match their personality.

·      Vectorform LLC: Galactic Alliance. This is a game for 4 players. The objective is to create turrets from their own cash (which is generated), in order to defend and stop the aliens getting through.

My own version that is newer and enhanced

My development of Surface takes from a touch screen table computer to a 3D projection computer. It would have to be named something other than Surface as even though it is projected on a surface, everything is done in the air, so it could be called Microsoft Air. The Air will be based upon a new Microsoft operating system that has all of the smart technologies built in as I will explain in this blog. It will use many of the technologies from Surface.

Across all the walls in your Room

My version of Surface is designed to spread across all of the walls that are in a room, but the floor and ceiling are not used. Therefore in the future, rooms will be designed for this new version just to fit in. I think that this idea is good as it allows you to manage each of the applications in a way that suits you, and you get plenty of room to do this.

The rooms that would be best for this are circular ones so that you get a 360° display. The idea is that you stand in the middle of the room, either standing or sitting. The computer itself will be placed in the porch of the room so that it doesn’t get in your way. There will be a pop-up dock in the centre of the room that allows you to plug in portable devices, insert DVDs and place devices on top for recognition via Bluetooth (like the current Surface system). The docking station features a touchscreen top so that you can place devices on it like Surface, and memory sticks are plugged in on the side.

Even though items are projected on the white walls of the room via projectors mounted on the ceiling, to you they will look 3D. I’m not sure how this technology might work, but one of the ways it works at the moment is by wearing 3D glasses. Air will be able to tell what you are selecting in the air compared to what is projected on the display. In the future, 3D glasses might be replaced by an alternative.

Air Gestures

Air gestures will be used instead of touching a set of large screens. For example, you can simply move applications from one side of the room to another just by moving your hand in mid air, dragging it from one side to another. This would make it more interactive, a better experience and easier to use than a touch screen version.

Similar technology exists with the Xbox Kinect, it just needs to be developed a bit more along with better sensors that recognise gestures in the air and middle of the room. However, air gestures can be used to recognise more than tapping with figures, such as a grabbing gesture to grasp a window and then you realize the grab to let go of the window. You can also use software tools as additional ways of interacting with Air, for example you can bring up a keyboard and type in midair if you don’t want to speak what text content should be placed in a Word document. Note that the sensors used are the same sensors used to recognise 3D objects.

3D Recognition

3D recognition is one of the main features of Air. Not only does it recognise objects, but Faces as well. The recognition would be for all of the room, as sensors will be near the ceiling, middle and near the floor of the room to detect objects, on each of the walls (360° basis).

I would add Face recognition to allow easier logging on. The Air could automatically call up your favourite applications as you log on. If necessary this could also be used to allow individuals different access rights to areas on the surface. For example, the owner may only want themselves to access the admin rights for the computer, meaning that only they can use the administrator profile.

With Face recognition being available for 360° of the room, Air will recognise the owner when they first enter the room. This could allow Air to automatically log on the administrator without having to enter a password. Face recognition could detect the facial expression and other factors of the owner, meaning that the device activates different features depending on his/her mood. For example, the owner could ask for it to automatically play music when he/she enters, meaning that depending on which mood they are in, different music is played. It can also use this information to provide a better experience for different parts of the program.

Object recognition is the other recognition provided. It will be able to see items with the sensors pointed at the 360 degrees around your room. Even though you won’t have many objects in the room, you may use them every now and then as a way of interacting with the computer other than by pointing – for example, if you are drawing you will use a pen instead of your fingers.

Object recognition can also be used to detect objects and tell you where they are in the room. For example, if you dropped your car keys on the way in, it will tell you the location of them.

Voice Recognition and Output

Voice recognition would allow easier control of the Air. As well as controlling the device by using your hands, voice recognition would be needed as not everything can be done visually; for example, you can’t put text into a document unless you copy and paste it or use the onscreen keyboard as described before. Microphones can be placed by each of sensors so that it captures what you are saying from each angle of the room, and one placed directly above the centre of the room. Speakers are used to provide surround sound on the ceiling.

The main purpose of voice control would be to open programs and change settings. This would provide an easier way of doing this than having to navigate through the computers programs folder or control panel. Users will have to learn voice commands for the computer to respond, such as “Open Paint” will open Paint! Voice control would be the main alternative to using a keyboard, since there is no mouse or keyboard, you have to say what you would normally type.

You can also say more advanced things and the computer will recognise then. A user could give simple instructions like “find me a recipe for chicken casserole, that doesn't have cream in it”. The Air would search the internet or any recipes that it already had in its memory and select an appropriate one. The air could then read out the instructions step-by-step at a pace the user needs to prepare their dinner. This could be via speakers in a separate rom like the kitchen. Air could also prepare its own presentation and display this information on a smaller monitor in your kitchen that also reads out the instructions.

Interaction with Mobile Devices

Like Surface, Air should be able to interact with other devices that are placed on top of the docking station in the middle of the room. It should be able to automatically synch with portable media devices such as smart phones and music players. This is a good feature because people need to add content to their portable devices, but this method does it without wires.

Impacts brought by my newer version of Microsoft Surface

Ease

With Microsoft Air, computers will be easier to use. There are a few reasons for this, including the software and hardware for it.

By touching the air, it is easier for people to use the computer. For example, you don’t need to learn how to use a keyboard or mouse as you use hand gestures. Hand gestures make it easy to use, as you already know how to use your hand, whereas with a mouse you have to learn how to use it.

You can easily share files with each other, quicker than what you can on a normal computer. I you placed two digital cameras onto the docking station they will both be recognised. You can then view the photos in a nice way, as you can easily change the angle of them by pinching the corners of each photo, adjust the size and sort through the ones you want. To share files with your friend, you can simply drag and drop them onto your friend’s camera on the docking station.

So in general, by using air gestures, it makes computing easier. This has an impact because it might encourage others who have never used a computer before to start learning due to the ease. This therefore means that these people can benefit from the technology that computers offer, such as contacting family members by email, printing off photos, storing all of their music in one location, etc.

Previously touch screen computers have not been very popular, but touch screen mobile phones and tablets are popular. There are a few reasons why touch screen computers are not very popular, the cost of them, they are not comfortable to use and don’t bring any benefits yet.

The Air should be a success as it has unique features, which no other computers on the market at the moment use. By having the whole room as a computer space, it is a lot more comfortable and allows you to decide where you place each of the application windows. This affects society because everyone will use Air, meaning that when people visit your organisation, you can use it as a way of allowing them to explore information about your services. This should encourage them to use your company.

Big display

The Air is a good device as it provides a lot of space, meaning that users get plenty of room to manage applications and files. You can easily share files between sources, such as transferring photos from one camera to another by just placing it on the dock, and then dragging and dropping.

It was designed so that multiple people can use one computer to “connect, learn, and decide”. You get a perfect 360-degree 3D projection, which is used with special technology to detect air gestures, 3D object recognition and voice recognition.

The idea of Air being a large interactive 360 display has an impact. It affects society because people will like the idea of having a large amount of room to do their computing tasks on, meaning that people will buy the package. This therefore means that it will be used a lot in businesses for meetings for everyone to use, customers to view business applications on and for restaurants to provide entertainment – as Microsoft says, the possibilities are endless.

Encourage customers

By using Air, you are more likely to encourage people to use your services, as you are displaying the information to them in a nice view. If you work for a bank and you have an appointment with a customer to ask whether they would like to upgrade their account to a premium one. You could use Air to display the benefits that are provided by this account. You could swipe through the benefits one by one and allow them to interact with it to find out more information, and maybe watch videos. Air will be good for presentations, providing that you provide a 180-degree view instead of the full 360 degrees, as it would annoy people, as they would have to turn around.

This has an effect on the economy. If the customer is encouraged to take out the deal with the bank (partly due to the assistance of presentation provided by Air), the bank has gained a customer. This helps the bank to maintain or increase their profits. If the customer likes your services, then they are likely to use your again in the future, all with the help from Air and your persuasion.

Also, a lot of money is made for Microsoft. Due to it being a new technology, lots of companies will want it for their business so that they are more productive. Therefore Microsoft make greater profits, as small and big companies will use them.

Bring documents to life

With Air, you can make complex and boring information look better. With financial services, you could get a complicated graph and turn it into something a lot more visual and fun to view, while displaying key calculations.

This impacts on you as it encourages the customer to use your services, due to the fact that you have presented the information in a clear way and have allowed them to explore it themselves by just using hand gestures. This therefore means that your business gains more sales, and the customer is more likely to use you again in the future.

Make learning more fun

With Air, learning is more fun. The computer allows people to work as a team to complete a task, challenge, educational game, note down ideas, share photos from the Internet or from a camera. Far more possibilities are  also available.

The impact on education means that students’ learning is enhanced. If students are having a fun experience using the Air, they are more likely going to remember it later on for their exams. This therefore means that they get better grades, as they have had a better education. This is a particular big help for the visual and kinaesthetic learners, as they can remember what they wrote or did while using Air.

It also has an impact because it helps the students develop their teamwork skills. While using Air in a team, students have to interact with others what they need to display and write down. Therefore they need to make decisions, as if everyone tries to control Air at once, they will fail at completing the task as a team.

If students buy the Air for their own home, it will enhance their education even more. Students will be able to do their homework on it, which is a good impact as they can make it look more professional than someone who hand written theirs. It can also impact on their education as they can use it to make revision notes such as mind maps, which will help to create visual memories for the exam.

Shopping is Easier

With Air, you can make your shopping experience easier. This can be done by allowing you to set more options on what you want your products to be like, seeing other similar products easily, seeing price comparisons easier and defining options that make the service more personalised for you.

This has an effect in several ways; the experience for you as a customer is made better and more pleasant. You can easily find out more information about a product and similar items like it, as you have a big screen that you can use and you can easily navigate through the products by just using your finger. This therefore means that you are more likely going to use the Air for shopping in the future, as you are able to get the best possible deals.

This also has an effect on business. By being able to compare the prices of products, customers are going to go for the prices that are cheaper. This therefore means that there is increased competition between businesses, so that customers are attracted to the stores that sell the cheapest products. This is good as customers get the best deals possible, however it can also mean that some businesses struggle, as they have to lower their prices.

Provides Entertainment

The Air is a good computer to have in public places of entertainment, including restaurants, cafés, bars and other venues. It can provide games, music, images, web access, movies and other entertainment. People can dine in the centre of the room with the computer screens going around the outside of each room.  It would encourage groups of people to socialise more.

By having customers who enjoy their experience at your venue (partly due to Air), they will come back again and use you for future business, which gives your business regular customers. They will then tell others about how good your venue is and how fun Air is to use, meaning that yor business has even more customers.

A New way of Communication

By using Air, people have a new way of getting the information they need. This is useful in a Hotel, as they can get maps, attractions and other information from the Internet and manage which ones are best for them to use. You could also use it in a Hotel for them to pay for any additional services that you provide, meaning that pressure is taken off staff.

This impacts on your hotels efficiency and rating. For example, if tourists use Air to find out information about the Hotel rather than asking staff, this takes pressure off the staff. Most people using Air will enjoy using it, meaning that the tourists will keep this as a nice memory of their visit, and they might recommend it to friends so they can also use it.

A New Idea so it will be supported

Due to it being a new idea, software companies’ have/will quickly make a move to make applications for it. This therefore has a lot of effects, as their applications give the Air even more than just the standard Microsoft applications that are installed.

The first impact is on the economy of the company that made the application. If a company has created an application for the Air that requires customers to pay for it, this creates a direct profit for the company. If it is a free application, the company can still make money by their advertisements and popularity of the application.

The second impact on the economy is due to Air being a new device, lots of programs will be made for it. This means that programmers are needed, which has an impact on society because more jobs are created. Therefore the unemployment level will go down a bit when it is released.

You can do things that you couldn’t before

With Air, far more possibilities are opened up more than what they ever have been before. You can do things that standard computers can’t do. For example, multiple people can use it at once, you can control it by just moving your finger, it can be used to access storage devices without having to plug them in and there are other new possibilities with it.

This has an impact on society as it can encourage people to use it and become better at using technology. Even though it may take a bit of training for people to become used to it, it should be fairly easy to use as everything relies on natural hand movements. People will want to use it as computing tasks are easier than before.

If businesses use them, home users are more likely to want them as well

If people like to use Air, this will mean that they will want to use it again and have it for themselves. This impacts on the economy as profits are made for Microsoft, the companies who actually sell them and all the other companies involved in the manufacture of them. Even though it is not available for home usage, in the future they will be. When people do get them in their own homes, this will have an impact on getting a better computer experience and a way of being more productive with work.

Likely to make Greater Profits for Businesses

Using Air in a business has a number of benefits. You can use it to display information to the customer and let them have a play, use it as a way of sharing ideas during meetings, using it on the wall while presenting to share ideas and there are other ways of how Air can be used.

Therefore by using Air, it is likely going to help your business make greater profits. The reason for this is because you and your employees can become more productive, as everything is easier to use than on a normal computer. Therefore your section could be rewarded for your hard work, all because you had Air to make your work more productive.

Improve Presentations

With Air, you can make your presentations a lot better. First of all, you can make better visual effects on Air, as you can change the designs of items easier, as no keyboard and mouse are used. You can also enhance presentations as you can encourage user activity – for a presentation on cars, you could allow your colleagues to use Air to scroll through pictures, facts and other information to make the presentation better.

This will impact on your business. By creating better presentations, colleagues are more likely to remember the information. This therefore means that they are going to be higher in productivity. Not only does engaging the audience impress them, but also it could impress your manager, meaning that you get a reward.

Other Companies will copy Microsoft

It is likely that other companies will copy the Air and make it into their own product. Even though this is bad for Microsoft, in a way it is a good thing as it means that Microsoft has to improve its software. For example, if Apple and Google were not up against Microsoft, then Microsoft would charge more for its software, as they know that people would still pay for it, as there would be no competition for them.

This therefore has a good effect as it means that Microsoft has to be competitive – if Google and Apple had their own version of it, Microsoft would have to be competitive about pricing and the features of it. There is already a cheaper version of the Air, called EXOPC EXOdesk; therefore Microsoft already have competition that they must face up to in order to stay in the business.

If Microsoft lowered its price so that it was about the same price as competitors such as EXOdesk, this would also have an effect. First of all, Microsoft would not be making so much of a profit as the prices are lower. However, this may be overcome if they sell more in the first place by having more customers.

Environment effect

Even though Air brings many advantages as it makes computing and learning more productive, it means that people may not need their old mouse and keyboard computers anymore. This has a very bad effect on the environment as scrapping an old computer is bad for the environment, and creating a new one like the Air is also bad to the natural resources used and the chemicals released. If this did happen, then it shows that our culture is changing, as people no longer want to use desktop computers.

For Air to work, you need a full room. This would have a bad effect on the environment because you would have to build onto places in order to use it. For example, in a house you would need to extend it to make a circular room big enough to use Air. In businesses, you would have to do the same unless you had a big enough space in the first place and just built a dome.

Building new rooms has a bad impact in two ways. First of all, you have to alter buildings, which can be bad for the environment; if these are recycled then there isn’t as bad.  However there will be a lot that goes into landfill, which contributes to greenhouse gases and therefore global warming. There would also be damage to the environment due to new building work.

Other Impacts by Air

Society

It can be used for an individual user or for a group. By using it for an individual user, they can manage their applications easily. By using it for groups, you can get work done as a team and put it together when needed (for example, a work couple could have a half each to Air, and then they can put both documents together later on when they are finished). Team work means that you develop social and leadership skills.

Entertainment and work is completed better than on a normal PC. This is due to the fact that you can easily manage the applications that you have open by using hand gestures in the air. For example, if you pinch each of the corners, you can then drag one corner out and the window will get bigger. Another example is that you can say “Move Word 180 degrees” and it will place the window behind your back as you don’t need it, but you will need it for later.

By having this development, it will help IT companies to move designs even more. You can’t just go from command lines to brain computers, as you need to develop gradually. With this invention, it is a step closer to getting that brain computer – it uses hand movements and speech, which in my opinion is the closest thing.

Disabled people who struggle to walk can use this computer. They will be able to control by moving their hands and voice, which they will probably find a lot easier than typing and using a mouse, meaning that productivity is increased. However, due to not being able to walk, they will probably not turn around to use the 360 degrees but instead just use just half of it.

It makes people happier as it is better and easier to use than previous interfaces. This therefore means that they are going to be more productive with the computer, which means that they will be getting more work done for their business.

It provides good education. By being 3D, it means that you can view diagrams in 3D, such as a world globe. This is very good for education because students are more likely to remember things if they have fun doing it. This is good for all three types of learning styles, as you see it, interact with it and listen to notes that it gives. It also provides a good experience for entertainment, as you can watch 3D films.

Some people may find it confusing. By going from a desktop computer to a 3D projector computer with air gestures, some people will not like it. People don’t like to go from old technology to new. One of the reasons for this is because they will be used to a mouse and keyboard, so using something completed different to this will not be welcomed at first.

Some people might not be able to use Air. For example, if you are visually impaired, then this computer is useless, even though some features are accessible by voice recognition. Also, some people will not find it comfortable to move their hands in the air for long periods of time. This does not contribute to an all inclusive society.

Economy

There would be a new market for both software and hardware companies. Software companies would have to come up with new software to work with this operating system, and hardware companies would still have to build a computer but also the sensors. This would mean that new jobs would be available. However, jobs for making the old computers may be lost as this new market may take over.

It would be expensive for somebody to buy all the equipment needed for Air. For example, you need a decent computer (with a lot of graphics power), a lot of 3D projectors and a lot of sensors. You would also have to pay for a new building if you don’t have a big enough space for it. However, companies would be making a lot of money from selling the hardware and software for Air.

Culture

It would change the way that we use computers. The mouse and keyboard are removed since air gestures are used instead. This is good because we get more advanced features out of a computer, however it would make some current software useless. For example, how would you play a first person shooter with no mouse or keyboard?

It would mean that we would not have to worry about maintenance so much. The idea of Air is that it automatically maintains itself. Therefore it will automatically update without asking you. Since everything else is easier, that’s why the maintenance is also easier. This affects culture as people don’t think about maintaining their computer, as it is automatic. Take the example of managing files – Air will automatically place files into separate folders, unless you do it manually yourself.

Even though this is a few years ahead into the future, if we still had the same TVs that we have today, we would use this instead. As it provides a 3D experience, we would want to watch videos and play games on here as it is better quality, showing a change in our culture. Therefore the whole family could use the Air as a way of enjoying entertainment together, which helps build social skills.

Conclusion

The Microsoft Air brings many advantages to everyday life. Even though it has a few bad effects, there are many positive ones as computers are easier to use as less technical knowledge is needed, and transferring files from one device to another has never been simpler.

It can be a good device as it is good for many different purposes. Education is a good example, as students can learn information required for their studies, while learning how to work as a team. Venues are able to use the Air as a way of providing entertainment and a more fun experience, and once customers are finished, they can divide the bill by simply placing their credit cards on Air and then by confirming the payment.

The Surface will go on sale during January 2012. The problem with this is that it is only for businesses; so home users won’t be able to use it to entertain themselves. The process of making the hardware can be bad for the environment as chemicals are released, and products similar to Surface may get greater sales due to their lower price. In even more years to come, something similar to my design of the Air will probably be released.

The Impact of Human Computer Interface (HCI) on Society, Economy and Culture

Introduction

HCI is an important topic to consider in our lives. We need to be able to communicate information to each other, whether by reading text on a website or by using more advanced computer technology, in order to read the brainwaves of somebody who can’t speak. In this blog, I will describe the impact of HCI on society, the economy and culture.

Impact on Development

Early Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)

Early graphical user interfaces were a lot harder to use than modern interfaces. They were designed for expert users, that meant you needed technical knowledge before you could use a computer. Even though early GUIs were better than just the green writing, the interfaces were still hard to read due to the weird colours that were used.

This had an impact. It meant that only technical users could use a computer. However, for development, it meant that PC companies were encouraged to make computers that had better interfaces than before. Therefore over time, software and hardware has become better until you get to today where we have very simple interfaces so that most people can use a computer.

How have modern GUIs helped us?

Modern GUIs are a lot better than previous interfaces. This means that anyone can use a computer because they are simple to use and you know where everything is. An example of a graphical user interface is Microsoft Office, which allows you to come up with nice professional documents. Due to the design used, you can easily find information. Even though in Office 2010 the design is different to previous versions, people can quickly become familiar with it to produce good looking documents.

How has Web User Interface (WUI) helped in communication?

Most web pages have a similar layout, meaning that you can easily find information and services. For example, most web pages have a logo and search bar at the top with a link to your account, a navigation bar below that or to the left hand side and then the main page content in the other spaces.

By using this layout, people have become used to it and like it as they know where everything is. This has helped development because designers base their web pages around it, which helps them. This therefore means that companies are able to communicate information to the users in the best possible way.

Present and Future Development

Through the history of computers, we have gone from green command lines to computers with full GUIs. However, in the future, 3D interfaces, voice recognition, thought input and virtual reality are likely to be used as our computer interfaces. By using GUIs at the moment, it means that we need to research deeper to get better computers, as there is no point in having a really good graphical user interface and stopping there, which is why these other interfaces are being developed.

These interfaces will help us a lot in the future. It will help businesses as it will be easier to communicate to the computer, meaning that more work is completed by each of the employees, as things are communicate to us and the computer better. For example, 3D interfaces will allow scientists to come to greater conclusions when conducting experiments about certain objects as they can look at it in more detail. Thought input will also be good for speeding up work, because as you think of something, the computer automatically writes it rather than having to use a keyboard. These inventions are a good development in computing as they allow the user to have a better experience.

Impact on Society

How has improved usability helped out society?

In the past, user interfaces were a lot more complex than todays. For example, the computers during the 60s to 80s featured command lines with monochrome displays (green writing). These required specialist knowledge in order for you to be able to use the computers, such as people had to learn each of the commands before they could use a computer. They only had a keyboard, as no mouse was needed, since there was no graphical user interface. In general, interfaces were bad as the technology was only basic.

In todays age, user interfaces are a lot easier than before. We now have a mouse, meaning that GUIs can be used as the mouse can navigate these better than a keyboard. This means that more people can use a computer, as they don’t have to learn too much technical knowledge. Hardware for the computer has also got simpler, as even though we have had mousses for a few years, some of them are better than others (for example, the back buttons on the side) meaning that computers are easier and better to use. Some domestic appliances are easier to use than they used to be, whereas some of them are about the same, however all of them feature more advanced technology. However, due to new advanced technologies, some domestic appliances have more advanced interfaces than they used to but this helps to make them easier to use, however this doesn’t really matter, as people are able to learn how to use them quickly, due to people having better knowledge than what they used to and user manuals.

In the future, most interfaces should be easier to use. However, interfaces may also be more complex, as when new technology comes out, more features have to be fitted into that interface, therefore making it more advanced. You may not have a keyboard and mouse for your computer, as everything may be done by a touch screen or something more advanced. However, even more into the future are Brain-computer interfaces, which allows you to use your brain to control a computer, meaning that interfaces will be simpler as hardware and software items are taken away; you will no longer need input devices other than something connected to your brain, and cursors may no longer be needed if you can automatically go to an object just by thought. Using these computers are easier than having a keyboard and mouse since you do everything by just thinking, rather than having to think and then communicate it to the computer. Domestic appliances of the future will also be easier to use, and will follow what you tell them to do.

Even though the design of a washing machine hasn’t changed much, each development of the washing machine has got new features and they have become greener. However, the washing machines of the future will be a lot more advanced than the ones that we use today. The OVO washing machine is an example of a future design, which uses the front plate of the washing machine as a display. The washing machine currently only has one button, so I assume you control it by selecting washing time and other information from the front plate (it could act as a touch screen). Even more futurist designs could automatically setup washing time and other information if the washing machine is able to detect what items were being washed, and make its own decision.

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By having interfaces going from command lines, to graphical user interfaces, to even simpler interfaces that allow you to scroll through the content you need via your brain, this has an effect on society. As interfaces got simpler, more and more people have been encouraged to use a computer, as they don’t need as much technical knowledge. Therefore more people have been using computers, and businesses have been using them as they can automate work and they don’t have to pay for as much training as they would with command lines. In the future, it will have a good impact as well as users will be able to get even more work done, as interfaces will be even easier to read and use. For example, a brain computer allows you to control the computer just by thinking, rather than having to think and communicate that information to the computer.

Domestic appliance development has also had an impact on society. The early designs were fairly basic, and they were also not the best to use. The modern domestic appliances have got more complex, but you get more features on the appliance and you can easily operate it. Future appliances will be simple to use but contain even more advanced features, as like computers their interfaces will be simpler and may contain features such as voice recognition. Older designs meant that people have found appliances harder to use, current designs mean that people can use the devices better and future designs mean that the appliances will easily interact with you. This therefore means that in the future people will be able to relax more, as setting up the dishwasher, turning the channel over on the TV, putting a timer on the oven, etc. are made easier.

With more and more people creating interfaces, HCI needs to be considered by the designer. Let’s take the web for example – in the earlier days, user interfaces were basic and most were hard to read compared to today’s dynamic web pages. More websites are now on the web as more people can get access to a computer and the Internet, and you can easily create a website by using a web authoring software and find a hosting provider who does all the maintenance for you. This has impacted on society because it means that new companies can start a business or make money by just selling items online and people are better off than what they used to be, as they can easily setup a site using software that does all the coding (easy to use) and the technical server side of things is maintained. This also impacts on society as people can now socialise online as web technologies have developed and everyone knows how to use a computer; even though this is a good thing as you can see who you can’t in real life, it means that society is socialising online instead of meeting people in real life, meaning that they are less socially confident.

With modern computers, less knowledge is required to learn how to use them as people can control computers using a mouse rather than having to type in commands, which also means that less training is needed for new users. This has a good impact on society because it means that anyone can use a computer without having to learn too much, unlike before when HCI was not considered very well and technology was fairly basic. In the future, even more people will be able to use a computer as you can control the computer by your brain, so this will effect society as you can get more functioning out of the computer and people with disabilities (e.g. can’t use their hand) will be able to communicate with the computer. People who can’t speak can now communicate by having a brain computer, as this will type the message on screen and others can read it, or perhaps those who can no longer move can have bionic body parts and communicate by just using their brain for that part of the body to move for them.

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Modern computers have had a good and a bad effect on society in terms of the amount of work that is done. Office employees can get work done quicker than they could before as if they didn’t have much technical knowledge (meaning that they couldn’t use a computer); they would have to use pen and paper meaning that they wouldn’t get as much work done as they would not be able to type out reports (and there would be no spell checker) and they would not be able to use the Internet to find out information. However, it can also have a bad effect on the amount of work that is completed as sometimes employees can waste time browsing the web, meaning that not so much work is completed. Even in the future when interfaces are even simpler, employees will be able to find information from the Internet even faster, however they may still be able to access websites that they shouldn’t be instead of working.

Modern computers allow some people to commit crimes on the Internet. With the rise of people using the Internet and its ease of use, it means that crimes are on the rise. People can hack other people’s accounts, put a virus on somebodys’ computer, access personal information without permission, etc. This effects society because it means that personal privacy is compromised, people can be angry if they find out their money has been stolen, they have to reinstall everything on their computer because it has a virus, etc. Computers of the past were fairly safe as computers were a new idea, except for a few viruses. I think that the computers of the future will have better security, however they will be more vulnerable to viruses. As our lives become more dependant on these computers this will have a big effect on society if everything would stop working. Therefore computers of the future might be a bad idea due to the bad things that can disable them.

Input and output devices have been made better and simplified due to HCI. With computers on the rise, designers have tried to make a keyboard and mouse as easy to use as possible – like adding back buttons to the side of the mouse. Computer screens are getting bigger so that users can see more information. This has impacted on society because it means that users can navigate around the computer easier due to these devices being made. This has therefore encouraged more people to use a computer, as the hardware that supports the interface is easy to use. In the past input and output devices were hard to use, so modern devices are a big improvement leap. Future devices will be even better than current devices.

In general, improved usability has helped society and will continue to help, as less technical knowledge is needed. Future designs will do as you think or say rather than you having to operate them. Input and output devices have got simpler. Before you had just a keyboard and a small monitor, now we have bigger monitors and better keyboards to use the computer. In the future less input devices will be needed other than a brain computer. User friendless of computers has gone from “not very” to fairly friendly, meaning that more people are able to use computers and get productive work out of them, which also helps companies for their employees to complete work and online companies can now make a lot of profits as they can sell to a large range of people due to the high usage of computers. Domestic appliances have become slightly more advanced due to new features on them, however, these are easy to access meaning that it has helped people get greater use out of that appliance, which in the future you can get even better results from appliances as they will be even easier to use, as technology improves.

How have specialised interfaces helped to provide an inclusive society?

Specialised interfaces have been made so that nearly everyone can access a computer, contributing towards an all-inclusive society. By having better interfaces, people with disabilities can access computers, meaning that they feel happy as they can do what “normal” people can do and they can easily access the Internet to browse for information meaning that they can also socialise online.

In the early days of computers, there would not have been any specialised interfaces – computers required for you to learn commands and you would have to have a lot of technical knowledge to learn. There were no interfaces that helped disabled people. Today’s computers allow you to setup interfaces for disabled people, as well as changing the view of the operating system for visually impaired users. Screen readers can also be used to tell people what is on the screen and what they are currently pressing and selecting on the keyboard. In the future, user interfaces will support disabled people even better – by continuing to use big fonts and speaking to the user, but also by allowing them to control it with their brain (as explained earlier) as this is easier than a keyboard and mouse.

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Displays for devices have developed a lot over the years so that pictures are clearer on the screen (unlike black and white command lines from before). New ways to display information have been invented which are better than the past. Touch screen displays seem to be the way that technology is going as people find them easy to use. People who are blind can now access the computer by using screen readers. In the future this will continue to be developed and improved.

This has impacted on society because it means that people with disabilities can now access information that they might not have been able to before, which makes them happy as they can do everything that other people can do. People who find it hard to view small text can use accessibility tools to help them, such as the basic Magnifier tool from Microsoft. Other people with disabilities can access other interfaces, such as bright colour interfaces designed especially for them, or they can use screen readers so that text is read to them. This will continue to be developed so that disabled people access computers in the same way that other people do. This helps to create a more inclusive society.

 

The Microsoft Utility Manager including an on screen magnifier (the example shown), on screen reader (Narrator) and on screen keyboard.

How have various interfaces helped us to cope with hostile environments?

With HCI, we can use machines to access areas where we are not allowed to go. This has an impact on society as it means that humans are not used to the job instead, meaning that lives are saved. Machines are able to do the dangerous jobs that humans used to do, thus saving lives.

Remote control is an example of a device that has an impact. You can control something from a long distance without having to be at that location. This has impacted on society, especially the army. They can control equipment from a distance, so that they don’t have to go to the location and risk their lives. Bomb squad teams can control robots from a distance, rather than disabling the bomb themselves. This therefore means that if the bomb does go off, a human life won’t be taken. These bomb disable devices are only modern devices, meaning that in the past humans would have to disable bombs themselves. The interface provided by bomb disposal bots mean that they are fairly easy to control by the army, which is why they are used. In the future, these devices should get even better and easier to use so that there is an even smaller risk of a bomb going off. Remote controls will continue to get better interfaces so that we can control other items in hostile environments, such as bulletproof cars.

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A data logger is used to record information about the environment that it is based in. The data that it records can then be sent to a control centre via wireless, or alternatively a wired cable, which at the control centre they have a simple computer interface for them to read the data from the logger. Data loggers have impacted on society because it means that we can get information without humans having to do a dangerous job. For example, the army can use them to detect enemy soldiers, or they can be used to detect weather conditions. Data loggers are fairly new, meaning that they haven’t been used much in the past. In the future, these devices will be able to tell us even more information about the environment than what they already do, and the interface will be even simpler so that receivers can retrieve the information quicker and easier to make decisions.

Drones (UAV, remote aircraft, remote submarines and remote ground vehicles) can be used in hostile environments. Only in recent years have we seen drones. Drones are remote control devices that allow us to complete tasks without humans having to do the job. You can send in a remote vehicle on the battlefield front line first to see how many enemies there are so you don’t have to worry about losing any soldiers – instead a machine is just disabled. More remote vehicles will be used to protect more human lives, and the remote interface for their driver will be better so that they are easier to control.

In general, remote control and data loggers are new technologies that help out our troops, as without them, we would have to endanger the lives of more troops. The simple interfaces allow the army to easily control them, and in the future they should be easier to control or maybe even not need somebody to control them, meaning that human errors can’t make a mistake happen. However, it also worries me that these types of devices are being further developed; for example, if a remote vehicle could control itself, could it be hacked and destroy everything it sees? If that is the case, then this would destroy society and have a bad effect, therefore I don’t want these devices to be developed too far.

How have complex HCI designs helped to manage our lives?

Complex HCI designs have helped parts of society to develop over the past few years. This includes fly by wire, virtual reality and heads up displays.

Fly by wire is a system used to control an aeroplane by itself or the driver is assisted in flying to prevent mistakes being made. This is part of HCI because the interface for the pilot has been made simpler than what older aeroplanes use, as electronic interfaces are used instead of aeroplanes with a lot of levers. This has a good effect on society, as aircraft have been made safer, as pressure is taken off the pilot, reducing the amount of accidents that occur. It has also encouraged some people to fly who might not have wanted to before. These systems have been used since the 1980s, and allow the driver to put the plane on autopilot and to assist in emergency situations. In the future, this will get even safer than what it is today to continue to save lives – however if this system becomes fully driverless, the pilots will lose their job which has a bad effect on society.

At the moment, most computers use a simple graphical user interface and they do what we tell them to. However, in the future, computers will follow us instead. Virtual reality means that computers can generate an environment for us, such as how it looks, smells, feels, etc. If the player changes direction in the world, the images change. Virtual reality can be used to simulate combat situations for the army, which allows them to train; this is a good idea and has a good effect on society because army lives are saved as they can practice before actually going out to the front lines. This also saves money as it is cheaper to use a simulator than pilot a plane or fire weapons. HCI designs of virtual reality are a modern invention, and will continue in the future to allow people to get an even greater sense of reality.

Virtual reality is also important to the gaming industry because they want to create games that are more realistic for players. Virtual environments could also be used for educational purposes to teach students, and they could be used for people with disabilities to try to understand their problems. Therefore this has a good impact as more jobs can be created, students can learn over the Internet, people might be happier by playing more realistic games and doctors may be able to understand some mental disabilities better.

A good example of virtual reality is by the Gadget Show. They created their own virtual environment for somebody to play Battlefield 3 on. This is a good example of where technology can take us, however it is only the start to virtual environments.

Head up displays (HUD) are transparent/projected displays that show information on a clear surface, so that a human doesn’t have to turn away to look at something else such as a dial or digital display. HUDs are increasingly being used in the modern world as they provide an easier way to display information.

HUDs are mainly used on aircraft. This is used to show the pilot information about the flying of the plane, such as altitude. Fighter aeroplanes also use them so that they can target enemy aircraft, as they don’t have to look down at the dashboard. Recently, cars also use them as an easier way to display information such as speed, fuel levels, etc.

HUDs are part of HCI and impact on society as they make an interface easier to read. For example, by using a HUD display in cars, this means that driving is safer as the driver doesn’t have to take their eyes off the road, when they need to do something such as checking their speedo. HUDs have been around since the 1970s however they have only been used recently in aeroplanes, which has had a good impact as pilots can control their aeroplane better, meaning that they are less likely to crash. In the future, HUDs will be continued to used or other methods for the driver to see clearly.

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The picture above shows a HUD from a Jet fighter.

Keyhole surgery is used to do surgery without having to make big cuts in a body. Tiny telescope cameras (5mm max) go through a cut in the human’s body, while operating equipment goes through another cut. The operation is performed by a surgeon who operates the equipment while looking at the telescope camera on a display.

Keyhole surgery HCI design has a good effect on society. By using it, smaller cuts are used on a humans body. This means that they get less discomfort, a quicker recovery from the operation and a better result from the surgery. Therefore by having these effects, the person feels better than having normal surgery. Keyhole surgery is a fairly modern invention, but in the future it should be continued to be used and developed so that even less harm is needed to be done in order to complete surgery, and the cameras will communicate information to the surgeon without them having to look.

By using complex designs, it has allowed us to do things that we were not able to do before, meaning that things that happen are more likely to be successful. For example, HUDs mean that an aeroplane pilot is more likely to complete the mission safely, Keyhole surgery means that the operation is more successful as less damage is done to the patient, virtual reality means that people can train before doing something dangerous and fly by wire makes aeroplanes safer.

Impact on Economy

How has HCI affected the productivity of computer users?

When HCI is used, you can make productivity by humans greater. This therefore impacts on society because it means that organisations can get greater work out of individuals, therefore making greater profits for their business. As time has gone by, users have got more productive by having better interfaces that they can use. In the future, this will continue.

Speeding up inputs is one way of increasing productivity. For example, in supermarkets, barcode scanners are used so that customers spend less time in the supermarket. This technology is good, as otherwise staff would have to spend time entering in numbers for each of the products. This therefore helps the supermarket, as it speeds up the checkout process. This also impacts on the supermarkets economy, as they don’t have to have so many tills open in the first place, meaning not so many staff need to be employed and customers are got through quicker. In the past (before the 1970s) there were no barcode scanners meaning that the process was longer, and in the future barcode scanners will be continued to used. This is just one of the ways that you can speed up inputs for a device.

You can also make productivity higher by reducing the complexity of inputs, as it takes less time for humans to be trained to use the equipment. This impacts on economy of organisations because they are able to get employees to work quicker. Also, if you are selling products, consumers are more likely to buy your products if they are fairly simple to use. Take the computer for example – they used to be hard devices to use that required specialised knowledge of command lines, but now computers feature GUIs, and in the future will be controlled by your brain.

There are some things that we haven’t reduced the complexity of in life. For example, nearly all computers use the QWERTY keyboard, which isn’t the best design because the keys are not in suitable positions. A Dvorak keyboard (also known as a simplified keyboard) has also been invented, which puts all of the common keys together - vowels are on the left, most common consonants are on the right. However, the Dvorak keyboard is not widely used. The Dvorak keyboard is a good idea because you are less likely to make errors on it and the common keys are together. Your employees would get more work done with it, helping your business to save costs if it were used.

I don’t understand why the world hasn’t adopted to this layout or something similar for foreign countries. It would increase productivity of work, as the keyboard is a lot less complex to use. Even though the Dvorak system is old, it was invented after the QWERTY system and it is a better design to increase the amount of work somebody can do. The QWERTY system can take up to 150 words a minute, whereas the Dvorak can take 200. The only reason I can think of for why we still use QWERTY is that people are used to it, and changing to Dvorak would mean that society would have to get used to a new layout, which for a lot of people having to change the way they work causes confusion and anger. In the future, I think that society should adapt to this layout, however I don’t think that this will happen for a while.

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In general, HCI has increased the productivity of users. Most input devices have been sped up so that we can get work processed quicker and the complexities of many inputs (e.g. communicating with the computer) have been simplified from the past. In the future, HCI will continue to be developed so that individuals complete more work, meaning more money. One of the next things that should be introduced to reduce complexity is the Dvorak keyboard.

Has increased automation helped the economy?

HCI can reduce human input as new technology designs of hardware or software might automate things or require less human skills. By reducing humans and increasing automation, less employees are needed meaning that the company can make greater profits. For example, machines have replaced factory workers in the past, and self-scan tills have replaced some supermarket cashiers.

Even though reducing human input has good effects on business economies, jobs have been lost because of it. Because of this, there can be a bad effect on the local economy as more people may be claiming benefits, and those people may not be happy meaning that they resort to crime, which also has a bad effect as more money is used to stop it.

For the UK, in the past, many jobs were available and people worked in factories. Today, people mainly work in tertiary jobs, but there are factory jobs still available, just not as many due to the tertiary jobs being used instead and machinery automating the process. This worries me, as in the future even more jobs will be automated. For example, cars may become driverless meaning that taxi and bus drivers may no longer be needed. If this keeps on happening, it will help different business economies, but not the government as they will have to keep on paying out benefits and projects to get people back into work.

However, the benefits of reducing human input are that some humans don’t have to do as much hard work, lives are not risked in dangerous environments, tasks that humans cannot do are completed and it can reduce time to do the job. Starting to automate though will cost a lot of money and the system may not have the biggest amount of intelligence. I think that automation is good to assist humans as other jobs that we cannot do are completed, however humans should not be fully replaced as jobs are lost which has a bad effect on society.

Automation in the form of text readers has helped the economy. Modern computers have screen readers so that blind people can still use the computer. This is important to HCI because the interface needs to be simple so that blind people can use the computer by just using a keyboard, since they can’t use a mouse.

This has impacted on the economy because computer companies have to spend research money on making their software and hardware useable by blind people. However, computer companies can charge more for these features, which therefore costs the blind person. However, the government may pay for the computer hardware and software due to disabled rights, making the government poorer.

By using screen readers, it allows blind people to get work done that a normal person might not have the skills for. Also, by using this software and hardware, it allows visually impaired people to use a computer without having an assistant access the information for them, which impacts on the economy because they don’t need to pay to have an assistant.

Text readers are only a modern invention as a way of reading text, as before you would have to employ someone. In the future, text readers will continue to be used so that people can read things. This is particularly useful for allowing a blind person to use a computer, as in the future they will be able to describe the whole operating of the computer to the user rather than just small parts of the computer. This impacts on the economy as blind users can now use a computer to do work (and it makes them happier) meaning they have a job, software companies get money for it and a reader doesn’t have to be employed. The blind “user” is able to be independent and not rely on human help.

An example of a screen reader is VoiceOver. This is provided by the Mac OS X operating system as a way of reading items on the screen. It is very useful for visually impaired users. Below is a video of VoiceOver being used. Even though the video is fairly old and it is not such a good version as used today on Mac OS X, it shows the basics of the technology.

Another advantage of using machines instead of humans is that they know what to do. For example, a machine will always try its hardest to get work done as they can’t get tired and they don’t have feelings so they always do as they are told. This therefore means that any businesses that use automation instead of humans will benefit because of this. However, like I said earlier, even though machines can sometimes do a better job than humans, jobs are lost which effects the local economy of the area. Machines that know what they are doing are probably going to be used in our future society.

By employees knowing what work to output, work they produce will be accurate and it will take less time to produce. This impacts on the economy of your business because it means that you should be either making greater profits or saving money on the operating costs. However, this could also have a bad effect, as fewer employees may be needed if one employee can do it better than two together.

Voice input allows you to say something, and then your computer can then follow orders based on what you say. This technology is fairly new and has not been developed very much at the moment. In the future it will combined with other items such as thought input as a way of controlling computers.

Voice input has an impact on the economy, as every day tasks have/will become simpler, for example, speaking to a lorry where you would like it to drive, rather than having to employ a driver. It also means that new jobs are created, as voice recognition software engines are needed. It creates more IT jobs, however other jobs are lost. This technology will be more important in the future than what it is now, for example we currently have Windows Speech Recognition as a way of talking to the computer, however this is basic and not a lot else is available in this area. In the future, it may be used at public places to active something (e.g. to open doors) but thought input and brain computers will take over from voice input for computers that everyday users have.

Thought input allows people to communicate without speaking or moving. This is therefore important to disabled people, such as somebody who cannot speak or move their hand to control a wheel chair. This impacts on the economy because disabled people will now be able to get a job, since their productivity is increased - for example, they can now write letters by thinking rather than typing. There is currently a lot of research into this technology, meaning that there should be a fair amount of jobs in the area. It also helps society, as disabled people feel more inclusive.

Thought input is still a fairly new technology, however it keeps on getting better and better. In the past, thought input has not been used, and in the future it is a key way that people can communicate to devices. On the How Stuff Works website is a video showing how thought input can be used to control a computer cursor.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/brain-computer-interface.htm

By using HCI automation designs, the economy is helped as humans are assisted in getting work done. Things like thought input mean that humans don’t need to communicate information to the computer, as it automatically types what they think, meaning less work needs to be completed. Text readers help disabled people, but they also allow normal people to hear something rather than having to take a longer time to read everything. However, automation has a very bad effect on society as well, as it can get rid of jobs, meaning that those people are on benefits (making economy poorer), which could lead to depression and crime.

How has HCI allowed people to use devices on the go?

By using HCI, we have been able to work better in different environments and we can use technology on the go. For example, take the mobile phone. In the olden days, they were bulky devices that only the “rich” people could afford, like the example below.

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Mobile phones of today are a lot better than those of the past. They have a lot more features to them, like texting, video calling, entertainment, taking photos, social networking and Internet access. The phones of today are very small, however the phones of the future will be even smaller as they could be implanted into you – and when you need to make a call, you just think about it and the call is made, which is good as you don’t have to carry it with you.

The features of phones getting better and smaller has had a good effect on the economy as it means that people can be more productive with using a phone, the companies who make the phones and software get a lot of money and people can ring someone easily without having to actually travel to a location. People are better off as well as by using a phone, they feel happier and it provides entertainment.

Mobile communications allows us to contact somebody remotely anywhere in the world, without having to find a wired alternative. The main mobile technology is mobile phones as these are portable, however you can also use other devices, such as laptops that can connect to wireless routers.

This has also impacted on the economy because a new industry has been opened, meaning that jobs have been created. Also, the technologies keep on getting better, meaning that people spend their money on buying better phones, which gives companies greater profits.

It has also affected the economy as businesses use mobile phones for better communication. For example, in a supermarket, an employee can ring the manager as they have their own phone, without having to go and find him directly.

In general, HCI has allowed us to use devices on the go because it has meant that technology has got smaller meaning that we can take things on the go to complete work. For example, mobile phones are a lot smaller than what they used to be, meaning that everyone uses them, meaning that work completed is more productive because you can call someone instantly rather than having to find a telephone box or a landline.

Impact on Culture

Has it affected the way that people use computers, laptops, mobile phones, texting, mobile entertainment & computing, domestic appliances and games?

With more and more computers being made, we change the way that we see computers. Early on in the industry, people would see computers as new things that were expensive and hard to use. However, now that a lot more people use them, most people see them as easy to use, cheap to buy and a popular thing to use. We use computers for work and entertainment.

In the past, we did not have the Internet or computers to use. Therefore people had to find other ways of entertain themselves such as reading, physical fitness, going to the pub, etc. Now that we have computers and the Internet, people socialise on websites, play games, watch films on their computer and video call rather than seeing that person up close. This has affected our culture as it means that some people are a lot less socially confident as they talk online rather than actually seeing the person. In the future, we will rely on computers even more for entertainment, which slightly worries me as people will continue to use computers rather than socialising in real time.

With the rise of the Internet, people now use computers a lot more. Youtube and Facebook are used a lot as people like to socialise online. This has changed our culture, people now socialise online instead of going out together. We also use computers to shop instead of going out to buy items from the shops, impacting as our points of views are changing (due to the fact it is cheaper and can do it from home); however there are also effects on the economy because of this, such as the bigger businesses continue to get richer while small corner shops struggle for business, resulting in a loss of jobs and livelihoods.

Laptops are a mobile computing device that can be used when a standard desktop tower is unavailable. Laptops have Wi-Fi built into them, meaning that you can access the Internet without having to have a cable plugged in. The same goes for the power, as you can access a laptop by running it on battery power, but when back at your desk, you can recharge it.

This has affected culture because most people prefer a laptop rather than a desktop computer. The reason for this is because you can sit at your sofa to browse the web while you watch TV, take it anywhere (e.g. holiday, work, etc.), access the Internet without wires (with a PC, you would have to get a wireless adapter), they are fairly light and are easy to use.

In the past, laptops have not been very popular, as you have to pay a lot higher price for a lower spec due to the portability of it. However, now they cost a similar price to desktop computers, meaning that more people prefer to buy them. In the future, they will probably not be used, as even better portability devices will come out, such as brain computers that are implanted into you.

Even though desktop computers have their benefits, most people wanting a cheap computer will buy a laptop as desktop versions the same spec will be about the same cost, yet you don’t get the added portability bonuses.

By using laptops, it is also effecting out culture by the fact that we are using computers more while we are not at a workstation. For example, people usually browse Facebook while watching TV to keep them occupied during the boring parts and adverts. Laptops also affect us as they encourage us to update social networking statuses more often, as we can get onto the Internet. Therefore by using laptops, we are encouraged to use a computer more often than in the past, which can be a help (e.g. for work) or a hindrance (e.g. ignoring a conversation as you are looking at something online).

Mobile phones are a key part to communication in the modern day. Their communication includes calling other phones, texting, video calling, sending emails and accessing the Internet to communicate with others.

In the past, mobile phones were not really used and were very bulky (as shown in the image earlier), and they were only available to the people who could afford them. Now the technology has developed so that they are a lot smaller and so that we can do all sorts of things on them, such as texting, video calling, entertainment, taking photos, social networking and accessing the Internet.

They are affecting our culture because more and more people use them. Years ago, people would have to use a telephone box in the street, as people didn’t have phones in their houses – let alone a portable phone. With the invention and design of mobile phones, they are portable and easy to use.

People use them because it is very easy to contact somebody; as the technology gets even better, you can ring somebody for longer periods of time, for a cheaper cost. However, they also have a bad effect on society, as people use mobile phones when they shouldn’t, which costs the organisation time.

Texting on a mobile phone is another thing. On older phones, you would not be able to text. People prefer to text, as it is cheaper than having to call people. In the future, I guess that emailing will totally replace texting as phones become fully connected to the Internet.

Texting has affected out culture in a number of ways. First of all, people don’t speak to each in conversation as instead they text each other, meaning that social skills could be reduced. However, it can also have a good impact such as if you don’t have time to text someone or they are unavailable for a call, you can send a text so they still get the message when they next look at their phone. Even though texting provides ease, it means that people culture is changing as they send messages instead of actually talking (this can also happen on social networking such as Facebook).

Entertainment can be provided by mobile devices, such as the iPod, iPad, iPhone, Amazon Kindle, Nintendo 3DS, laptops and other devices. Entertainment provided by these can be games, music and movies. Computing tasks performed include reading, watching the news, social networking, writing a Word document, checking emails

In the past, mobile devices were not readily available, let alone providing entertainment and computing. However, now they are used a lot for these purposes, which I can imagine will happen in the future as well.

This affects culture because people are using these devices rather than socialising. However, it does keep people entertained if they have nothing to do, such as reading an eBook while waiting for the bus. It can also effect culture because by having mobile entertainment devices and software being invented overseas, we get to play games invented by those countries, meaning that we get to learn a bit about their culture.

The appliances in your home are becoming easier to use, and have more features in them as technology develops. As new appliances come out, new interfaces are used which should be simpler to use. In the past, interfaces weren’t always the simplest and devices were fairly basic. Interfaces have  got a lot more recognisable in todays world, and this will continue in the future.

This has an effect on culture because it is easier to use the appliances, meaning that less time is spent trying to figure out how to use the products. It also affects culture because the appliances are becoming cheaper to buy, meaning that people are more likely to pay for new ones, meaning that there are less burglaries and people can get the new ones, which shows they are better off financially.

Games are played on a variety of devices, including computers, mobile phones, game consoles and portable devices. One effect of computer games on culture is that people get to learn things about other cultures – by the game itself, and by talking to others while playing online. This can therefore make the person feel better or worse about somebody else’s culture.

Computers games have only been around recently. However, they have had good and bad effects since they were first introduced, and this will continue as more and more people want to play them.

It also affects culture because you may have to interact with people who speak another language, meaning that you learn the language and adapt to some of their culture. With online gaming, people from different backgrounds play with each other, learning about each other and ways to team build and play fairly.

One of the bad effects of games is that they can influence peoples’ behaviours. For example, people have been known in the past to become violent after playing games, or they can become addicted to playing games. This has a bad effect on our culture and worries me slightly because it means that people are playing games rather than socialising with each other in real life! Even though they can provide a good educational experience, all some people want to spend their free time doing is playing a game.

In general, computers, mobile devices and games have affected our culture due to the way that we keep on using them more and more. By using them more often, we are not as socially active. We keep on relying on the Internet to find us information, including things that are commonly done in real life (especially things that had to be done in real life in the past) such as finding our relationships online with dating websites.

Has HCI had a phycology and sociology impact on culture?

HCI can have a positive and negative effect on culture and the social well-being of humans. An example of a bad impact is that a good HCI design might mean that fewer jobs are needed in an organisation, as one human can control the job better than two humans without the right equipment.

However, a good HCI design can give positive impacts. For example a better design could mean that employees get the work done faster, meaning that the employees are not under so much pressure for project deadlines. This therefore means that the person is not under so much stress at work, and can get more work done, leading to a promotion.

In the past, when devices were not about, people had to find other ways to entertain themselves. Back in the days before televisions, people used to go to dances, view and paint artwork, go to the cinema, listening to music, etc. However, todays age sees people watching the TV, going on the computer, listening to music, playing games, etc. including the items from the past in history (except they are not as popular) as forms of entertainment. In the future, I think that this culture will be the same with a few more ways of entertainment that we have not discovered yet.

By inventing new HCI designs, it means that people are using new technology more and more. Therefore by using technology more often, this has an effect. First of all, it could mean that more people have good technical knowledge of using computers and devices, which changes our culture because people are more likely to use the device by having knowledge of it. This therefore means that all we want to do in our spare time is to use a computer, as by having good HCI designs we want to use them. This has an effect because instead of spending time socialising, going outside, getting fit etc., we are using our devices. Another example of this are books – instead of reading them, people have a big collection of eBooks as some people think they are better due to the fact that they are all together in one place.

Deskilling work can have an effect. If you de-skill work, you are replacing a human with a machine. This can quite often happen because machines do the job quicker and cheaper. However, it can also be a bad choice for the company in some situations, as the quality of the final product will not be so good as human care has not gone into it.

Deskilling work effects the culture and lots of people are made redundant. These people are therefore unemployed, which makes them feel useless and unhappy due to the fact that they have nothing to do, they are not being paid and their quality of life is not so good. Customers are also not as happy because the products are not as high quality as what they could be, however they may not be bothered by this if the prices of the products go down.

The Kinect and Wii have also had an impact on our culture. Playing games as a family in the past was unlikely to happen, however with the Kinect and Wii this has been made possible. This can have good effects, such as learning to get on with each other and developing team skills, which is good as you are better off socially. However, the bad part to playing games as a family is that it might make you become addicted, and therefore play games instead of going on family outings. However, I think that playing games as a family is generally a good idea as you socialise with each other rather than playing by yourself. I think this will continue in the future.

In general, HCI has had an impact on psychological and sociological of humans as by having good HCI inventions, we use them more often than doing traditional things such as socialising with family. Good designs have also got rid of jobs, meaning that people can become depressed. You can now play as a family, which is generally good as you get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses if you don’t see each other very often.

How has HCI had an impact on developing nations?

There are many countries out there known as “less economically developed country” (LEDC). These countries don’t have the money or resources to afford better HCI designs of equipment that we have, and they often have to use old equipment as newer items cost a lot more. This can impact on their culture, as they don’t have the equipment to make higher quality products, therefore meaning they create basic ones to sell cheaply, which doesn’t give them so much money.

Take the example of farming. Hand tools have to be used instead of vehicles like a tractor. This therefore means that not so many crops can be harvested, as it takes a lot longer. However, this means that more people are required (more jobs), as one person can’t complete so much work. With fewer profits in the first place, the farmers will not be able to afford new machinery, meaning that they won’t be able continue the job as farmers that have the machinery get the contract, meaning they are jobless. If they don’t lose their job, they will probably just be paid less.

Charities have been able to donate some new HCI designs to the developing countries in the last few years. For example, you can donate your old computer to a charity and they will send it off to a developing country so that they can use it. This therefore helps somebody in that country, as they are able to work more efficiently than having to write on pen and paper, which also means that it helps their country to adapt, more to our one with lots of computers. I think that in the future, they will have a lot more of our old computers, as people will continue to recycle them.

In general, good HCI can help developing countries, however they haven’t got the money to get these designs. There are still a lot of people in the poorer countries who have not got the right equipment for farming unlike what we have in this country, meaning that they are unable to develop. However when we give them equipment, it makes their life a lot easier and therefore they are more likely to become an MEDC.

Conclusion

I have explained the effects of Human Computer Interaction on society, economy and culture. These are important because you need to be able to display information to people. The best designs communicate the most information and allow humans to get the job done well, however, this can also mean that jobs are lost as one human with the right equipment may do a better job than two humans without the equipment. They can also mean that we do other things than what we used to for entertainment (e.g. play games instead of socialising) but they also allow us to come together (e.g. Wii games that are designed for the family).

By using HCI, it has allowed disabled people to use things that normal people take for granted, for example visually impaired people can now use a computer as font sizes can be increased. HCI has simplified access to technology, as explained earlier, computers have gone from command lines to GUIs. Despite these two benefits, it means that some people are getting addicted to devices and the features of them such as games, social networking, instant messaging, etc.

I think that good HCI is good for society as more people can use computers than before and hostile environments are safer. Even though HCI has a good effect on the economy such as better designs lead to greater efficiency, it also has a very bad effect of replacing jobs with machines. For culture, it has some good effects as people who haven’t used computers before use them, it is developing countries, families are getting together more to play games, you can use mobile technologies for better communication, however people are using devices for too long instead of doing other sociable things. Therefore I think that HCI has its benefits, but there should be a line where it should stop so that the negative effects don’t get worse.