Human-computer Interaction Activities Research Articles

Understanding the customer experience in human-computer interaction: a systematic literature review.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in customer experience (CX) and its relation to the human-computer interaction (HCI) field. The CX is different depending on the domain in which it is studied, and therefore its dimensions may vary. This research presents an extensive review of 122 studies related to CX definitions and dimensions that have been proposed in different domains, including an analysis from an HCI perspective. The guidelines proposed by Kitchenham & Charters (2007) were used, complementing the review with a snowballing approach. We identified 71 CX definitions (where 14 definitions highlight HCI aspects), 81-dimensional proposals (where 24 proposals contain HCI aspects), and 39 application domains (where 18 domains cover topics related to HCI). However, we did not find CX definitions or dimensions directly focused on HCI. Based on the results, a novel CX definition and dimensions-focused on the HCI area-are proposed and activities that the authors should perform when proposing new CX dimensions in domains related to HCI are suggested, i.e., domains that involve the interaction of a user (or customer) with a software product. Implications for future practice focus on facilitating the understanding of the CX concept and its relationship with HCI; recognizing the key CX dimensions for different domains and how they relate to HCI dimensions; and helping in the creation of new CX dimensions by suggesting activities that can be performed. The results show that there are opportunities for HCI/CX researchers and practitioners to propose new dimensions of CX for a domain related to HCI, develop instruments that allow the evaluation of CX from an HCI point of view, and perform reviews on a particular domain relevant to HCI but less studied.

Measuring effectiveness of HCI integration in software development processes

Integrating human–computer interaction (HCI) activities in software engineering (SE) processes is an often-expressed desire. Two metrics to demonstrate the impact of integrating HCI activities in SE processes are proposed. Usability Goals Achievement Metric (UGAM) is a product metric that measures the extent to which the design of a product achieves its user-experience goals. Index of Integration (IoI) is a process metric that measures the extent of integration of the HCI activities in the SE process. Both the metrics have an organizational perspective and can be applied to a wide range of products and projects. An attempt has been made to keep the metrics easy to use in the industrial context. While the two metrics were proposed mainly to establish a correlation between the two and thereby demonstrate the effectiveness of integration of HCI in SE processes, several other applications seem likely. The two metrics were evaluated in three independent studies: a classroom-based evaluation with two groups of students, a qualitative feedback from three industry projects, and a quantitative evaluation using 61 industry projects. The metrics were found to be useful, easy to use, and helpful in making the process more systematic. Our studies showed that the two metrics correlate well with each other and that IoI is a good predictor of UGAM. Regression analysis showed that IoI has a somewhat greater effect on UGAM in projects that use the agile process model than the waterfall process and in the projects that are executed as a contracted software development service than in the projects in product companies. UGAM also correlated well with the traditional usability evaluations.

Tasks for and tasks in human–computer interaction

It is argued that the engineering discipline of human–computer interaction (HCI) has developed over the last couple of decades in an ad hoc manner, driven by the need to solve real problems, rather than being informed by high level, general theories of the discipline. A retrospective role for general HCI theories is suggested. A start at such a general theory, which must be simple and able to encompass all the discipline of HCI's activities, is proposed, based on the concept of tasks. Tasks are characterised as the means by which work is performed. A general systems modelling approach is introduced which divides the assumed world it models into work systems and the application domains that are changed by work performance. The role of different work systems, defined by their differing boundaries and goals, to define different subtasks is introduced and illustrated with a number of simple examples.

A SmartSpace for automation

A SmartSpace is an integrated, intelligent, environment that facilitates new dimensions of human interaction with computing and physical environments by leveraging emerging trends in pervasive computing. The SmartSpace for automation (SSA) proposed here facilitates interactions between humans and an automation system. Current human‐computer interaction (HCI) approaches for automation are based on a state‐transition paradigm using splintered devices that are attached locally to controllers. Such approaches are unlikely to extend to future generations of automation systems because of the fundamental limitations they impose on the tasks that can be accomplished, the lack of support for holistic system‐wide decision‐making, and the lack of a systematic framework that can guide the adoption of emerging pervasive devices for HCI activities. The approach we describe for developing an SSA is based on a goal‐seeking paradigm and emphasizes the explicit representation and resolution of uncertainties.

Delivering ease of use

The uptake of HCI (human-computer interaction) and usability engineering by software development organisations can be terminally impeded by lack of appreciation of their value, even where ease of use is recognised as important. Descriptions of HCI offerings in terms of activities and methods are not readily comprehensible to managers of software products. Similarly, descriptions of HCI activities and methods give little indication of how these are to be managed with reference to the stages and deliverables in a software product development life cycle. This lack of clear association between usability engineering and software engineering in product development contributes to the marginalisation of usability-related activities. Specifying HCI or usability contributions to product development in terms of deliverables, on the other hand, can provide a solid basis for a manageable usability perspective on the development of software products. This article identifies a set of usability deliverables, describes their content and shows how they relate to a software product design and development process.