HCI in Sci-Fi movies

In this four part presentation, Andreas Butz from Munich University, talks on the topic 'HCI in Sci-Fi movies'. Sci-Fi movies deal with futuristic technologies. Interaction design is important for futuristic technologies. HCI technologies, therefore, play an important role in science fiction movies. These movies may adopt existing technologies such as identification technologies, display technologies, I/O technologies- user interfaces etc. Sci-Fi movies may also influence or inspire research into futuristic HCI technologies.

An example of use of HCI technologies in Sci-Fi movies is Password Swordfish (2001). Some of the HCI technologies not yet realized are shown in The Matrix (1999). It makes use of invasive neural interfaces. Identification technologies are shown in Bourne Identity 2002 (hand scanning), Alien4 - 1997 (breath identification), Logans Run and Gattaca (using implant identification- RFID and DNA scanning). Physical display of objects is shown in X-Men (2002). In Star-Trek Next Generation (1987), holo deck display is shown.

In 'Minority Report' balls are used as user interface. Minority Report uses iris scan, e-ink, gesture interfaces and personalized public displays.

In 'Matrix' (1999) colored pills are used as physical user interfaces. Time Machine (2002) uses an anthropomorphic interface. Speech interfaces are used in 'Star Trek' as far back as 1986.

In 'Dark Star' (1974), the ultimate AI is portrayed, with the computer taking control of the space ship.


These youtube presentations can be seen using the links given below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZBaOgmoe5U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXEIRs4SF9Q

Reference:
Schmitz, M., Endreas, C., Butz, A. (2008). A Survey of Human-Computer Interaction Design in Science Fiction Movies. ACM Proceedings, INTETAIN'08.

-Joseph Ponnoly

Sharp, H., Rogers, Y., Preece, J. (2007). Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction . John Wiley & Sons, UK.
This book is worth reading. It differentiates interaction design (ID) from the narrower scope of Human-Computer Interaction. Some of the best design elements as in the Apple iPod are discussed. Some of the controversial topics such as usability and attractiveness (aesthetics) are also discussed, particularly with reference to design of websites. The 'vanilla' websites that are the most usable and easy to navigate (and recommended by usability expert Nielsen) are no more attractive today, when users look for aesthetics and a pleasurable experience when visiting websites. Example would the website of Nike (nike.com). Compare it with Nielsen's website (useit.com).

Joseph Ponnoly

The Mom Test for Web Usability Testing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKru8BK4P58&feature=related



Matt Bailey speaks about a web usability test by asking someone who is not familiar with a website to use it, by assigning a specific task.
He calls this 'the Mom Test', referring to whether his Mom would be able to use the website.

-jp

Interactive Voice Response- Speech-based system: Microsoft's TellMe Voice

Microsoft's tellme service

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQLcSIoU0CY&feature=related

And a demo of TellMe Voice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF7avIpNqqY&NR=1

jp

Email Clients

Here is an overview of FLOSS email clients:

http://digg.com/d1nq2a

The author compares various email clients: MS Outlook, AppleMail, K Mail, Thunderbird, Evolution and Claws.

Among the free email software clients, he recommends Claws.

According to him Claws is fast (having a light footprint), easily configurable and has a better user interface than the rest. 

Here is the link to Claws Mail. The tag line is 'user-friendly, light-weight, and fast email client'.

http://www.claws-mail.org/

Please see the screen-shot below:

Questions: Does it provide for email encryption?

Joseph Ponnoly

Secure Interaction Design (Mozilla Firefox Browser)

Mozilla Firefox contains several security features that protect the user and help in secure web interactions. 

Design of secure interactions, would require the designer to think from the user's perspective. The user would like to be protected from cookies, browsing history,  phishing attacks, malware and so on.

Here is an interesting powerpoint presentation by Kami Vaniea: 

cups.cs.cmu.edu/courses/ups-sp06/slides/060214vaniea.ppt

Drop down menus and Usability

Best practices and bad practices in use of drop-down menus with reference to a recent study by Jacob Nielsen, the usability expert.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/03/24/designing-drop-down-menus-examples-and-best-practices

Here is the link to the Nielsen report on usability of menus
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mega-dropdown-menus.html

And more information on Jacob Nielsen, the king of usability
http://www.useit.com/jakob/


jp

Design of Future Things: 2007- Don Norman

Here is the you tube video of the lecture delivered by Don Norman in February 2007 at Stanford University on the topic 'Design of Future Things'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQmwEjL6K1U

He introduces the concept of 'trust' in interactions where safety is involved, as in driving a car.

He also explains how 'user controls' are required.  He divides the controls into three categories: reflective, behavioral and visceral (machine level).  He discusses  'unexpected events'  situations and how to deal with them.

jp

Donald Norman- Design of Everyday Things.

Design problems are there everywhere around us.

Dr. Donald Norman is  a popular design and usability engineeer.

'The Design of Everyday things' is his most popular book.

He focuses on design aspects of usability. His major contribution is in combining engineering and psychology. 

His Ph.D. was in Mathematical Psychology from University of Pennsylvania. 

His 'magic moment' came when he was a member of the task force that investigated the  Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor Accident in 1979.  It dawned on him that the people who use technology are as important as the technology itself and good or bad design has a lot to do with use of technology. This concept is applicable to every day things, ranging from computers to aviation technology and washing machines, VCRs, mobile phones  or the automobile. 

He places importance on 'emotional design' of objects.

He says his laboratory is every day life. He walks around and observes how people use every day things or how they interact with machines and technology, and how the usage and interaction could be improved for people.

He received the 2006 Benjamin Franklin award in Computer & Cognitive Science for user-centered design.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4745201520328193897

jp

Designing Web Interfaces- Bill Scott & Theresa O'Neil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW4MwvgW_ww&eurl=http://designingwebinterfaces.com/&feature=player_embedded

jp

Kindle 2

Kindle 2 is the new generation wireless reading device from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154JDAI?tag=useitcomusablein

jp

Muti-touch in Windows 7

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=multi-touch+in+windows+7&www_google_domain=www.google.com&emb=0&aq=2&oq=Multi-touch+in#

Evaluation in HCI- Joseph Kaye

In this Stanford University HCI Seminar, Joseph Kaye, a Cornell University research student discusses the challenges of validating HCI contributions because of the nature of HCI problems.  HCI has technological and social practice components.  The presentor gives a historical perspective.

The questions to be considered are: Who are the users, who are the evaluators and what are the limiting factors.  Some of the limiting factors which engineers or programmers consider are reliability or speed of machine.  Experimental psychologists and cognitive scientists consider the limiting factor as what humans can do with the machine (computer). 

In evaluating a text editor, objectivity, thoroughness and ease of use were considered as evaluation criteria.

Usability professionals (mostly non-IT professionals)  are more focused on efficiency factors--time taken by the user to complete a job.  Usability evaluation methods include Nielsen's heuristics, or GOMS. 

Gray & Salzman published experimental comparisons of usability evaluation methods.   Experience focused HCI professionals believe in experience and expertise, as against experimental psychologists and cognitive scientists relying on experiments for proof. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgoPtM5xELY&feature=channel

jp

Designing Interactions- Bill Moggridge

Designing Interactions:

Microsoft Surface: Computer on a Tabletop

Please read the Inc Technology report on Surface Computing technology:
http://technology.inc.com/hardware/articles/200804/surface.html

Surface computing will be the new wave of computing, where computing with Natural User Interfaces (NUI) will replace GUI (graphical user interfaces). After the transition from command line DOS to GUI with use of graphics and mouse clicks, touches and gestures will make computing more intuitive and natural.

Five cameras with bluetooth/Wireless capability will interpret human touch and gestures.
Commercial exploitation may be confined to hotels and entertainment sectors, until the technology matures.

Joseph Ponnoly

Second generation Surface coming

BBC News on second generation Surface:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7945154.stm



Everything will be touch and multi-touch. There will also be infrared cameras to interpret gestures and movements.


jp

Web Design Tools

The top five web design tools:

http://sixrevisions.com/tools/top-five-web-design-tools/

Firebug was voted the best design tool by SixRevisions readers. The runner up was PhotoShop.

The others in the top five list were PhotoShop, Dream Weaver and Fireworks.

Firebug is an open source tool for the Firefox web browser. It enables in-browser web development.

Some of the features are:

• HTML and CSS editing 
• Console for logging
• Analyzing and debugging JavaScript
• A Document Object Model (DOM) inspection tool

jp

 

A PayPal Phishing mail

Email security & SenderID Framework

SenderID framework is designed and implemented by Microsoft to prevent email spams and phishing attacks.

Read more at:

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/safety/technologies/senderid/overview.mspx

(SenderID Framework Overview)

jp

Virtual Keyboards

Virtual keyboard is designed to protect passwords from malicious 'spyware' and 'trojan programs' such as keyboard loggers. Virtual keyboard reduces the risk of password theft.

iPod Shuffle 2009

http://i.gizmodo.com/5169174/ipod-shuffle-3rd-gen-review

-Joseph Ponnoly

User Controllable Privacy & Security

An interview with Prof. Norman Sadeh of CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) on

user-controllable privacy and security and the relevance of this topic in a web-mediated human to human interaction.

http://www.cylab.cmu.edu/research/chronicles/sadeh.html

More on user-controllable privacy and security research at CMU:

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~sadeh/user_controllable_security_and_privacy.htm

-Joseph Ponnoly

New Visualization- HCI Prototype

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/198212/1074965

Usability Characteristics/Heuristics- Nielsen

Nielsen's Usability Heuristics

http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface

http://www.microsoft.com/SURFACE/Default.aspx

jp

Security

Usability and security--- are they compatible?
Why have a password at all to access computers?
Ease of use and privacy: are they also compatible?

It appears there has to be a trade off between usabilility on the one hand and security and privacy protection on the other hand.

At the same time, security and privacy protection technologies have become so cumbersome for the user. It is time we made security and privacy technologies usable too.

Two stalwarts who have worked in these areas are Dr Simon Garfinkel of MIT and Dr.Lorie Craner of Carnegie Mellon University.

Here is a link to CUPS (Carnegie Mellon University Usable Privacy & Security) website :  http://cups.cs.cmu.edu/

Joseph Ponnoly