How we interact with our machines has changed and will change again.

Human-Computer Interaction methods continue to evolve. From keyboard-only in the early years to the rich and multiple methods we use today; touch, voice, mouse, etc. But the very best interaction method is one that isn’t there. We all use computers in order to complete a task and achieve a goal. Anything that gets in the way is a distraction.

When we put words to paper, many of us still prefer the pencil – it gives us a direct connection in a way that using a keyboard, screen, and mouse don’t quite capture. Of course there are advantages of electronic methods such as editability and re-use, but most people I know still prefer pen to paper, particularly when the act of writing is secondary such as taking notes on the phone.

I believe one of the next major advances in technology will be an evolution from search to research. We will ask our computers to go and find something out for us – for example, find and book for me the best flight from London to Hamburg. Of course there are plenty of sites that allow us to search for this information today, but not to do “smart search” or research that is based on who I am and what my preferences are and also to handle the actual transaction.

Of course it will take not just changes in the machines but changes in us too before we’re wholly comfortable trusting a machine to purchase things and make commitments on our behalf. But that day will come

Hello Members,

Human–computer Interaction involves the study, planning, and design of the interaction between people and computers. It is often regarded as the intersection of computer science, behavioral sciences, design and several other fields of study. The term connotes that, unlike other tools with only limited uses, a computer has many affordances for use and this takes place in an open-ended dialog between the user and the computer because human–computer interaction studies a human and a machine in conjunction, it draws from supporting knowledge on both the machine and the human side. On the machine side, techniques in computer graphics, operating systems, programming languages, and development environments are relevant.

Best Regards,
TonyStevenson
amtindividual.com