Customer Reviews

Human-Computer Interaction (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Let me begin by saying that years back I won an international award for something or other to do with contributions to ergonomics - the design of a computer system in fact. I looked at this book as a possible text for an undergraduate course I teach. This is a good book, despite the reviews, if you have the time the read it. It is thorough at the theoretical end and pretty damn thorough at that. If you want to know the history of HCI, recent and possible developments, this is a good book - but it is just too long for most undergrads and this is the main problem. Most undergrads believe that HCI is just pure waffle and in many cases that is unarguable - it takes the likes of Jef Raskin to restore some intellectual credibility to the area.

One the major strikes against this book, and it isn't alone, is the lack of connection with actual software packages in common usage and the alleged 'software engineering' skills they require. For too long HCI books have operated at a distance from actual 'multimedia' software or else have assumed that everyone has a bespoke lab of geniuses under their arms when a novel tool is required. This book, despite the calibre of the authors, does nothing to challenge the "grandstanding" that defines most HCI. Over tweny years ago, when I worked on expert systems, there was a creeping scepticism about their practical value - a solution in search of a problem. I would have liked this book to have done more to convince me that this epithet is not applicable to HCI. I hope the next edition expresses that reassurance.

I used this book for one of my courses in professional computing.
I find this book to be quite readable, the essential and pertinent concepts are well-explained, and the scope of coverage is comprehensive. All the necessary aspects of HCI, the models of the user, interaction, system, are touched on. The chapter regarding the usability paradigms and principles is elucidated in a structured and systematic way, and the chapter on the dialog notations and design introduces some commonly used notations, including Petri Nets, which are also in common use in other IT topics.
This book does not delve into the more esoteric applications and theories behind HCI, but I would not necessary classify that as a shortcoming, for the book was probably never meant to be targetted at advanced researchers anyway.
All in all, I would highly recommend this book to those who want to get into the fundamentals of HCI, be able to use the concepts for practical applications in daily life, and who need a handy reference.

A very good book that provides a solid foundation in a clear and easily readable format. If you're after a quick "HCI fix" or are trying to satisfy a course requirement where usability is seen as a niche then look elsewhere. If you want a good understanding of HCI and have a desire to make things more usable then this is a worthwhile read.

I used this book when teaching senior undergraduates HCI. Admittedly, it is quite dense, which made some of the reading assignments a bit of a bear for the students. The thoroughness, however, is a large part of what I liked about it. I only used minimal supplemental materials, and I found that using this book, students got not only an in depth history and theoretical underpinning of this important field, but they also got some insight into emerging related fields, like ubiquitous and mobile computing. I was very pleased with the rigor applied to the lessons, something very necessary as we in the field demonstrate there is real "science" and "theory" behind what we do.

An excellent exposure to HCI and the Human Factors of Human Computer Interaction, this text begins in the shallow end of the pool and progresses in steps, to explain in depth concepts which range from the needs for HCI through software development life-cycle considerations and onward. For those having a requirement to understand and work with HCI, this is a good reference. It is by no means a thorough treatment of all aspects of HCI. Supplementing this reading with other works regarding Human Factors, Accessibility and Software Design Strategies are directions which radiate outward from what one might learn here. It's an excellent book on the topic and well worth the read. A novice or a seasoned professional can begin their exposure to HCI in the pages of this book and be well prepared to progress into more specific realms.

The book was a lot cheaper than buying new. It was in good condition, I don't mind buying used books if available.

I'm a CS student with 7 years of IT experience. This book is compulsory for my course so I have no choice but to read it. I would rate this book among worst IT books ever. Although, some ideas suppose to be useful, but the language and lack of illustrations make them dull and unclear. Moreover, it has unreasonable complicity to describe a simple idea or situation, definitely confusing readers. It's kind of funny that one of the main purpose of this book is to teach you to design a good and understandable interface, but in opposite, it has a quite bad interface itself.

Book was received in a very timely manner. The book was in great condition. Very professionally handled transaction and I would highly recommend ordering from this company. I will be using this company in the future for purchasing used textbooks.

I had the misfortune of having to buy this book for a night course I took for personal interest. As a an engineering professional, I found the ideas of having a customer throughout architecture, design, test completely impractical. Other impracticalities include assessing usuability by hiring an expert in cognitive behavior.

I had hoped the book contained information that would help with the practical design of gadgets and/or GUI interfaces. No examples of good and bad, what the public in general wants, how this is affected by demographics, etc.

This book contains hardly and only a small amount of technical, non-subjective material.

The book is also not gender neutral and uses "she" often when they refer to a non-specific user/person, which got on my nerves!

I am currently studying CS at university and one of my classes in HCI. All I can say about this book is that even the tutor for the class hated this book - as did all the students - so much so that the next semesters' book is going to be something else.