Long Term Human-Computer Interaction: An Exploratory Perspective [Paperback]

Richard C. Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 1998

Wordprocessors and other information technology are now used on a daily basis by a wide variety of people. Although interfaces have been made much easier for novices to learn, very little is still known about how users progress from novice to expert performance. This volume is based upon one of the largest continuous field studies ever performed in Human-Computer Interaction - seven years of editor use by 4000 students at Sydney University. It assesses the results and argues that the process of change in long term HCI appears to be constrained by three pillars: (i) an essentially static measure of vocabulary use, (ii) continuous growth through exploration, and (iii) specialisation between methods via crossovers. Long Term Human-Computer Interaction will be of interest to HCI researchers and designers, computer scientists, information specialists, cognitive scientists, academics and postgraduate students.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Wordprocessors and other information technology are now used on a daily basis by a wide variety of people. Although interfaces have been made much easier for novices to learn, very little is still known about how users progress from novice to expert perf ormance. Improved understanding of long term learning and usage patterns have implications for HCI in terms of: design for prolonged flexibility; adaptive interfaces; user modelling; usability assessment; training; and data mining in web site management.

This volume is based upon one of the largest continuous field studies ever performed in Human-Computer Interaction - seven years of editor use by 4000 students at Sydney University. It assesses the results and argues that the process of change in long term HCI appears to be constrained by three pillars: (i) an essentially stationary measure of vocabulary use, (ii) continuous growth through exploration, and (iii) specialisation between methods via crossovers.

Long Term Human-Computer Interaction will be of interest to HCI researchers and designers, computer scientists, information specialists, cognitive scientists, academics and postgraduate students.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From the Foreword (by Alan Dix): The data in this book is a treasure chest - read on and find your own nuggets.

From Chapter 1: The most accomplished individuals have usually acquired their distinctive level of skill over years or even decades, be they athletes or chess players. As the computer becomes all-pervasive, it will be beneficial to understand and promote this long term self-development of skill. It is important therefore, to develop some underlying principles of human-computer interaction (HCI) from a longitudinal perspective.

Product Details

• Paperback: 187 pages
• Publisher: Springer (September 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3540762094
• ISBN-13: 978-3540762096
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,891,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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