Visual, Perceptual, And Cognitive Factors In Human-Computer Interface Design and Use

The human-computer interface (HCI)—the point at which a human and computer (or other intelligent device) meet—can be rife with misunderstandings. Computer jargon, even when written in English, can seem to be a foreign language. A human user, on typing a query, may not understand the computer response “error !!,” which loosely translated, means “I cannot #nd what you are looking for.”HCI is also described and strongly in$uenced by the manner in which human-computer interactions occur. For the human, the computer predominately communicates through its display and use of colors, size, and location of fonts, icons, waveforms, images, audible responses/ alarms, synthesized speech, or through tactile stimulation.For the computer, a key stroke, mouse click, screen tap, or voice command from the human may su%ce. Increasingly, natural user inter-faces (NUIs) that respond to human gestures and speech may eventually replace the currently standard graphical user interface (GUI),