[Sighci-l] HCI - live or let die?

[Claude Steinberg]

Hi  All, 

I'll admit I pay more attention to the SIG-IA list because as a usability person it's important for me to know the problems web content people encounter creating sites before we test them.  The company I work for did ergonomics 10 years ago and now does mostly web usability.  Occasionally we get asked to look at new technologies like automated information kiosks or voting machines or teeny tiny cell phone screens, but the assumption out there seems to be that people can already interact with computers, and if they can't, well there are screen and braille readers for the blind and ergo-mice for the rest of us.  Interaction with information remains a more popular topic because nobody can seem to keep up with storing and presenting it.

This is really a shame because an HCI lab at the University of Maryland is working on electronic learning aids for children that definitely do not feature traditional computer interfaces.  The idea is similar to electronic instruments you can blow into so a horn player won't have to learn to play keyboard, guitar, or drums, but the objective is not necessarily to make the technology physically easier for kids.  Rather, it is to make the use of technology mentally and emotionally more natural.   Some of the projects use predictable interfaces like furry robots or blocks that fit in frames different ways to produce different information outputs, but I never would have thought of the fingerpainting table that lets kids create electronic color images without leaving a mess.  I'm sure there are interfaces like these waiting to be developed that will revolutionize home and work life for adults, but so far the innovations (like "virtual reality" helmets) seem to come mostly from the entertainment world, so they're not taken seriously.  Any thoughts?

Claude Steinberg
Staff Usability Specialist
UserWorks, Inc.
1738 Elton Road, Ste. 138
Silver Spring, MD 20903
(301) 431-0500 x15
Fax:  (301) 431-4834