| |
 |
 |
Feature: The Art of Blending Humanities and HCI
Source: UN, 8 August 2003
Submitted by
Nick Bryan-Kinns
York's Medieval King's Manor on a warm sunny day in June 2003 provided the ideal location for the exploration of the relationships between the two seemingly disparate academic fields of arts and humanities, and HCI. The focus here being on how theories from the arts and humanities could be used to inform future directions in HCI. The attendance was double that at the last workshop at HCI 2002 with an eclectic mix of twenty participants making for a lively and productive workshop whose interests ranged from user experience, architecture, through to visual arts, narrative, and critical theory, and on to magic and performing arts.
The emphasis was definitely on workshop rather than talkshop. Indeed, participants forsook the usual presentation of position papers in order to get straight down to the nitty-gritty of what exactly HCI could learn from the arts and humanities in terms of understanding the things we make and use. Three groups of interest formed through an interactive post-it note session in some way similar to pinning the research interest on the donkey. These groups then spent a productive afternoon working through the implications of their chosen topic from both arts and HCI perspectives in order to form new insights and directions. There was a strong interest in the role of semiotics and critical theory and this formed one of the key themes of the workshop. Participants in this group grappled with how to apply understanding of semiotics to the design of interactive systems, and how this in turn changes the world in which we exist. The oft discussed concepts of flow, immersion and engagement also made their appearance, with one group focussing on the nature of engagement in interaction, and how we might characterise and design for it. Finally, the application of design patterns from an architectural perspective was considered in terms of understanding what makes a rich and affective experience, and how we might design and evaluate such systems.
The three groups' final presentations highlighted that there are key issues in HCI which we can draw on theories from the arts and humanities to help us understand such as the role of affect in HCI, and how interactive experiences fit into and change the world around us over and above viewing them as tools for work. The next steps in development of the research community involve publication of key aspects of the work explored, a workshop to further develop the area, and eventually an international conference to reach out to a wider audience. Participants' enthusiasm for the field highlighted the potential it holds for understanding interactive experiences over and above the current typically purely functional analyses. I personally look forward to more engaging, fun, and delightful interactions.
|
|
 |
|
|
All change at the top for System Concepts
Source: System Concepts Ltd, 3 July 2009
Leslie Fountain has been promoted to joint Managing Director of leading usability consultancy System Concepts. Life in UCD immortalised in fiction: you couldn't make it up
Source: UN, 2 July 2009
Sarah Herman's fictitious book on life in a user-centred design company has hit the shelves and The Guardian's book pages... Interfaces Magazine - Issue 79: The Education Issue
Source: Interaction Group, 1 July 2009
The latest issue of Interfaces is now available as a free download from the Interaction Website. Two new Behavioural research Tools from Noldus
Source: UN, 30 June 2009
Tool updates make on-site behavioural data collection easier. Cell Phones that Listen and Learn
Source: MIT Technology Review, 29 June 2009
New software tracks a user's behavior by monitoring everyday sounds. Top Six Don’ts for Usability Testing
Source: FutureNow Inc., 27 June 2009
Six tips for creating quality usability tests to ensure useful feedback from testers. Usability: ‘Lovely software. But I can’t work it’
Source: FT.com, 26 June 2009
In a recent survey by Global Graphics, 77 per cent of office workers estimate they lose up to one hour a week because business software is difficult to use.
And what do you do?
Source: Dexo Design, 25 June 2009
How do you describe your job role? Here are the results of a recent 'Preferred UX/UI Title' Poll. Most Doctors cite Usability as critical to Electronic Health Record Adoption
Source: TMCNet, 24 June 2009
It's all about 'meaningful use'. Glossy monitors look good but can hurt
Source: QUT, 23 June 2009
A new advisory cites research which suggests high gloss monitors make users sit awkwardly.
|
|
|