Spring 2019 — UCLA Computer Science Department — David G. Kay — Human-Computer Interaction

Supplementary Resources on HCI Topics

These links and books explain or illustrate some of the topics we've covered or mentioned in class (typically in more detail than we had time for). They're supplementary, not assigned, unless we say otherwise.

• New interface technologies
  • Multitouch interface: We see multitouch interfaces now on iPhones and similar devices; this video shows Jeff Han of Microsoft and a large multitouch display
  • Surface computing (where the tabletop is the interface): two videos, one from Microsoft and one showing the physical manipulation of objects to generate audio
  • Multiresolution browsing of images (Microsoft SeaDragon and Photosynth projects)
  • BumpTop, an alternative desktop interface where the objects have physical properties (so they behave more realistically than conventional desktop icons). A few items shown here, like the "cover flow" view and pile views) are now available in Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard). Also notice the pie menus.
• Three notable HCI experts:
  • Jakob Nielsen: www.useit.com
  • Bruce Tognazzini, who founded Apple's Human Interface Group: www.asktog.com. Of particular interest are his essays on Fitts' Law and on Florida's "Butterfly Ballots" in the 2000 election
  • Edward Tufte, the leading figure in information visualization: edwardtufte.com. His four-volume work is beautifully designed and written, and inexpensive compared to most technical books: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Envisioning Information, Visual Explanations, and Beautiful Evidence.
• Information visualization
  • Two collections: Many Eyes and visualcomplexity.com
  • Hans Rosling showing some compelling visualizations of data (in the subject area of global development).
• Other videos
  • David Pogue of the New York Times on the historical scope of desktop interface design, user frustration, and simplicity. The video includes some joke songs and mild Microsoft-bashing.
  • Jim Chipchase on cellphone use, especially in the third world. This is an example of anthropological field research in the service of HCI: What do people carry with them?