Human-Computer Interaction Books

The web is essentially software, just on a different platform. As such it can be designed, analyzed, and optimized in a systematic fashion. Human factors research into software design is over 20 years old. This usability engineering knowledge can be used in the design of web sites. This book offers the latest examples of usability engineering applied to web site design.

The goal of this book is to provide a snapshot of current and future research being conducted into HCI on the Internet. Twenty- three experts in HCI-related fields contributed the 16 chapters of this book. Well-known names like Ed Chi (Xerox PARC), Mary Czerwinski (Microsoft Research), and Andrew Sears (UMBC) all wrote about their research into how we interact with the web.

The book is thought-provoking in the breadth and depth of knowledge presented. The book moves from "digital strategy" and planning, through analysis, to design and evaluation. Highlights from the first two parts include Shneiderman's "universal usability," where web sites are designed for a world-wide audience (presented ably by Andrew Sears), cost-justifying web usability (Mayhew and Bias), usability metrics (Opaluch), and "phone usability" where usability surveys are conducted at low cost over the phone (Ratner). Talk about discount usability engineering!

The third part, comprising more than half of the book, explores the cognitive aspects of web usability. Microsoft's Czerwinski and Larson offer a glimpse into HCI research at Microsoft. They propose that a stronger cognitive foundation must be achieved before we can truly optimize the design and usability of web sites. In their "Cognition and the Web" chapter they highlight areas where works needs to be done, and show some interesting examples from their research.

Czerwinski and Larson offer a new metric to better fit cognitive science to web design. They propose that Relative Subjective Duration (RSD) is a better measure for gauging user satisfaction. RSD measures the difficulty users are having with a task by time estimates. Users who are interrupted tend to overestimate task duration while completed task times tend to be underestimated. They also offer a glimpse into Microsoft's research with sections on nonspeech audio to enhance the web interface, telephony, and speech recognition.

The "Scent of the Web" chapter is especially relevant to web designers as Ed Chi (Xerox PARC) offers an automated way to analyze the usability of sites before users see any pages. Not unlike an animal's foraging behavior users use "information scent" to optimize their efforts to find what they want. Information scent is the perceived value and cost of assessing a piece of information.

Chi has developed a tool to called Bloodhound to automatically sniff out a site's usability based on a predictive model suggested by information scent and information foraging theory. As we scan and skim web pages we use information cues like link text and surrounding text, graphics, position, and frequency of occurrence. Chi has mathematically codified these cues into a "scent matrix" that predicts the probability that a user with a particular information need will move from page A to page B. Using this matrix Chi's tool can predict paths where users will go with particular information needs, and how effective particular sites are for particular sets of keywords.

Their Bloodhound tool can accurately predict where users will surf within sites, how usable sites are for particular information needs, and even summarize sites by keywords. Using simulated users (each with a set of a keywords representing their information need) their Bloodhound service can automatically return metrics that rate web site usability.

Chi says that a scientific understanding of human behavior in web surfing is essential to web usability. Innovative tools like Bloodhound can lower usability testing costs and improve our understanding of human behavior on the web.

The book essentially says that heuristic rules of thumb and best practices can only take you so far in usability engineering. For real progress we need a stronger cognitive foundation on which to improve the usability and design of web sites. Guidelines may work in isolation, but on the web there are so many variables that applying these guidelines to all sites for all users doesn't always work.

We require multidimensional analysis to assess the best ways to design actual sites. We need to study more complex, real-world problem domains that better match what users actually experience. This book offers a fascinating glimpse into current and future HCI research on the web.

This book is written by an author who has written a number of useful tools employing auditory user interfaces. Thus the author is able to articulate the issues associated with audio interfaces. I particularly enjoyed reading about his solution techniques.

Are you a software hobbyist? If you are, then this book is for you. Authors Stephen Cawood and Mark Fiala, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that provides all of the information that you will need to quickly start developing your own Augmented Reality (AR) applications.

Cawood and Fiala, begin by showing you how to get started by running AR on your system. Then, the authors explain how OpenGL is used to create computer graphics for AR. Next, they show you how to create OpenGL applications. The authors also show you how to develop AR applications. They continue by showing you how to integrate ARTag into your OpenGL programming to create your own AR applications. Then, the authors show you how to use typical video game design flow to create 3D models in a specialized 3D program and then import them into the AR program you're writing. Next, they show you how to create a 3D AR video game. Finally, the authors also help you build upon the game you started to build earlier in the book.

This most excellent book provides detailed explanations of AR technology--even the math is explained. But, more importantly, the book will show you how to create your own AR applications, using nothing more than a PC and a USB 2.0 webcam.

If one desires to know how to evaluate, and when to automate the evaluation process, this book has an answer. Dr. Melody Ivory offers an analytical view of what works in automated evaluation of the Web site. This analysis brings a value added perspective in terms of understanding the invisible Web logs. It comes at a right time when the spider's web has progressively become semantic Web (i.e., a web of intentions, seamlessly connected, and synchronously networked in the global village).

Based on so many detailed studies, Ivory's work is also focused on two pillars of Web infrastructure: viz., accessibility and usability. Within this framework it serves as a source to understand best practices. Hopefully, businesses will apply Ivory's findings and avoid another burst of the bubble. Also, Automated Web Site Evaluation systematically highlights input, thruput and output for creating, developing, maintaining and sustaining the web site. With these advantages, the book can be a handy tool for researchers, practitioners, and developers in the web domain. Inhibitive price for individuals apart, software or Web evaluators in particular, readers in general, or a novice designer in this field will find this book, Automated Web Site Evaluation, far more beneficial.

I've found in many website design books, if it is too focused on technical information, it soon feels outdated. I'm pleasantly surprised with this book, since the information offered is mainly on how to design a balanced and aesthetically working website, suitable for any level of expertise in designing a website and for any purpose. I am an artist and love designing my own websites - with mid level technical understanding. To me, the basic knowledge & psychology of aesthetics is essential, and remains always the same - - it can never go out of date. This book has a large focus on that. I highly recommend this book.

I particularly enjoyed the flow of ease of the book, explaining from the beginning what the book is about, and how to use it, with clear and easy to understand tables and images. The authors have kept their promise.

Dewan and his co-authors provide a great overview of the field but even those outside of behavioral healthcare would benefit from reading this book. This is what the healthcare super information highway is really about. Dewan is a true visionary. A must read.

Finally, a book on coding e-commerce applications that makes sense. I bought this book because I expect the combination of TV with the Internet to be the next really big thing and I did not want to miss it. The pleasant surprise was that this book helps in all sorts of Internet commerce development, not just interactive television. After slogging through other bit buckets it sure is nice to find a book that clearly explains not just e-commerce on TV but good web interface design in general. After reading this book I'm even able to make forms read and write to a database backend. If you are an intermediate or better HTML developer do your career a favor and buy this book.

This book covers the most up to date information in the field of human computer interaction, also known as human factors engineering. It is a collection of papers from industry experts and discusses works in progress.

The book is extremely well organized since it has not only an index of terms but an index of authors and a table of contents that groups papers by topic.

The topics cover the most technical issues of virtual reality, software programming tools and techniques to the most human centered issues of the learning processes, keyboard styles and narrative techniques.

This book provides important information for any person that designs, develops, delivers or trains people in the field of automation.

Dr. Hollnagel's book provides an excellent background and introduction to the challenges facing designers and operators of complex systems who wish to account for human performance. He provides a thoughtful discussion of cognitive and organizational mechanisms that influence human behavior and provides a practical and throrough guide to understanding and assessing the implications of system design on human performance. This book will be a valuable reference and source of knowledge for system developers and maintainers of complex systems and technologies.

Great CVE book with the latest ideas of how to improve CVEs. I used this for my MA thesis.