Human-Computer Interaction

This book is a rigorous review of the field of human-computer interactions. It provides historical background of different devices that exist and have existed for humans to interact with machines, and so on. As such, it does a good job. Obviously I'm not the expert in this field, so I can't judge the quality in that respect, but I find it very readable, easily understandable, and well structured.It's not the book I was looking for though. What I was looking for is a book that can provide me pointers to learn to design user interfaces. Before even knowing how to improve an interface, for example, how do you judge its quality? That kind of questions, for current web interfaces or interfaces of applications. But I don't find that in this book, or it's buried too deep under all the background information.Probably, if you're in college or university, then getting all this background is a good thing. So I would recommend using this book in class, but not in a no-time-to-lose-how-do-I-fix-this kind of situation.

An excellent exposure to HCI and the Human Factors of Human Computer Interaction, this text begins in the shallow end of the pool and progresses in steps, to explain in depth concepts which range from the needs for HCI through software development life-cycle considerations and onward. For those having a requirement to understand and work with HCI, this is a good reference. It is by no means a thorough treatment of all aspects of HCI. Supplementing this reading with other works regarding Human Factors, Accessibility and Software Design Strategies are directions which radiate outward from what one might learn here. It's an excellent book on the topic and well worth the read. A novice or a seasoned professional can begin their exposure to HCI in the pages of this book and be well prepared to progress into more specific realms.

helped my daughter with school work since all her classes are online, nice to be able to get in the mail as to driving to the college

Great reading for all HCI enthusiasts. Dix et al are on point!

Considering this book was for Human Computer Interaction, or the course Interactive Systems Design, you'd think it'd be a little more interactive, however, its full of small text and few images/examples/charts.

Just as advertised.Thanks!

The more I read this book, the less I like it. A meaningful text in this area needs to balance theory with useful practical examples. This does not.The absolute worst parts of this tome is where the focus is on implementation. Implementation should include examples of coding an interface. But there are almost none. There is a chapter on implementation...with 0 examples of implementation. The irony here is that the few examples of implementation are scattered elsewhere throughout the book...and they are written in C. I have nothing against C, but I think most people would agree that choosing the most low-level 3GL in a book on interface design just doesn't make sense.The only reason I didn't give this 1 star is because it covers some of the theory behind interface design and evaluation fairly well. But even here, I would say the examples are rarely helpful. Many of the techniques are dated and have been improved since this book was released.You would be better off looking up tutorials online if you want to learn how to code interfaces in a specific language. If you're someone who learns better by practical examples, then this is not the book for you.

Let me begin by saying that years back I won an international award for something or other to do with contributions to ergonomics - the design of a computer system in fact. I looked at this book as a possible text for an undergraduate course I teach. This is a good book, despite the reviews, if you have the time the read it. It is thorough at the theoretical end and pretty damn thorough at that. If you want to know the history of HCI, recent and possible developments, this is a good book - but it is just too long for most undergrads and this is the main problem. Most undergrads believe that HCI is just pure waffle and in many cases that is unarguable - it takes the likes of Jef Raskin to restore some intellectual credibility to the area.One the major strikes against this book, and it isn't alone, is the lack of connection with actual software packages in common usage and the alleged 'software engineering' skills they require. For too long HCI books have operated at a distance from actual 'multimedia' software or else have assumed that everyone has a bespoke lab of geniuses under their arms when a novel tool is required. This book, despite the calibre of the authors, does nothing to challenge the "grandstanding" that defines most HCI. Over tweny years ago, when I worked on expert systems, there was a creeping scepticism about their practical value - a solution in search of a problem. I would have liked this book to have done more to convince me that this epithet is not applicable to HCI. I hope the next edition expresses that reassurance.

This should be required reading for anyone who builds a computer system for someone else to use. HCI is a complex subject, but it's laid out here really well. I've learned huge amounts from it that I'm using every day. Highly recommended!

This should be required reading for anyone who builds a computer system for someone else to use. HCI is a complex subject, but it's laid out here really well. I've learned huge amounts from it that I'm using every day. Highly recommended.

OK

I found this book very useful, especially in the section on task analysis

I used this book while studying my Msc. It's good for those who are interested in HCI even with a little background in computer, I assume.