Introduction: Toward a Multidisciplinary Science of Human-Computer Interaction

This chapter provides a pedagogical survey for the multidisciplinary science of human-computer interaction (HCI). HCI lies at the intersection between the social and behavioral sciences on one hand, and computer and information technology on the other. It is the fastest growing, and the most visible, part of computer science. HCI professionals analyze and design user interfaces and new user-interface technologies. They also integrate and evaluate applications of technology to support human activities. HCI has developed a large variety of methods for understanding the tasks and work practices of people and their organizations in ways that help frame new possibilities for computer support and that then help assess the obtained utility and usability of devices and systems. HCI work produced notations and tools for design rationale and organizational memory, and concepts and methods for user-centered design and scenario-based design. HCI has become a primary test bed for broad innovations in design methods, participatory design, and ethnographically driven design.