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HCI VISTAS, VOLUME-I, 2005-2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Article INSP-3./Feb. 2006 |
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It is difficult to even trace the footprints of the experts (Gurus) in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Usability domain. But it is useful to study how they evolved and compare the trends of HCI education in past and present. The list of HCI Gurus is not limited to what has been enlisted below (refer the hyperlinked profiles of the experts). There are many of them. I could find out the profiles of some HCI experts who are familiar to me through their books and research papers. Before stating my observations in this article, I express an apology in advance if I have misquoted or missed out some information about anyone, as I have highest regard for all of them. The readers may write to me if any correction is required. I will be happy to incorporate it. What we can realize through such study is that Ph.D. research helps in the formalization of the syllabus for Master's Degree programs and then the syllabus for Bachelor's degree programs. Though students go through it in reverse order. The reason why I am stating this is because undergraduate programs in interaction design are required.
Let us look at the first generation of HCI Gurus, which started impacting sometime in 1960 (approximately). If you look at their academic profiles, what you find is that all of them began their basic degree education when computers were in the primitive stage. May be most of them had no clue that they would eventually try to bridge the gap between human and computer. It is very evident, as most of them have their basic degrees in diverse subjects like psychology, electrical engineering, mathematics, molecular biology, fine arts, sociology, etc. Although, there seems to be greater number of electrical engineers, computer scientists and psychologists, who dominated the evolution of HCI. Apparently there are negligible number of fine artists and visual designers who eventually landed up in HCI domain. There are very few who did Ph.D. research that directly related to HCI. But of course their scientific research has laid the foundations for human centric evolution of computers. This generation included HCI experts like Vannevar Bush, Ivan Sutherland, Douglas Engelbart, Alan Kay, Ben Shneiderman, Aaron Marcus, John Caroll, Barry Wellman and several other great technologists.
Post 1980 (approximately), you see another generation of HCI experts, who also began their education from different corners but their Ph.D. research is related to HCI. This generation of researchers had access to much more interactive computers and it includes experts like Jacob Neilson, Alan cooper, Thomas Erickson, etc. You also have many who did Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science in this era, unlike the earlier generations. Among the most familiar names to me, Brenda Laurel is one of the few fine artists whose Ph.D. dissertation relates to interaction design.
The first generation had a much tougher task, as the basic knowledge of HCI and the interactive computing systems was non-existent. They had to create it. The second generation of experts has immensely contributed to technology enrichment, process development, techniques and methods for practitioners. A lot of documented experiments, case studies and research material are now available. Now researchers and academicians are trying to put together the syllabus for teaching HCI to students. It is only very recently, we are beginning to see professionals having a master's degree in Human Factors or User Interface Design (though in very small number). By 2010, we might get to see the professionals who would have studied and specialized in HCI throughout their academic career (UG, PG, Ph.D....).
Currently, the third generation of HCI experts is in the evolving stage.
Let us look at the Indian scenario.
There is greater dominance of fine artists, visual designersand industrial designers in the HCI domain.You hardly have any psychologistsand computer scientists directly contributing to HCI.I feel very concerned due to this imbalance. Or may be it is the sign of maturation of technology as Donald Norman puts it 'cinematography never flourished until engineers lost its control to artists'. May be it is happening to interactive computing. There are a few computer scientists and linguists who are working on speech recognition, text-to-speech and multi-lingual technologies, but I suspect whether they have any awareness of HCI domain.
I hope that this article will help the third generation of HCI experts in positioning and orienting their efforts. If else, at least the readers will have the benefit of studying the profiles of HCI Gurus. For me, it is my humble tribute to them!
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