Chapter 1: My Vision Isn’t My Vision: Making a Career Out of Getting Back to Where I Started
William Buxton, Microsoft Research, Toronto, Canada
J.K. Pulfer, 1971: "Man-Machine Interaction in Creative Applications"
Chapter Summary:
This chapter was about a musician's first experience of developing music using a computer. He was never interested or intrigued by computers. However, when he did use computer for making music for the first time, he was completely impressed by it and how it was very easy to use. The author wants to emphasize that since a non technical person from a non computer science background was able to use it with complete ease, the software and design of the computer was really a masterpiece of the early day HCI.
Discussion:
The incidence mentioned in the essay was the beginning of the computers being used in various different fields. The aim was to make it really easy to use, understand and learn for users who had never used a computer before and the designers were successful. This shows the significance of good design in the field of HCI.
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Chapter 4: Drawing on SketchPad: Reflections on Computer Science and HCI
Joseph A. Konstan. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
I. Sutherland, 1963: "SketchPad: A Man-Machine Graphical Communication System"
Chapter Summary:
In the essay, the author describes the features of the SketchPad. He believes it was the birth of the computer-aided drawing programs like CAD. Furthermore, the author also expresses that the field of computer science has greatly advanced today because HCI was a part of computer science field. Without HCI computer would have applications limited to computation.
Discussion:
I completely agree with the author about HCI being the part of the computer science area. I also agree that today computers are so common and have various applications due to advancement in HCI, without which there would be a barrier between people ad the computers and only a selected few would be able to use it.
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Chapter 5: The Mouse, the Demo, and the Big Idea
Wendy Ju. Standford University, Standford, California.
D. Englebart, 1968: "The oNLine System (NLS) Demo"
Chapter Summary:
In this essay, the author talks about the invention of the mouse. She talks about how it changed the way people interacted with computers. Furthermore, she explains the importance of demonstrations and how it can impact the audience. The audience can not grasp the idea and may not welcome it unless they actually see a demo. To emphasize the effect that demos have on the people, she states that it was the demo of the mouse that led the author to make a vital career decision.
Discussion:
Demos indeed can change perspectives of the people and what they think. Many people might have great ideas, but demos serve as a proof that idea can be converted into something that works. Demos instantly convince the audience. Demos help the audience to measure the "awesomeness" of the idea. Something that can't be measured, doesn't exist at all.
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Chapter 18: Observing Collaboration: Group-Centered Design
Saul Greenberg. University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
J. Tang, 1989: "Listing, Drawing, and Gesturing in Design: A Study of the Use of Shared Workspaces by Design Teams."
Chapter Summary:
The author talks about the idea of virtual white boards, how people in a group can draw and write information on their personal touch screen tablets and share it with everyone else in the group. He talks about the early research and studies in this area and how people reacted to such ideas. The essay talks about the impact these notions had on the evolution of shared workspace.
Discussion:
I believe this was a giant leap forward in the field of HCI. It was because of this research that we have online white boards and other conferencing tools that help us interact and work on shared workspaces even though the people are thousands of miles apart. This concept has a major contribution to make the idea of "work-from-home" a reality.
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Chapter 20: Taking Articulation Work Seriously
Geraldine Fitzpatrick. University of Sussex, Brighton, U.K.
K. Schmidt, and L. Bannon, 1992: "Taking CSCW Seriously: Supporting Articulation Work."
Chapter Summary:
The author talks about the importance of articulation work in the area of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). This was one of the early ideas of usage of technology to support people in their work. The author states that the idea of articulation work came from Anslem Strauss.
Discussion:
I thought the essay was a bit ambiguous to understand. It was probably too technical and lacked examples. I could understand what the essay tried to convey, but I would've been more convinced with the author's opinion if it was put in a more lucid way and had some examples.
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Chapter 23: Video, Toys, and Beyond Being There
Brian K. Smith. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
J. Hollan and S. Stornetta, 1992: "Beyond Being There."
Chapter Summary:
By the words "being there", the author refers to the communication via teleconferencing. Even though the people are thousands of miles apart, they can talk as if they are talking face to face. It is interesting how computers have bridged the gap and has brought the world close together. Due to such communication tools, the authors mother was able to spend time with her granddaughter, even when the author's mother was in chemotherapy.
Discussion:
The main point of the essay is to explain the application of the technology to improve human experience, to make communication faster and easier. In the essay, the grandmother could actually see her granddaughter's birth and her her grand daughter playing with her doll, which definitely made the grandmother happy.
Even though the communication technology made this possible, I don't believe that the technological experience will be anywhere close to an actual meeting. Personal relationships can not be developed without meeting a person face to face. Thus, I believe that the author's idea of "beyond being there" has limitations that can't be broken.
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