Instructors:
Keith A. Butler, Microsoft
Robert J.K. Jacob, Tufts University
David Kieras, University of Michigan
Benefits:
This course is intended to give newcomers enough background in the field of HCI to
make their conference experience much more meaningful. It provides a framework to
understand how the various topics are related to research and practice. It is a triedand-
true introduction and has become a CHI conference tradition.
Origins:
This course has evolved, based on feedback from the attendees, as we have given it
each year at CHI since CHI’92.
Features:
- What is HCI and why is it important?
- Brief history of HCI
- Introduction to building usable systems
- Introduction to the psychology of HCI
- Introduction to computer technologies for HCI
- Future directions of HCI
- Where to learn more in the published HCI literature
Audience:
Mainly first-time CHI attendees, typically professionals from computing-related fields
who are new to the field of human-computer interaction. No background in HCI is
assumed.
Presentation:
Mostly lecture.
Instructors’ Background:
Keith Butler is Director for User Experience in Global Service Automation at Microsoft
and is one of the originators of Usability Engineering.
Robert Jacob is Professor of Computer Science at Tufts University, where his research interests are new interaction media and techniques and user interface software. David Kieras is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, where he holds a joint appointment in Psychology.
