Future Development, Culture - D1

   Culture

The ways in which people use computers

The ways in which people use computers in general have progressively changed over the years. This is due, that when they first came out. How they were used, was due to the how severely limited you in terms of what you could do with them? For instance voice control was rarely used in general let alone in computers, but now day you can headset/headphones which allow to do the basic voice control commands speaking via your MIC on your headphones or if you a MIC on its own. Another great advancement is the fact that you voice control for computer games such as HAWK, where you are the pilot you control the commands of where you want the troops/ platoons to go/ what you want them do.

Psychological and sociological impact (de-skilling work, impact in developing nation)

The sociological impact of society of using voice control is that could possibly be an advantage you are speaking verbally which in some ways train you still for when you speaking to other people., but this advantage can only be achieved when you are using voice control in a proper manner such as conversations not for video games.

Another point to take into consideration would be the psychological impact of voice control is that by using purely voice control as your command face, you could be de – skilling the society as you are using less of your brain to say a voice command, which then performs an action, rather than GUI you have to actually find the what you yourself which required at least a little bit of thinking. At the moment, voice control is still being developed and just emerging in, into the economy so we are only seeing and hearing fragments about it. So it’s still not the easiest technology to get used to and use, but when get to the stage where it is pretty much fully developed they will become a lot easier to use.

Future Development, Economy - D1

            Economy

Productivity per Individual

This would be down to quickly the organisations can produce the emerging technology of voice control and how exactly productive can it be. What would its functions and features, would the usability have been improved from other recent version that have come out before. Can really be applied to a practical purpose, then it just sounding that it could be the start of something.

Increase Automation

All of about how to make your company produce the same products, but to use to most cost effective method for instance an example of how this could be done would be by implements robots or robotic arms into your factory. As the advantage for the economy is that it will be saving money by making the already working staff members that aren’t needed, to be made redundant. However, having robotics arms/ robots and making staff members redundant, is an disadvantage due to making jobs increasingly more difficult due to machines. Can ruin business in a way, that when people have no jobs, they are low in money resulting in a decrease in spending money and shopping. Which businesses need in order to survive?

Varied Working Environment

This would be how Voice Control mechanisms adapt its self to different working environment for instance. Voice control may be excellent in quite place where there won’t be a lot of interferences such as noise and people speaking. A way in which that problem of being in a noisy place can be solved is if the MIC that speaks into has noise/ voice isolation, or if you have a direct cable which you speak into.

HCI on Culture - P1

Culture

The ways in which people use computers

The ways in which people use computers in general have progressively changed over the years. This is due, that when they first came out. How they were used, was due to the how severely limited you in terms of what you could do with them?  For instance, when Graphical User Interfaces, were first released into computers. Would be used primarily for work business based purposes or educational needs like schools and colleges. Now days, these PC are used for their sole purpose for writing reports, doing work and sending emails even. They are multi-purposed to be very lease said. Uses such as gaming, music, video, game and video making and many more. On all, as society has developed, so has the use for computers.

Psychological and sociological impact (de-skilling work, impact in developing nation)

The sociological impact in society is due to the ever using, use of computers. This would be down to today modern society, computers – Social Networking such as Facebook, MSN Messenger, Twitter etc. Are becoming the new social medium. It is for this reason, why the community are becoming more and more involved with staying indoors and communicating via computers. When instead, people should be going out and verbally speaking to each other whether it is going out or on the phone. As anything is better, then following the concept of texting, as instant messaging, face booking, msn and testing are categorised as the same thing.

Another point to think about would be the Psychological. The main thing which I would say for this would be that, with Desktop GUI’s becoming easier to use. There are reducing the fact to think, now as you could argue this is a good point when it is a good point as technology should be easier to use. This has a down effect, which is that you be making us into zombies with reducing thinking, using less brain power to solve common and simple  issues with computers. When the time does come where we could be tested, needed to think we might be stranded helpless due to the vast amount of time, not being needed to think. In other words, you are de – skilling the people within the communities.

HCI on the economy - P1

Economy

Productivity per Individual

This would be down to how quickly a business can produce the GUI products and productive can product – Desktop GUI, can be. For instance, the functions and features of this. How can each person maximise their usage from it.

Increase Automation

All of about how to make your company produce the same products, but to use to most cost effective method for instance an example of how this could be done would be by implements robots or robotic arms into your factory. As the advantage for the economy is that it will be saving money by making the already working staff members that arn’t needed, to be made redundant. However, having robotics arms/ robots and making staff members redundant, is an disadvantage due to making jobs increasingly more difficult due to machines. Can ruin business in a way, that when people have no jobs, they are low in money resulting in a decrease in spending money and shopping. Which businesses need in order to survive?

Varied working Environment

This would be how the Desktop GUIS can adapt its self to variable working environments, how useful and efficient does it prove to be. Would it run properly, can it work as good for large company as it would for a small organisation?

HCI on Society - P1

Society

Improved Usability

The improved usability of desktop Graphical User Interface, has made it easier to use more recent versions of Desktop Operating Systems being released. When they first came out, they were quite basic with a poor layout and design. Even though, it was still a visual graphical interface. Majority was still in words, which made it harder to learn and to use if you are a first timer.

The image above, is example of some Windows earliest OS's this is Windows 2.0. As you the icons aren't quite clear of what they are. So you can make it out by logic and others icon images are unique. As the GUI is simple, it could be made easier to use for the inexperienced users.

Image above, is example of Windows 7 OS. The icons are more graphical, they can be categorised to what you want to put each icon in and also more logical in relating the desktop icons to what they are. So you make it out clearly what icon is for what purpose.

However, the newer more recent versions have become more graphical and visual. This makes a lot easier to use. Another aspect, of how desktop GUI’s have improved the usability is by including new features which actually helps the user to work more efficiently, but with having to go through a great deal of process in order to do it. Example of this would be a newly added feature in Windows 7 called Snap. This allows the user to simultaneously put two windows together, whilst viewing them both on the screen.

 As you can see both screens are open, but when you click on the window, the other one will still stay visible.















Reason why this is easier to use because for "Snap" you can select any two windows, then drag them opposite from each other. Off the screen until they get automatically resized to fit half the screen. Where it does sound like a lot of steps to do in order to achieve this, its easier once shown and practised your-self, then having been told what to do.  Whereas, in previous OS such as Vista you had to manually resize your windows according to what size you want. Another problem is that the windows would over lay each other, causing you, to not be able the multiple windows which you have open.

The image above, is Windows XP OS and a common occurring problem which is "Overlapping Windows". As you can see, this would be the steps to only get where partially you would be by using snap. Having to manually resize the windows. So you can see all windows and still work on one, whilst viewing the others.

Specialised Interfaces
Specialised interfaces would be considered for multiple reasons of which who have disabilities/ disorders or the experienced users who want more of a challenge.

Firstly, for disability/ disordered users who may be visually impaired. There are features which meet the needs of this like Magnifier glass, so someone has weak vision they can zoom in on the text. Someone is colour blind, they can change the colour of the text accordingly to what they want.

Then, the other types of GUI would be ones that could take more time to get used to, but are for the more confident users. Example of these types of Desktop Graphical User Interfaces would be some of the free ones such as Linux – Ubuntu.

Complexity

The complexity of Desktop GUI has gotten simpler with newer and more recent versions coming out. They are becoming used to making their products, for novice users rather than the experience/ expert side. However, different OS’s have a different usability rating than others. For instance, Windows’s GUI would have a higher usability rating than others, as it one the most common operating system and has a larger audience/ user base which is why they have to make it very user friendly. 

Whereas, other popular brands of Operating Systems like MAC OS (Lion, Leopard) and Ubuntu are still relatively easy to use, but its the concept of changing what OS that you have gotten used to, to then changing to a whole different layout and design to what are usually familiar with. Then understanding and getting around the complexity of the OS and the GUI its self. Overall, the complexity for Desktop GUI’s having become more simpler throughout the times.

Future Development, Society - D1

Society
Improved Usability

To improve usability of voice control their several factors which could be done? Such as making the microphone on the phone for instance more sensitive to voice, increasing the sensitivity of the voice detection so you have to try to speak crystal clear just the device can understand what you are saying. Secondly, more descriptive feedback, rather than saying “error” or being silent. Saying “Sorry didn't understand what you are saying, if you could be louder and clearer”, just a preventative maintenance. To prevent that user, from make the same mistake again. Finally, before you activate/ use your product it could do a quick scan to see if the background, at where you are is too noisy or not a recommended environment for using this feature on due to air being unclear could to static or unclear voice.

Specialised Interfaces

This interface could be adapted for people who have visual impairments such as Colour Blindness, or weak vision people. A method which could be done for people who have colour blindness is make the colour icon/background or interface not any shade of green or red. So there will be no struggle/ eye strain with seeing the icon or using the interface. Also, for weak eye sight you make the interface text, icons perhaps larger the normal. For speech problems, perhaps auto adjusting the microphone in the device more flexible or a mode when they become understandable by the device.

In terms of hostile environment, it could that if the place where you are currently using your voice control device in is noisy. This could be caution, as it would be unclear of what you are saying to tbe

Microphone. Another hostile environment would be if the air in unclear, the voice signals could be interrupted causing a hesitation in the voice making it un clear to detect.

Complexity

The complexity of voice control mechanisms can be quite hard to get used to. The commands for tell the phone/ device what to do, can be hard to remember or tell. Using the voice control as well, sometimes you are limited to what the short cut speech command can be. Making it hard to remember what the short cut command is or even what even what the command does.