HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION

 

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is the study of interaction between people and computers. It is often regarded as the intersection of computer science, behavioral sciences, design and several other fields of study.

Interaction between users and computers occurs at the user interface which includes both software and hardware; for example, characters or objects displayed by software on a personal computer’s monitor, input received from users via hardware peripherals such as keyboards and mice, and other user interactions with large-scale computerized systems such as aircraft and power plants. The Association for Computing Machinery defines human-computer interaction as “a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them”.

Some principles of display design. Displays are human-made artifacts designed to support the perception of relevant system variables and to facilitate further processing of that information. These principles of human perception and information processing can be utilized to create an effective display design. A reduction in errors, a reduction in required training time, an increase in efficiency, and an increase in user satisfaction are a few of the many potential benefits that can be achieved through utilization of these principles:

1) Similarity causes confusion: Use discriminable elements. Signals that appear to be similar will likely be confused. The ratio of similar features to different features causes signals to be similar. For example, A423B9 is more similar to A423B8 than 92 is to 93. Unnecessary similar features should be removed and dissimilar features should be highlighted.

2) Principle of multiple resources. A user can more easily process information across different resources. For example, visual and auditory information can be presented simultaneously rather than presenting all visual or all auditory information.

3) Replace memory with visual information: knowledge in the world. A user should not need to retain important information solely in working memory or retrieve it from long-term memory. A menu, checklist, or another display can aid the user by easing the use of their memory.

4) Principle of consistency. Old habits from other displays will easily transfer to support processing of new displays if they are designed consistently. A user’s long-term memory will trigger actions that are expected to be appropriate. A design must accept this fact and utilize consistency among different displays.

Because human-computer interaction studies a human and a machine in conjunction, it draws from supporting knowledge on both the machine and the human side. On the machine side, techniques in computer graphics, operating systems, programming languages, and development environments are relevant. On the human side, communication theory, graphic and industrial design disciplines, linguistics, social sciences, cognitive psychology, and human factors are relevant. Engineering and design methods are also relevant.

Attention to human-machine interaction is important, because poorly designed human-machine interfaces can lead to many unexpected problems. A classic example of this is the “Three Mile Island” accident where investigations concluded that the design of the human-machine interface was at least partially responsible for the disaster. Similarly, accidents in aviation have resulted from manufacturers’ decisions to use non-standard flight instrument: even though the new designs were proposed to be superior in regards to basic human-machine interaction, pilots had already ingrained the “standard” layout , and thus the conceptually good idea actually had undesirable results.

 

Слова и выражения для сдачи наизусть:

1. human-computer interaction –       взаимодействие человека и компьютера            

2. behavioral science –                       наука о поведении

3. software and hardware –               программные и аппаратные средства; программно-

                                                             аппаратный комплекс

4. large-scale computerized system – широкомасштабная автоматизированная система

5. power plant –                                 электростанция; электроэнергетическая установка

6. Association for Computing Machinery – (США) Ассоциация специалистов по

                                                             вычислительной технике (профессиональная

                                                             ассоциация предприятий, ведущих деятельность в

                                                             сфере компьютерных технологий)

7. implementation of interactive computing system – применение интерактивной

                                                                             вычислительной системы

8. to facilitate further processing –    упрощать дальнейшую обработку (информации)   

9. to achieve potential benefits –       достигать потенциальной выгоды

10. discriminable elements –                распознаваемые элементы

11. to remove unnecessary features –  удалять ненужные элементы

12. visual and auditory information –  визуальная и слуховая информация

13. to retrieve information from long-term memory – получать / извлекать информацию

                                                                             из долговременной памяти

14. principle of consistency –              принцип последовательности / согласованности

15. in conjunction –                             в связи; во взаимодействии

16. development environment –          среда разработки; проектная среда

17. relevant –                                       важный; целесообразный

18. industrial design discipline –         дисциплина, изучающая промышленное

                                                             проектирование

19. cognitive psychology –                  психология познания

20. attention to human-machine interaction – внимание к взаимодействию человека

                                                                  и компьютера

21. to lead to unexpected problems -   привести к неожиданным проблемам

22. Three Mile Island –          АЭС Три Майл Айленд (остров в американском штате Пенсильвания, на котором расположена АЭС, где в марте 1979 г. произошла серьезная авария с расплавлением тепловыделяющих элементов и выбросом радиоактивных газов в результате ошибок персонала и неисправности оборудования)

23. to use non-standard flight instrument – использовать нестандартные навигационные

                                                             приборы 

24. in regards to –                                по отношению к

25. to ingrain the “standard” layout – (зд .) применить стандартное решение

26. undesirable results –                       нежелательные результаты    

      

Text 3 . HOME READING № 3 (семестр 3).

P OWER ENGINEERING

  Power engineering, also called power systems engineering, is a subfield of engineering that deals with the generation, transmission and distribution of electric power as well as the electrical devices connected to such systems including generators, motors and transformers. Although much of the field is concerned with the problems of three-phase AC power – the standard for large-scale power transmission and distribution across the modern world – a significant fraction of the field is concerned with the conversion between AC and DC power as well as the development of specialized power systems such as those used in aircraft or for electric railway networks.

  The power grid is an electrical network that connects a variety of electric generators to the users of electric power. Users purchase electricity from the grid avoiding the costly exercise of having to generate their own. Power engineers may work on the design and maintenance of the power grid as well as the power systems that connect to it. Such systems are called on-grid power systems and may supply the grid with additional power, draw power from the grid or do both.

Power engineers may also work on systems that do not connect to the grid. These systems are called off-grid power systems and may be used in preference to on-grid systems for a variety of reasons. For example, in remote locations it may be cheaper for a mine to generate its own power rather than pay for connection to the grid and in most mobile applications connection to the grid is simply not practical.

  Today, most grids adopt three-phase electric power with alternating current. This choice can be partly attributed to the ease with which this type of power can be generated, transformed and used. Often (especially in the USA), the power is split before it reaches residential customers whose low-power appliances rely upon single-phase electric power. However, many larger industries and organizations still prefer to receive the three-phase power directly because it can be used to drive highly efficient electric motors such as three-phase induction motors.

  Transformers play an important role in power transmission because they allow power to be converted to and from higher voltages. This is important because higher voltages suffer less power loss during transmission. This is because higher voltages allow for lower current to deliver the same amount of power, as power is the product of the two. Thus, as the voltage steps up, the current steps down. It is the current flowing through the components that result in both the losses and the subsequent heating. These losses, appearing in the form of heat, are equal to the current squared times, the electrical resistance through which the current flows, so as the voltage goes up, the losses are dramatically reduced.

  For these reasons, electrical substations exist throughout power grids to convert power to higher voltages before transmission and to lower voltages suitable for appliances after transmission.

Слова и выражения для сдачи наизусть:

1. power engineering (= power systems engineering) – электроэнергетика

2. engineering –                                  инженерное дело

3. generation, transmission and distribution of electric power – производство, передача

                                                                                         и распределение электроэнергии

4. the field is concerned with … –         данная область связаны с …

5. three-phase AC power (Alternating Current) – трёхфазное электропитание

                                                             переменного тока

6. DC power (Direct Current) –        питание постоянного тока                 

7. electric railway network –         сеть электрических железных дорог 

8. costly exercise –                             дорогостоящая практика

9. power engineer –                            инженер-энергетик

10. to work on the design and maintenance – работать на проектированием и технической

                                                             эксплуатацией

11. on-grid power system –                 внутрисетевая энергосистема

12. to supply with additional power – обеспечивать дополнительной электроэнергией

13. off-grid power system –                автономная энергосистема

14. in preference to … –                      отдавая предпочтение …

15. for a variety [və`raɪətɪ] of reasons – по разным причинам

16. in remote locations –                      в отдалённых пунктах

17. to adopt with alternating current – применять переменный ток

18. residential customers –                   бытовые потребители

19. low-power appliance –                   приборы с низкой мощностью

20. to rely upon … –                           брать за основу

21. to drive highly efficient electric motor – приводить в действие электродвигатель высокой

                                                             мощности

22. power transmission –                     передача электроэнергии

23. higher voltage –                             высокое напряжение

24. power loss –                                   потеря электроснабжения

25. subsequent heating –                      последующий нагрев

26. electrical resistance –                     сопротивление электрическому току;

                                                             (геофиз.) удельное сопротивление

27. the losses are reduced –                 потери снижаются                              

28. suitable for appliances –                подходящий для электрических бытовых приборов