czinngra@skat.usc.edu (Claude Zinngrabe) (06/12/91)
This newsgroup only recently appeared at my site; apparently it has just recently been formed. Could someone please explain to me the purpose/intent of this newsgroup?? Thanx in advance, Claude J. Zinngrabe, III MicroComuputer Consultant University of Southern California
balg0514@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Brian Allen Levine) (06/12/91)
czinngra@skat.usc.edu (Claude Zinngrabe) writes: >This newsgroup only recently appeared at my site; apparently it has >just recently been formed. Could someone please explain to me the >purpose/intent of this newsgroup?? >Thanx in advance, >Claude J. Zinngrabe, III >MicroComuputer Consultant >University of Southern California ////////// Xref: ux1.cso.uiuc.edu news.announce.newgroups:1126 news.groups:20755 alt.hypertext:593 comp.cog-eng:728 comp.graphics:11459 comp.windows.misc:934 comp.software-eng:3962 Newsgroups: news.announce.newgroups,news.groups,alt.hypertext,comp.cog-eng,comp.graphics,comp.windows.misc,comp.software-eng Path: ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!news.cs.indiana.edu!bronze!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!bounce-back From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk> Subject: RESULT: comp.human-factors passes 370: 35 Message-ID: <j4qh.1_@rpi.edu> Followup-To: news.groups Keywords: HCI, human-computer interaction, user interface design Sender: tale@cs.rpi.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: cs.rpi.edu Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK. Date: 2 Jun 91 06:02:35 GMT Approved: tale@rpi.edu Lines: 505 RESULTS: YES votes: 370 NO votes: 35 This satisfies the requirements for newsgroup creation. (That is, "2/3 majority in favour" and "100 more yes votes than no votes".) Below is the charter and a list of all votes received. PURPOSE/CHARTER: comp.human-factors To provide a forum for discussion of general issues relating to human-computer interaction (HCI) and human factors. HCI is an extremely broad topic. Examples of possible subjects for discussion include: * Design of keyboards, mice, joysticks. * Choice of command names and parameter syntax, and the effect on the number of mistakes users make. * Design of effective symbols for communicating information. * Control relations for scroll bars, switches and so on. * Use of Agents for representing semi-autonomous processes. * Use of colour in user interface design. * Methods for prototyping user interfaces. * How to evaluate the effectiveness of a user interface. * Designing effective dialogues for interactive programs. * Possible new forms of feedback -- sound, smell, touch. * Customizability vs. stability. At present, such discussions are scattered amongst the existing comp.* groups. STATUS OF NEWSGROUP: unmoderated ////////// The above is a copy of the note that announced the creation of this group. For the sake of brevity, I've deleted the list of folks who voted. This helps me, so I thought it might help others too... -- Brian A. Levine | Bitnet: brianlev@uiucvmd University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | Internet: brianlev@uiuc.edu Department of Educational Psychology | balg0514@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
ashbya@rtsg.mot.com (Adam J. Ashby) (06/13/91)
In article <33519@usc.edu>, czinngra@skat.usc.edu (Claude Zinngrabe) writes:
Claude> This newsgroup only recently appeared at my site; apparently it has
Claude> just recently been formed. Could someone please explain to me the
Claude> purpose/intent of this newsgroup??
I think that you will find that it has been created to discuss the 'human
factor' involved in computing.
Just a wild guess.
--
*****************************************************************************
If it sounds like I know what I am talking about, its accidental.
Adam Ashby ...!uunet!motcid!ashbya +1 708 632 7271asylvain@felix.UUCP (Alvin "the Chipmunk" Sylvain) (06/14/91)
Written in article <33519@usc.edu>
by czinngra@skat.usc.edu (Claude Zinngrabe):
> This newsgroup only recently appeared at my site;
Ditto.
> apparently it has just recently been formed.
Reasonable assumption.
> Could someone please explain to me the
> purpose/intent of this newsgroup??
I'd venture to guess that it's a forum to discuss ways of making
machinery, equipment and systems more easily operated by the intended
users.
For example, giving an old HP-35 calculator with Reverse-Polish-Notation
to a secretary is probably a big mistake. (I think it's a mistake for
engineers, too, but that's only MHO.)
In the same vein, they used to make some 4-function calculators based on
the accountant's model. This means, instead of pressing 4 - 2 =, the user
must press 4 + 2 - *. Sometimes the keys were combined for a running
subtotal, ie., +/= and -/=. eg: 4 +/= 5 +/= 10 +/= 3 -/= 4 +/=
shows: 4 9 19 16 20
My sister had one of these, with the +/= combined. When she entered
4 -/= 2 +/= (thinking she was entering 4 - 2 =) she get a -2 result!
Of course, she ignored the sign, a dangerous practice at best ... but
adequate to her needs.
It seems timely to me, since I just finished ranting and raving in
misc.consumers and rec.tv about how stupidly designed most TV and VCR
remote controls are. My TV remote, for example, has a matrix of 9 x 3
identical buttons on it, with no particular rhyme or reason for their
placement. If you're aiming for VOLUME-DOWN, you could easily miss and
hit the button that switches it from TV tuning to Cable-TV tuning.
Further, most remotes have no mechanism for viewing in the dark, when
probably at least of third of TV viewing is done with the lights off.
I won't even get into the problem of setting the controls on a VCR! Is
it any wonder probably two thirds of the VCRs in the nation have "12:00"
blinking on and off?
Somebody posted that he didn't feel sorry for people who were too
"stupid" to program a VCR. My response is that the machinery must be
made to adapt to the people, not the other way around.
That, I assume, is what this newsgroup is about.
--
Alvin ===== asylvain@felix.UUCP ===== hplabs!felix!asylvain =====
"hplabs!felix!asylvain"@uunet.uu.net
(I always try to respond to mail, if possible. If you don't hear back
from me, try changing "hplabs" to "ccicpg," "spsd," or "lawnet.")
DISCLAIMER: It's all in fun, folks, no flames intended. Any similarity
between my opinion and that of my employer is purely coincidental and
sufficient reason to change my opinion, although I'll still be right.mathew@mantis.co.uk (Giving C News a *HUG*) (06/14/91)
In article <33519@usc.edu>, czinngra@skat.usc.edu (Claude Zinngrabe) writes: > This newsgroup only recently appeared at my site; apparently it has > just recently been formed. Could someone please explain to me the > purpose/intent of this newsgroup?? Here's the charter from the original call for votes I posted: === STATUS OF NEWSGROUP: unmoderated PURPOSE/CHARTER: To provide a forum for discussion of general issues relating to human-computer interaction (HCI) and human factors. HCI issues are currently discussed in a number of newsgroups, and are relevant to discussions in: alt.hypertext comp.infosystems alt.toolkits.xview comp.multimedia comp.cog-eng comp.software-eng comp.graphics comp.windows.* comp.groupware HCI is an extremely broad topic. Examples of possible subjects for discussion include: * Design of keyboards, mice, joysticks. * Choice of command names and parameter syntax, and the effect on the number of mistakes users make. * Design of effective symbols for communicating information. * Control relations for scroll bars, switches and so on. * Use of Agents for representing semi-autonomous processes. * Use of colour in user interface design. * Methods for prototyping user interfaces. * How to evaluate the effectiveness of a user interface. * Designing effective dialogues for interactive programs. * Possible new forms of feedback -- sound, smell, touch. * Customizability vs. stability. At present, such discussions are scattered amongst the existing comp.* groups. WHAT THE NEWSGROUP IS *NOT*: The newsgroup is NOT intended for discussion of topics specific to particular window systems and not illustrating any general point; such discussion should take place in the existing comp.windows groups. Nor is it intended as a place where people can preach the virtues of their favourite windowing system. The newsgroup is also not intended for human-factors discussion which is not relevant to the field of computing. === mathew