Human Computer Interaction Research in the

MIS Discipline

HCI Panel AMCIS ’02Dr. Jane M. Carey

Definition of HCI

“Human Factors in IS (HCI) is the scientific study of the interaction between people, computers, and the work environment. The knowledge gained from this study is used to create information systems and work environments which help to make people more productive and more satisfied with their work life.” (Beard & Peterson, 1988)

Consensus definition from the HFIS Symposia series

Mason & Mitroff (1983)- MIS Relational Triad

DecisionMaking Environment

HumanCharacteristics

InformationalAttributes

Man

/Mach

ine In

terfa

ce

Cognitive stylePsychological typeCommunication skillsInformational needsUser experienceUser attitude

Organizational contextProblem typeLeadership style of orgHierarchical level of DMUncertainty & risk

Scope ,TimelinessMode of presentation,Horizon, AccuracyFormat, Value

Huber, Management Science 1983

“Cognitive Style as a basis for MIS and DSS designs: Much ado about nothing?”This article had a dampening effect on studying human computer interaction due to the prestige of Management Science and the limited means available to measure cognitive style at the time At the time, most MIS researchers studying human/computer interaction used Myers/Briggs type indicator to measure CS

Referent Disciplines for HCI

ManagementTheory

Psychology

MIS/Computer Science

Human FactorsEngineering – Ergonomics

Organizational Behavior

HFIS Symposia Series (1986-1997)

Models of HCI

USER

IS ProfessionalComputer

Organization

Human/ComputerInteraction

InformationPresentation

Interface SpecificationTools

System/UserCommunication(Documentation)

End UserInvolvement

A Model of HCILong & Whitfield (1989)

Real World Science SupportRepresentations

People

Computers

Other

+

+

Intermediary Representations

AcquisitionRepresentation

AcquisitionRepresentation

Human Science

ComputerScience

OtherScience

Analyze Generalize

ParticularizeSynthesize

Research Agenda for HCILewis (1990)

1. Understand user goals and preferences (interface design theory)2. Broaden applied cognitive theory (problem representation)3. Support innovation (technology to support interface design)4. Credit assignment (measure the impact of interface design on performance)

HCI Independent & Dependent Variables

Independent Dependent

User/Analyst Interface Characteristics

Performance

1. IndirectA. AptitudeB. AttitudeC. Decision Style

1. Content 1. Decision Effectiveness

A. AccuracyB. TimelinessC. QualityD. Confidence

2. DirectA. TrainingB. ExperienceC. Involvement

2. Form 2. Satisfaction

3. Decision SettingA. TaskB. Management

LevelC. UncertaintyD. TimelinessE.

Structuredness

F. Context

3. Presentation 3. LearningA. EaseB. Time

4. Media 4. System Responsiveness

5. Context 5. Speed of use

6. Error rate

Measurement Issues in HCINewsted, Todd, & Zmud, 1997

Theories require constructs & constructs require measurement, therefore no theory without measurementDefinitional concerns (conceptual ambiguity and conceptual overlap)Concerns with construct-context interaction (such as the tight construct-context linkage in task performance)Zmud & Boynton criteria for instrumentation

Multiple-item scaleAbility to find and use an instrumentDescription in refereed sourceAssessment of psychometric properties

Classifying measuresOutcome versus process measuresPerceptual versus behavioral measuresObtrusive versus non-obtrusive measuresQualitative versus Quantitative measures

Instrument validation for experimentation

Construct validationManipulation & measurementCovariate measurementExperimenter effectsOnline data capture

Conclusion – HCI measures are improving, but have a long way to go

Measurement Issues in HCINewsted, Todd, & Zmud, 1997