HCI task 9

We have gone from just using a keyboard, to using a wide range of devices to interact with computer systems which have undergone a large amount of development to make them what we know today, these include:
    • screens
    • keyboards
    • pointing devices
    • speech recognition
    • virtual reality, augmented reality
    • artificial intelligence systems
    • modern gaming controllers
    • 3D interfaces
    • thought input
    • moving from desktops to surface books

screens:
we have gone from CRT screens with very few colours to LED based screens with a larger amount of colour display, so UI’s have become more colourful. We have also started using higher resolutions and refresh rates to make the contents of the screen be much nicer.

WE have also gone from needing to use a mouse to navigate the OS, because we now can use touch screen technology, this makes the users experience more immersive as there is more interaction between the user and the system.

Keyboards:

we have gone from spring based keyboards, to membrane and mechanical based keyboards, these use switch’s and metal braces to allow for key presses rather then a spring.

Some keyboards come with a trackpad build in, and keyboards have become a lot more ergonomic by having a curve or being made to fit the users needs.

Keys are no longer made from metal (in most keyboards though in some they are still metal, as its coming back into fashion in the PC world) instead they are now made from plastic.

Pointing devices:
We have gone from just a keyboard and no pointing device to a large amount of pointing devices and these have developed along the way.

Mice have developed a lot, they have gone from just 2 buttons and a laser to a scroll wheel , and more buttons (on gaming mice).

Track-pad's have been introduced into laptops to make it more assessable to users, they have also gone from having buttons externally to have them integrated in to the bottom corners, allowing laptops to get smaller.

Track-points have been introduced into Lenovo Think-pads to allow for faster navigation, which makes it a lot more assessable to users, also as its integrated into keyboards.

Speech recognition:
we have gone from using a single microphone in windows say, which requires you to be at a particular angle for it to work, which isn't very accessible or easy to use, to using surround microphone in things like amazon echo, which means it can be used anywhere from within the room. Speech recognition can also work with a larger amount of voices and frequencies so if your voice were to change slightly due to illness etc., then you can still use the device.