Preparation for Speaker Dr. Amy
HCI is a multidisciplinary field that studies how people design, implement and use computer technology and interactive systems. There are many disciplines that contribute to it: Computer Science, Psychology, Design, Sociology, Ergonomics/Human Factors, and Linguistics.
A system is useful when it fulfills a real need or solves a problem, while it is usable when it is easy and intuitive to operate. An app that can measure the exact temperature of a room in Kelvin, with obvious buttons and smooth navigation is usable, but for someone cooking a meal who needs the temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius, the app is not useful.
Something that could be slightly confusing to use in everyday life could be push/pull doors. Most of them have handles on both sides, which may create confusion as to when to push or pull. Rather than that, the doors could have a handle on the pull side and a flat metal plate on the push side.
A prototype is an early, testable model of a design that simulates how a final product works. Testing one with users helps in finding flaws early, saves money by not adding unwanted features, and provides data on how the product is used. Asking if someone likes a design will not tell you where they were struggling with it.
A voice user interface would allow people to control systems using spoken commands. This could help people like older adults with low vision or arthritis who struggle to see and click small buttons, people with disabilities that limit fine motor control in their hands, and even individuals who need to multitask while cooking or cleaning. You can test if it helps by measuring task completion time, error rate (how many times a command needs to be repeated or fixed), and user satisfaction.