My goal for this video was to provide a brief history of Human Computer Interaction by highlighting some of the biggest advancements in the field over the last 70 years. Obviously, the video contains many themes from the Digital Humanity course but I also wanted it to be able to stand on its own and be a resource for anyone interested in an introduction to HCI. The filming style was heavily influenced by Casey Neistat along with my use of animation and choice of music.
Advancements in HCI not only affect the way in which we use computers but they also affect who is able to use them. In my video, I talk about how new technologies allow both younger and older generations to understand and use computers. In addition, new advancements are being made which allow people with disabilities, who can't use a mouse and keyboard, to use computers. I thought that it was important to begin my discussion of HCI with the ENIAC even though we did not think about ENIAC in terms of HCI much. Because of the way ENIAC needed to be operated by multiple people, and the fact that plugging cables into a machine is not an intuitive way to interact with a computer, personal computing would have been impossible without advancements in HCI technology. While it may seem as though I discard the mouse in exchange for a touchscreen in the video, I still believe that Doug Englebart’s invention was the most important to HCI history. The computer mouse is brilliant because it is easily understood. It is also so significant because of the fact that it is still integral to computing today. More and more people are gaining access to computers because of advancements in HCI and I think that's a freeing experience for those people. In addition, these advancements are freeing in the way that they seamlessly integrate these technologies into our lives. Using a touchscreen is more freeing than being constrained by a mouse, and using voice control is more freeing than typing on a keyboard.