The thing I love about human computer interaction, or HCI, is that it’s ever changing. Throughout history, humans have evolved alongside our tools. Today, it seems that we share a closer bond than ever before.
I believe it’s healthy to examine the rules and beliefs we hold about our tools frequently and curiously. How have we adapted to our new environment, and how has our expectation changed? Many of the usability rules we adhered to were developed in the 1980s, and while the human principles from which they are derived have not drastically changed, it would be hubris to think our behaviours have not altered with time. Human technology based heavily upon our culture, and our culture has changed in the past decades.
The shifting gender roles have redefined how our technologies look, act, and feel based on an expanded user base of mixed genders and orientations. The growing ubiquity and acceptance of technology in our everyday lives has shifted the way we humans think, act, and look at technology. The myth of the geeky hacker still persist, but we have come to a broader understanding of what it means to be ‘connected’ as we spend more and more time online. Also changed is the majority’s mistrust towards technology as Internet connected phones and Smart devices have made their way into our personal lives.
We are not the same society which has been studied before. We are the generations that have lived with ubiquitous high-tech the longest than any other period in time. The amount of calculating power in our pocket or on our wrists is astonishing, and it’s only getting more powerful as our technological knowledge is catching up with our imaginations.
As a developer and designer, I know the challenges of working in an ever-changing environment. It’s stressful dealing with all the constant change. There’s something comforting about elevating the “tried-and-true” principles of design and usability to a deity of stability in our tremulous field. However, I believe this is the very thing we need not do. The challenges of old are still very much alive right now. Design is problem solving, and it is up to us to continue to solve the problems we are experiences now and anticipate the future. As new technologies arise, we have to remain adaptive to the new behaviours being developed in order to design for humans in our own time.