human-computer interaction (HCI)
What It Means
Human-computer interaction (HCI) is the study and practice of designing how people interact with computers, software, and digital systems. It focuses on making technology intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly by understanding human behavior, cognitive limitations, and workflow patterns. HCI principles guide everything from button placement and menu design to voice commands and gesture controls.
Why Chief AI Officers Care
Poor HCI design in AI systems leads to user frustration, low adoption rates, and increased support costs that can derail AI initiatives. Well-designed AI interfaces reduce training time, minimize user errors, and increase productivity gains that justify AI investments. CAIOs must ensure AI tools integrate seamlessly into existing workflows rather than forcing users to adapt to clunky, unintuitive systems.
Real-World Example
A pharmaceutical company's AI drug discovery platform initially required researchers to input complex molecular formulas through text commands, leading to frequent errors and abandonment. After applying HCI principles, they redesigned it with visual drag-and-drop molecular building, contextual suggestions, and one-click parameter adjustments, resulting in 300% higher usage and significantly faster research cycles.
Common Confusion
People often think HCI is just about making things look pretty or user-friendly, but it's actually about understanding human psychology and workflow to design interactions that match how people naturally think and work. It's frequently confused with UI/UX design, but HCI is the broader science that informs those design decisions.
Industry-Specific Applications
See how this term applies to healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, tech, and insurance.
Healthcare: In healthcare, HCI is critical for designing electronic health records (EHRs), medical devices, and clinical decision su...
Finance: In finance, HCI is critical for designing trading platforms, mobile banking apps, and risk management dashboards that en...
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- 6 industry-specific applications
- Relevant regulations by sector
- Real compliance scenarios
- Implementation guidance
Technical Definitions
NISTNational Institute of Standards and Technology
"methods and approaches for designing and architecting user interfaces and the interactions between humans and computer (or information) technology."Source: Poore_Lawrence_ARLIS_2023-01
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