Grand Challenges in Future Interaction

User interface design is a Grand Challenge of computer science. User interface design is an art, not yet a discipline. Although lots of work has been done, there is no systematic integration of the contributing ideas, whether from psychology, computer science or other disciplines. There is no way of predicting whether a user interface design will be any good: will it be intuitive, efficient, robust, helpful, rich or enjoyable, will it diagnose errors and facilitate recovery from errors? In FIT Lab, we are pursuing this Grand Challenge.

The FIT Lab mission is to explore and apply advanced computer science to make interaction technologies dependable, enjoyable and effective. Interaction technologies include mobile devices, the web, web 2.0, implants, home TVs, microwave cookers, ticket machines, navigational aids, etc.

User interface design is one of three Grand Challenges identified by Frederick P. Brooks in his classic paper: "Three great challenges for half-century-old computer science," Journal of the ACM, 50(1):pp25-26, 2003. Brooks says the challenge is to integrate the disparate bodies of knowledge that contribute to user interface design into a coherent discipline of design.

Future Interaction Technology Lab
Swansea University
SWANSEA
Wales, SA2 8PP

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