Impacts of HCI on Culture

How People Use Computers

Laptops

Laptops have allowed activities on computer systems to take place while the user is mobile, such as on an aeroplane or outside where there are no desktop computers. Due to this portability they increase the possibility of communication wherever the user might be, with Wi-Fi and satellite internet connections, through software such as Skype (VOIP) and Facebook (social networking). This has an impact on culture in a number of ways. It allows news and opinions that would not otherwise be displayed to some cultures to reach those people and as a result possible change the culture in which they live, as well as allowing freedom of communication between different cultures and societies with language translators installed on laptops allowing people to communicate with different cultures, and maybe change their culture because of this. 

Games

Video games are a form of electronic entertainment involving the user to input data and information such as where to move and receives in return an entertaining output such as the controlled object moving around the screen on a computer. Games have not allow affected the existing cultures by creating new ways of communication of socialising within that culture group but have created an entirely new culture based around playing games. This culture has become widely adopted by many people due to its promotion of social entertainment, team building and competitiveness. Games also allow communication between different cultures through the internet. This means people from different cultures that may not be aware of each other are now able to communicate through this medium to express and engage their cultural ideas and methodology. 

Domestic Appliances

HCI and domestic appliances have developed with the need of people being able to communicate with them more effectively. They have become more practical and developed new features because of this such as being able to change the wattage of use if the user wants to cook something normally or defrost it, in a microwave. Another example is timers being incorporated into ovens so they can heat the contents for the desired time without the need of supervision from the user. This has reduced the human interaction time needed in complete the task such as cooking food, helping communities to carry out other more important tasks in their culture. It also makes it easier for culture practices to be passed down through generations, for example if a culinary dish is of great importance to the culture, people will be able to create easier with the aids now installed in the domestic appliances.

Psychological and Sociological Impact

De-skilling is the creation of automated systems to carry out laborious tasks which would otherwise be performed by humans, or the creation of automated systems to break down complex jobs into simpler jobs that require less specialised knowledge to be able to complete and therefore a less educated and trained workforce, which is also ultimately cheaper, is needed for the job in hand. This affects cultures in many ways. For cultures that do not rely on technology for the majority of their tasks this may create a big change in the culture’s practices. For example in historic times before technology was so prevalent it was traditional for the females of the group of people to collect the water from its source and transport it back to their homes. With water pumps and piping being installed the females were no longer needed to carry out this task and would have had to find new ways to occupy themselves, changing the culture in which those people live in. In modern times this is on a much larger scale. Such de-skilling work that has been done has also affected culture by giving the people the sense that manufactured items are not of as much value and importance as they once were when crafted by hand, and has made many things disposable to most people, such as de-skilling in the production of nappies, which were once washed and reused. 

Developing nations’ cultures are constantly adapting to the introduction and use of new HCIs as they develop. Working life and the quality of life becomes better for these culture groups, as HCI helps them carry out certain tasks. For example farming is a laborious task with no machinery, requiring lots of workers and hard work to produce a successful harvest. However with the introduction of tractors and combine harvesters the quantity and quality of the produce can be much better controlled without the need of such hard work from so many workers. This also impacts cultures as these now unemployed people may decide to pursue other industries not currently used by their culture group.

Sources:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-deskilling.html

http://www.mcevoyandrowley.co.uk/images/appliances/built_in/miele_oven.jpg

http://www.camrevle.com/mod/glossary/view.php?id=76571

Impacts of HCI on the Economy

Advancements in HCI have had both positive and negative impacts on the economy of countries. The world as a whole has become dependent on using computing in the business world, and as such HCI controls the economy more than people realise.

Security for example, has changed significantly as HCI has advanced with CCTV cameras being used for surveillance and as such had impacts on the economy. With the introduction of CCTV cameras, everyday criminal activities have decreased significantly, such as theft and vandalism which supports the economy as that money is not lost to crime and instead is spent through growing businesses, growing the economy. 

Productivity per Individual

The productivity of an individual is seen as a main contributor to efficiently and ultimately the profitability of a company, being the more productive the work force is the more of a positive impact is had on the economy of the market and the country.

Speeding up inputs allows the user to get the information and data he needs into the computer system faster and move on to other tasks needed completion quicker, therefore increasing his productivity. An example of how developing HCI has increased the input of individuals is more ergonomic peripherals used with computers, such as a more comfortable and intuitive mouse and keyboard. If a user is able to use all of the functions of the mouse and interact with it efficiently without harm to his health, for example the development of repetitive strain injury, he is able to input what is needed much more productively and in turn increase his output for the company. This increase in productivity helps the company work through more business with the same overheads and costs such as the number of employees therefore increasing its profitability and positively impacting the economy.

With the invention and development of mobile phones, it has made it possible for people to communicate and input data while mobile and in places with no power source or standard PC with internet access, for example when travelling. This allows them to work when not in the office and increases that individual’s productivity due to less of a loss of time spent unable to input into computer systems. This shows that this HCI has positively impacted on the individual’s productivity and therefore increased the economic output of the company.

Reducing the complexity of inputs also impacts the productivity per individual and as a knock on effect the economy. For example in automobiles many interface changes have been made over the year to make it less complex for user to carry out tasks while driving, for example some manufactures have put buttons to change the radio channel on the steering wheel so the driver does not have to be distracted from driving when carrying out this task. This has impacted the economy as drivers are now able to carry out tasks that would have been too complex before such as making a phone call while driving, which increases their overall productivity, this in turn means the company can hire less staff and be more profitable, positively impacting the economy. 

Increase in Automation

Increasing automation of organisations’ systems is proven to help a company have a more positive economic output and reducing human input is seen as a great way to achieve this. With automation being the main contributor it means there will be less human errors which have to be rectified, taking both time and man resources and a reduction in the productivity of the company, as well as levelling out the speed of input removing tasks that some people may be slower at than others. This impacts the economy positively because with the task force of a company working faster due to automation that company will be able to acquire more business and increase its profits and economic output.

Text readers are a tool to convert text produced electronically into a sound output, increasing the automation of tasks we carry out in a typical day. This tool reduces the need for staff of companies to read through text they may find too complex or even be at a computer to read the text. This means they could be carrying on with other work that needs completing while the text reader displays the information to them verbally. This increases productivity of that individual and means they will be able to contribute more to the business. This company should produce higher profits and a positive effect on the economy due to this increase in automation. Text readers also make what would have been inaccessible information to people with sight problems available with this tool. With this area of society now being able to work in sectors that require the ability to read text it has produced a larger amount of workers available for those jobs. This in turn means that more jobs with this requirement can be filled and should this should eventually turn into more jobs becoming available through growth of the economy.

Voice input interfaces are tools used in high volume of input industries, where workers are expected to input a lot of information into a computer most of the time, to convert speech into a text format readable by text viewers on the computer such as Microsoft Word. This is an increase in automation tool, removing the need for the worker to type out the information on a keyboard into the computer, which may reduce productivity due to slow typing speeds, and simply read the information out that the voice input interface registers and converts into electronic text. This has a positive impact on the overall economy as it increases the work rate of these individuals the company’s overall productivity will increase which will lead to them being able to take on and process more business, increasing profits and contributing the economy more. 

Varied Working Environment

The mobile phone industry has rapidly become one of the biggest industries in the world in the last few decades. In the UK, as of 2003 the mobile phone industry was responsible for 2.2% of the GDP⁰ (gross domestic product). As HCI has made mobile phones much more accessible to all parts of society, with increased user friendliness and portability, and has become an integral appliance to many people, especially in business. This is because people with a mobile communications device are able to work in environments they would not have been able to before due to lack of an input device, using the mobile interface to get around this problem. With the ability of being to work in variable environments the worker can still carry on his tasks when not in his office and therefore do more work and maybe even create new work as new opportunities come from the new environments helping the company grow and become more successful. With multiple companies incorporating this it will have a positive impact on the economy as the companies are more successful.  The mobile phone industry has also directly affected the affected economy as its popularity grows its own industry has greatly expanded and has a knock on effect to other industry areas such as scientific research to make computer chips within the mobile devices smaller and faster, increasing the economic output greatly.

Sources

http://www.o2.com/media_files 02 Media Files