Event overview
Professor Pat Healey (QMUL)
Many of the most successful contemporary applications of technology depend less on good human-system interaction and more on good human- human interaction; as Kang (2002) noted, "the killer application of the internet is other people". Text messaging, video conferencing and online communities provide three examples that illustrate the basic disconnect between the effective support for human-system interaction and effective support for human-human interaction. More interestingly, these disconnects reveal more fundamental problems with the way human interaction is often conceptualised and modelled. Consider the use of space. A common strategy used in the design of online social environments is to employ an apparently simple 'face-to-face-like' spatial metaphor. Although intuitively appealing this is problematic. First, because it imports or re-imposes a limit on face-to-face conversation that people prefer to escape if they can. Second, because it misconceives the way embodied communication in a shared space is used as a resource for communication. Third, because it privileges a quantitative, physical concept of space that obscures the qualitative structure of inter-personal space and it's relationship to human 'closeness'. Drawing on these points I will argue for an approach to understanding human interaction, and design for human interaction, which treats miscommunication as the key phenomena.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 2009 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
