Human-to-Human Communication

1. Human-to-Human Communication • A model for human-computer interaction? • Important scope limitation: problem solving • Why look at human-human interface? • The human-computer interface is really a human-human interface because a computer’s intellectual substance is wholly derived from people!

2. Human-to-Human Communication • Computer messages are messages from human designers to human users: • Offset in time • Sent through a “mask” • Lowers inhibitions • Can bring out hostility or misdirected sense of humor • A phenomenon observed by sociologists in actors Wrap up

3. Human-to-Human Communication • Chapanis did study of nature of human-human communication for problem solving A. Chapanis, Scientific American, 1975. • Source and seeker of information • Neither can solve problem alone • Must work together • Problem: assemble a trash toter Wrap up

4. Human-to-Human Communication • Communication channels • Voice • Hand-writing • Typing • Video • Communication mode – combination of channels • The experimental setup (next slide) Wrap up

5. Wrap up

6. Excerpt from typed communication Wrap up

7. Excerpt from voice communication Wrap up

8. Human-to-Human Communication • Results • Order of efficiency (time to solve) • Communication-rich mode (all channels) • Voice (but cannot see each other) • Hand-writing (including drawing sketches) • Typing (experienced) • Typing (inexperienced) • Time to complete • From less than 30 minutes (communication-rich mode) to over 60 minutes (factor of 2.5) Wrap up

9. Human-to-Human Communication • Results • Unexpected aspects • Small difference between experienced and inexperienced typists • Only about 1/3 of time on average used in typing • Different kind of typing (abbreviated and without attention to punctuation) • Small difference between communication-rich and voice only • In spite of all the information-bearing gestures • Voice was most important channel • All modes with voice did substantially better Wrap up

10. Human-to-Human Communication • Observations • Communication was very ungrammatical • A big barrier to voice I/O in HCI • Almost unintelligible • Expected, but surprising in extent that it was true • Communication success is tribute to human ability Wrap up

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12. Human-to-Human Communication • Observations • Voice channels are very verbose • Higher bandwidth got used, but not efficiently • Allowing interruption • Did not shorten solution time • Does cause different message packaging Wrap up

13. Human-to-Human Communication • In-class exercise • Everyone: as you observe, write down important characteristics of human-human-communication for problem-solving • Are these not also important in human-computer interaction? Wrap up