Purpose of this website
This website was made for the purpose of sharing an informational and engaging early history of the field of human-computer interaction. Our site is organized to focus on the history of HCI research, with acknowledgement of the key contributors and inventions. We hope that by highlighting major events and the role of influential people involved, the reader will gain an appreciation for the achievements made in this field.
Computer PeripheralsThis page highlights some of the influential computer peripherals in HCI history, such as the computer mouse, joystick and others.
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Doug engelbertThis article highlights Doug Engelbert, considered by some the "doyen of human-computer interaction", and some of his influential work (Campbell-Kelly, 2014).
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HCI AS A new disciplineThis article explains how HCI became a new disciple.
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1973, Xerox PARCXerox PARC developed the first computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) as the main interface with their Alto computer. The interface included windows that could overlap, display of documents that looked like pages, and had a now-familiar desktop area with icons for folders and files. This GUI provides the foundation for many modern systems. |
1964, Douglas engelbart and bill english (Sri) The computer mouse was invented in the 1960s by Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute, along with assistance from Bill English. They built the first mouse prototype in 1964 (SRI, 2018). |
1964, Hewitt crane (sri)Hew Crane, a researcher at SRI, patented the initial computer pen-input device in 1964, which laid the foundations for key applications like signature verification and direct input of pictographic characters (like those used in Asian languages) (SRI, 2018). |
The field of human-computer interaction is constantly evolving. By learning the history of the HCI field we can appreciate the achievements made in the past, connect the past events to present reality, and understand how the history informs current viewpoints (and controversies).
"The hope is that, in not too many years, human brains and computing machines will be coupled together very tightly, and that the resulting partnership will think as no human brain has ever thought and process data in a way not approached by the information-handling machines we know today."
-J.C.R.Licklider, "Man-computer symbiosis", 1960 |
References
- "Engelbart’s Unfinished Revolution” event marking the 30th anniversary of the Mother of All Demos. (1998). [Commemorative Poster]. Retrieved from https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt8r29s45r/entire_text/
- Campbell-Kelly, M. (2014). Computer: A History of the Information Machine (3rd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
- Licklider, J.C.R., (1960). Man-Computer Symbiosis. IRE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics, 1(1), 4-11.
- SRI International (2018, Dec 9). Computer Mouse and Interactive Computing . Retrieved from https://www.sri.com/work/timeline-innovation/timeline.php?timeline=business-entertainment#!&innovation=computer-mouse-interactive-computing
- SRI International (2018, Dec 9). Handwriting Recognition, Signature Verification, and Pen-Input Computing. Retrieved from https://www.sri.com/work/timeline-innovation/timeline.php?timeline=business-entertainment#!&innovation=handwriting-recognition-pen-computing