Emerging Technologies

Despite all advances in computing technologies, the human-computer interface and the interactions that it provides are the most fundamental. Some of the most anticipated advancements in computer technology lie in the area of interfaces – not least because the unlimited computing power and innovative Internet applications must have an outward face and the ability to communicate effectively with users. Consumers of these resources have an expectation that the interfaces should be just as compelling and useful as the resources themselves. The interfaces should be adaptable to the consumers' lives and useful in all applicable environments – home, office and, most certainly, mobile.
But there remain many unanswered questions in the study of human-computer
interfaces. How much more interactive or rich is it realistic to expect device interfaces
to become? What interfaces now in the laboratory might be able to address the
mobile and distributed computing demands of the future? What interactions will
replace the familiar graphical user interface (GUI)? This module begins to explore these questions. We'll start with a quick tour of the evolution of the graphical user interface, then consider some more advanced
interaction models.

Cut Rita Zahara

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