Human-Computer Interaction 3e ­ Dix, Finlay, Abowd, Beale

exercises  -  2. the computer

EXERCISE 2.2

Exercises 2.2 and 2.3 involve you examining a range of input and output devices in order to understand how they influence interaction.

A typical computer system is comprised of a QWERTY keyboard, a mouse, and a colour screen. There is usually some form of loudspeaker as well. You should know how the keyboard, mouse and screen work - if not, read up on it.

What sort of input does the keyboard support? What sort of input does the mouse support? Are these adequate for all possible applications? If not, to which areas are they most suited? Do these areas map well onto the typical requirements for users of computer systems?

If you were designing a keyboard for a modern computer, and you wanted to produce a faster, easier to use layout, what information would you need to know and how would that influence the design?

answer available for tutors only


Other exercises in this chapter

ex.2.1 (open), ex.2.2 (tut), ex.2.3 (open), ex.2.4 (tut), ex.2.5 (tut), ex.2.6 (tut)

all exercises for this chapter


home | about | chapters | resources | exercises | online | editions | interactive | community | search | plus +++
exercises: 1. human | 2. computer | 3. interaction | 4. paradigms | 5. design basics | 6. software process | 7. design rules | 8. implementation | 9. evaluation | 10. universal design | 11. user support | 12. cognitive models | 13. socio-organizational | 14. comm and collab | 15. task models | 16. dialogue | 17. system models | 18. rich interaction | 19. groupware | 20. ubicomp, VR, vis | 21. hypertext and WWW