Human Computing

We seem to be entering an era of enhanced digital connectivity. Computers and Internet have become so embedded in the daily fabric of people's lives that they simply cannot live without them. We use this technology to work, to communicate, to shop, to seek out new information, and to entertain ourselves. With this ever-increasing diffusion of computers in society, human-computer interaction (HCI) is becoming increasingly essential to our daily lives. HCI design was first dominated by direct manipulation and then delegation. The tacit assumption of both styles of interaction has been that the human will be explicit, unambiguous and fully attentive while controlling the information and command flow. Boredom, preoccupation, and stress are unthinkable even though they are "very human" behaviors. This insensitivity of current HCI designs is acceptable for well-codified tasks. It works for making plane reservations, buying and selling stocks and, as a matter of fact, almost everything we do with computers today. But this kind of categorical computing is inappropriate for design, debate, and deliberation. In fact, it is the major impediment to having flexible machines capable of adapting to their users and their level of attention, preferences, moods, and intentions, that is, capable of improving the quality of life by anticipating the users needs.