Human–computer interaction
academic discipline
Human–computer interaction (HCI) is the process through which people operate and engage with computer systems. Research in HCI covers the design and the use of computer technology, which focuses on the interfaces between people (users) and computers. HCI researchers observe how people interact with computers and design technologies that allow humans to interact with computers in new ways. These include visual, auditory, and tactile (haptic) feedback systems, which serve as channels for interaction in both traditional interfaces and mobile computing contexts. A device that allows interaction between human and a computer is known as a "human–computer interface". For example: the design of a smartphone's touchscreen interface involves HCI principles to ensure that icons are large enough to be tapped easily, and that gestures (like swiping or pinching) are supported.
As a field of research, human–computer interaction is situated at the intersection of computer science, behavioral sciences, design, media studies, and several other fields.
The term was popularized by Stuart Card, Allen Newell, and Thomas P. Moran in their seminal 1983 book, The Psychology of Human–Computer Interaction. The first known use was in 1975 by Carlisle. The term is intended to convey that, unlike other tools with specific and limited uses, computers have many uses which often involve an open-ended dialogue between the user and the computer.
The public source identifies “Human–computer interaction” as academic discipline. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Human, computer and interaction.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q207434. The Library of Congress control number is sh88003229. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1983 and 1975.
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This entry incorporates text from “Human–computer interaction” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.