Touchscreens are a type of human-computer interface, but there are differences.
Human-Computer Interface (HCI), also known as User Interface or User Interface: It is the medium and interface for transmitting and exchanging information between humans and computers, and is an important component of a computer system. It realizes the conversion between the internal form of information and a form that humans can understand. HCI exists in any field involving human-computer information exchange.
A human-computer interface is the medium through which systems and users interact and exchange information, enabling the conversion between the internal form of information and a form that is acceptable to humans. Human-computer interfaces exist in all fields involving human-computer information exchange.
For example, in a factory, we need to collect information such as temperature, humidity, and machine status in various areas through a main controller, monitor and record these parameters, and be able to handle unexpected situations. This is a typical application of a human-machine interface ( HMI ). Generally speaking, an HMI system must have several basic capabilities:
Real-time data trend display – instantly display the captured data on the screen.
Automatic data recording – Data is automatically stored in the database for future viewing.
Historical data trend display – visualizing data from the database.
Report generation and printing – This function converts data into report formats and allows for printing.
Graphical interface control – Operators can directly control machines and other devices through a graphical interface.
Alarm generation and logging – Users can define conditions for alarm generation.
For example, if the temperature is too high or the pressure exceeds the critical value, the system will generate an alarm to notify the operator to handle the situation.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is the science that studies the design, evaluation, and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use, as well as the phenomena associated with these interactions.
Human-computer interaction and human-computer interface are two closely related but not entirely different concepts.
In the process of human-machine interaction, there is a layer we call the interface. From a psychological perspective, the interface can be divided into two levels: sensory (visual, tactile, auditory, etc.) and emotional. User interface design is an important component of screen products. Interface design is a complex project involving different disciplines, with cognitive psychology, design, and linguistics all playing important roles.
The three principles of user interface design are: put the interface under the user's control; reduce the user's memory burden; and maintain interface consistency.
