Information Processing

There are three functional principles of Information Processing to remember these include 

• Human as a component
• Human Information Processing (HIP)
• GOMS

Human as a component

The main principle is where people believe and understand that part of the computer / HCI is human. Without humans, HCI would not be possible. In HCI the user is the main component, the user will want the system to be able to calculate and preform complex tasks which would take the human brain a lot longer to process. The company / person who builds the HCI needs to take into consideration how long it takes for a human brain to calculate data because that way, they can create a HCI which is a lot faster and can process thousands of data every second. In order to create a HCI, they need to know what the user wants to be able to accomplish with it, how it is going to be used and how long it will take to process information. Once they know what the user wants, they will then have to preform research to see if it has already been made and if so, how to improve on the HCI. In order to make sure the HCI is appropriate and usable, I will have a group of users test the interface before it is released to the public.

Human Information Processing (HIP)

What exactly is human information processing? Information Processing is the change in a state of information. It allows us to split information down into steps which can be easily read and understood by the human brain. It allows people to store, retrieve and use information with ease. 

There are four steps to how information is collected and used:

• Absorb the information
• Analyse the information
• Use the information
• Do something with the information

HIP works like a computer in which includes hardware and software. At first, the brain will first input the data as hardware, which will then be processed using software and then stores the information in either the STM (Short Term Memory) or LTM (Long Term Memory). It then acknowledges the information and makes a decision on the output.

Computers however, can preform at a faster and more efficient rate. Computers can process and produce information 24/7 and not require sleep. Computers can process hundreds of thousands of requests every second, whereas humans can only preform calculations one at a time. However, computers can not hear and understand what people are saying; it requires a person to type the information in to the system for it to be processed.

GOMS (Goals, Operators, Methods, Selection Rules)

What is GOMS? GOMS stands for Goals, Operators, Methods and Selection Rules. It is a model that can be used to allow users and developers to understand, see and perform tasks that are undertaken in a Human Computer Interface.

Goals is what the user wants to accomplish from the system, what task they want to complete. In order to complete a goal, the HCI must be used. An example of a goal would be finding a e-mail address from a contact list on Microsoft Outlook.

Operators are the actions that are physically taken and performed in order to complete a given goal. Again, this must be used under a HCI model. An example of a operation that is needed to take place in order to complete the goal would be to click on a menu and then pressing the contacts button under Microsoft Outlook.

The Methods are a set of tasks that are needed to be put in sequence in order to complete the goal. There are always more than one method that can be taken in order to find the information and complete the goal, for example using a menu or a search bar which includes the 'select name from contact list' or 'enter contact name' for a quicker and more efficient search.

Selection Rules is the rules that people take in order to choose between the different methods of completing the goal given. This is a human choice which we chose which interface we prefer and how it is beneficial to the user. An example of a selection rule is the number of ways to find the address.

Bibliographyhttp://www.brianmac.co.uk/infomodel.htm