Okay, when we talked about human-computer interaction, a lot of people without computer science background always keep on asking me: what is human-computer interaction? Why this area is worth doing research? What is the impact of human-computer interaction? What kind of the change can I bring to this field?
I started to think about this field in my second master's semester, which is around January 2021. I still can remember the literature reviews I conducted, the professors and researchers I talked to, and the ideas I have when I took shower (seriously!). I applied the shampoo on my hand and turned them into bubbles, and messaged my scalp. I felt the ideas are similar to the shampoo, and when I turned the shampoo into bubbles, the ideas applied to this field and collided with sparks. I messaged my scalp while evaluating the idea, brainstorming about the pros and cons, and thinking about the best way to realize the ideas. I was super excited when I formulated the idea, because the idea leads my thoughts instead of my thoughts lead the idea. It just felt like the story of Harry Potter was already existed, and J.K.Rowling was the one to record this story but not to write this story.
So, go back to "why HCI?", I felt super lucky that HCI picks me and this amazing field generates my interests and skills. I can solve the real-world problems, design ready-to-go applications, and help the actual groups of people. HCI also removes the barriers between computer science and other subjects, such as education, health, and policy. More importantly, my grandfather passed away on April, 2020, which provided me a chance to re-evaluate my future research direction. My grandfather paralyzed at bed for almost 1.5 years and he passed away without any family members surrounding by him because of the pandemic. Humans cannot physically meet each other, but employing computers and HCI techniques, humans can mentally stay with each other. My grandfather did not even know how to use computer (although he owns a household electric appliance company 40 years ago), but he truly inspired me to keep on thinking the core of HCI: It is all about human beings: the challenges, the problems, the future, the user experiences, the outcomes, the efficiency.......
Before, computer was so advanced that became hard to operate and integrate. And nowadays, nearly every human being can get access to computer or other intelligent devices and interact with them. Solving human being's problems become more and more important. The computer cannot stand on human being's shoes and think about the problem, but HCI researchers can reverse the Computer-Human Interaction to Human-Computer Interaction. That is to say, human leads the problem and teaches computers to solve them. Computer in HCI is a platform to connect human beings, is a tool to enhance user experience, and a human-lead service to solve human's problems. Computer will never replace the importance of human beings, because who can let a tool to replace the one who employ the tool? Even the tool is advanced and intelligent, it is still impossible.
I would like to devote my Ph.D. study in HCI since this interdisciplinary field still contains tons of possibilities to explore. For instance, I am working on a patient-oriented framework. The purpose of this framework is to let patients (and their families) to take a lead on their treatment process, achieve better treatment results, and receive better treatment cares. Patients will teach the framework to follow their conditions and situations and provide helps. I feel extremely passionate when sharing this patient-oriented environment with other colleagues and experts.
Disclaimer: This post is my personal opinion, not affiliated with any institutions or research.
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