![]() |
The end of Engineering Practice 1 (c.1980). |
Enter "software engineering": arguably, this term was coined to give legitimacy to a certain kind of computer programming. Programming was (and often still is) something of a cottage industry: people building one-off systems that seem to work, but no-one is quite sure of how, or when they might break down. Engineering is intended to reduce the variability and improve the reliability of software systems. And deliver systems that are fit for purpose.
So what does it mean to "engineer" an interactive computer system? At the most recent IFIP Working Group 2.7/13.4 meeting, we developed a video: 'Engineering for HCI: Upfront effort, downstream pay-back'. And it was accepted for inclusion in the CHI2013 Video Showcase. Success! Preparing this short video turned out to be even more difficult than I had anticipated. There really didn't seem to be much consensus on what it means to "engineer" an interactive computer system. There is general agreement that it involves some rigour and systematicity, some use of theory and science to deliver reproducible results, but does the resulting system have to be usable, to be fit for purpose? And how would one measure that? Not really clear.
I started by saying that I once worked for an engineering company. That term is probably fairly unambiguous. But I've never heard of an "interactive systems engineering company" or an "HCI engineering company". I wonder what one of those would look like or deliver.
Your article helped me to understand the topic well and I would love to share this to my friends. I also love to
ReplyDeleteGet Facebook Likes
Free Facebook Likes
Get Twitter Followers
Free Twitter Followers
Get YouTube Subscribers
Get Website Traffic
Get Google Plus Votes
Free Facebook Subscribers
Free Google Plus Votes
Thank you for this and all the best.