PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES

OF HCI
1. INTRODUCTION

In the current wave of technological evolution, a near future is

foreseen where technology is omnipresent, machines predict
and anticipate human needs, robotic systems are an integral
part of everyday life, and humans’ abilities are technologically
supported.

Home, work, and public environments are anticipated to be

smart, anticipating and adapting to the needs of their
inhabitants and visitors, empowered with Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and employing big data towards training and
perfecting their reasoning.
Interactions in such environments will be not only conscious
and intentional, but also subconscious and even
unintentional.
During a one-day meeting
held on the 20th July 2018
in the context of the HCI
International 2018
Conference in Las Vegas,
USA, the identified items
were analyzed and
discussed, and a condensed
set of challenges was
produced. The group took
the decision to formulate
the challenges in terms of
the impact of emerging
This figure presents the results of the
interactive technologies on
collective effort of a group of 32 experts
human life, both at the
involved in the community of the
individual and societal
Human Computer Interaction
levels.
International (HCII) Conference series.
 DEFINITION AND RATIONALE FOR EACH IDENTIFIED CHALLENGE

1. Human-Technology Symbiosis

Definition: Human-
technology symbiosis refers
to defining how humans will
live and work harmoniously
together with technology,
which in the near future will
exhibit characteristics that
until now were typically
associated with human
behavior and intelligence,
namely understanding
language, learning,
reasoning, and problem
solving (keeping in mind that
they are limited to specific
application domains).
Rationale:

The advent of smart ecosystems, comprising smart

devices, services, materials, and environments that
cooperate in a seamless and transparent manner, imposes
the need for considering, defining, and optimizing the
terms of symbiosis of the two main counterparts, namely
humans and technology.
2. Human-Environment Interactions
Definition: Human-environment interactions refer to the
interaction of people not only with a single artifact, but with
entire technological ecosystems featuring increased interactivity
and intelligence.
Rationale: In technologically
enriched, autonomous, and
smart environments,
interactions will become more
implicit, often concealed in
the continuum between the
physical and the digital.
Therefore, the topic of
supporting human
interactions in these
environments brings about
novel implications and
challenges.
Ethics, Privacy and Security

Definition: Ethics refer to moral

principles that govern behavior. In this
paper, it refers to the moral principles
that govern the conduct of activities in
the context of HCI, and in particular
design. Privacy refers to the ability of
users to be in control and to
determine what data can be collected
and exploited by a computer system
and then be shared with third parties.
Security in the context of computing
refers to the protection of computer
systems from theft or damage to their
hardware, software or electronic data,
as well as from disruption or
misdirection of the services they
provide.
Rationale:

Intelligent systems need to behave so that they are

beneficial to people beyond simply reaching functional
goals or addressing technical problems, by serving
human rights and the values of their users, ensuring
privacy and cybersecurity. Ethics, privacy, trust and
security have always been important concerns in
relation to technology, acquiring yet new dimensions in
the context of technologically augmented and
intelligent environments.
4. Well-being, Health and
Eudaimonia
Definition: Health refers to a state
of complete physical, mental and
social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease or
infirmity. Well-being also includes
achieving high life satisfaction,
happiness, prosperity, and a sense
of meaning or purpose.
Eudaimonia refers to a person’s
state of excellence characterized
by objective flourishing across a
lifetime, and brought about
through the exercise of moral
virtue, practical wisdom, and
rationality.
Rationale:
Technological advances, coupled with advances in medicine,
offer the opportunity to provide more effective and less
expensive ways of fostering a healthy life.
Beyond physical health, technology can also be used to promote
human well-being, including not only health aspects, but also
psychological well-being through life goals’ fulfilment
(eudaimonia).

Overall, technology in the context of healthcare is already widely

used, yet there are still open research issues. Moreover, in a
world where technology is omnipresent, the question arises of
how its role towards enhancing well-being and human
eudaimonia can be optimized, especially addressing interaction
issues and ensuring a human-centered approach.
5. Accessibility and
Universal Access

Definition: Accessibility
refers to the design of
products, devices, services,
or environments suitable for
people with disabilities.

Universal Access refers to

the accessibility and usability
of Information Society
Technologies by anyone,
anywhere, anytime.
Rationale:

Intelligent environments bring new challenges regarding

accessibility and universal access, mainly stemming from the
increased technological complexity, having considerable impact on
the access not only to information or technology, but to a wide
variety of services and activities of daily life.
As HCI has always focused on the human, in the new technology-
augmented environments, efforts in the field will be extended
towards improving the quality of life of various populations,
including the disabled and older persons.
Accessibility and Universal Access are not new concepts, however
in view of the demographic development (aging society) and of
the constantly increasing technological complexity, they become
not only timely, but also pivotal for the prosperity of future
societies.
6. Learning and Creativity

Definition: Learning refers

to the activity or process
of gaining knowledge or
skill by studying,
practicing, being taught,
or experiencing
something.

Creativity refers to the

ability to produce original
and unusual ideas, or to
make something new or
imaginative.
7. Social Organization and
Democracy

Definition: Social organization

refers to the formation of a
stable structure of relations
inside a group, which provides
a basis for smooth functioning
of the group.
Democracy refers to a form of
government in which the
people freely govern
themselves and where the
executive (or administrative)
and law-making (or legislative)
power is given to persons
elected by the population.
END OF STORY