Interactivity (Human-Computer Interaction)

All of the accessibilities behind the abilities of using a computer is developed from human-computer interaction (HCI). Connecting with digital rhetoric, it is made possible from HCI. According to Digital Rhetoric: Theory, Method, Practice, “a focus on how people use technological systems to accomplish a wide range of tasks, and the deployment of terms such as “user” and “usability” also provide a connection between these fields.” (102) To me, this gives a sense that there coding goes into making things on the web user friendly.

Critical Code Studies

Which reminded me of another quote from the Critial Code Studies section of this chapter. Marino says, “we no longer speak of the code as a text in metaphorical terms, but that we begin to analyze and explicate code as a text, as a sign system with its own rhetoric, as verbal communication that possesses significance in excess of its functional utility”. (Marino 2006). I not have a different view point of code. Before, I was thinking of it as a secret message. This message in computer was able to pick apart in order for it to work. Now, I see code as something that people see and it had more value. People read text all the time. Society needs to have knowledge of what they are reading. Code is now according to Marino being added to that category. If computers can read it as text and respond to it appropriately, so can humans.

HCI Accessibility

For a better understanding of HCI, Dovetail gave examples for different scenarios. An example that hit close to home as well as my career choices was having HCI being accessable for people with disabilities. In the text, “We can bridge the digital divide and provide equal access to information and technology by designing interfaces that are easy to use for people with visual, auditory, or motor disabilities.” There are multiple ways that technology can be accessible. For example, people can have text to speech text, different font letters on the screen, or have further technological devises connect to a web based technology for easy use.

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