Evaluating Trends in HCI for Restaurant Ordering System Design

This report examines the evolving landscape of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), specifically focusing on the transition from mouse-driven systems to touch-based interfaces within the context of a restaurant's online ordering application. The report begins with an executive summary and table of contents, followed by an introduction highlighting the shift towards touch-based systems. It then delves into various interaction types and styles prevalent in multi-touch screens, including instructing, conversing, manipulating, and exploring, as well as styles like typing, speech, gesture, and touch. A conceptual model is presented to illustrate the user experience of an online ordering app, emphasizing ease of use and product access. The report explores key analogies like tap and double-tap gestures, manipulation of task-domain objects, and the use of utility tools like Java Applications for memory retention. The analysis considers how these elements contribute to a more intuitive and efficient user experience, concluding with a list of references. The study aims to guide the design of an efficient and user-friendly online ordering system.

Running head: TRENDS IN HCI
Trends in HCI
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1TRENDS IN HCI
Executive Summary
The aim of this assignment is to deal with the touch-based systems with respect to the mouse
driven screens for an online ordering system that is to be used by the restaurant. The
assignment follows the features or trends that are present in the human computer interaction
techniques. The interaction types as well as the styles are well elaborated in the project.
Moreover, the conceptual model, the key analogies as well as the utility tools are well
explained in the report, which will be very beneficial for the restaurant.

2TRENDS IN HCI
Table of Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................3
2. Interaction Types and Styles..................................................................................................3
3. Conceptual Model..................................................................................................................4
4. Key analogies and concepts...................................................................................................5
5. Manipulation of task-domain objects.....................................................................................5
6. Utility tools for the applications with memory retention.......................................................6
7. References..............................................................................................................................7

3TRENDS IN HCI
1. Introduction
The main scope of this assignment is to focus on the transformation of the human
computer interaction methods with time. Prior to the use of touch-based systems, there were
mouse driven interaction methods for communicating with the computer. The implementation
of the touch based human interaction methods will be helpful and it provides an exciting
attraction of the customers to use the touch based devices (Lazar, Feng & Hochheiser, 2017).
2. Interaction Types and Styles
There are mainly four types of interaction that are used for multi-touch screens. They
are stated below:
Instructing: This type of interaction style is used to provide instructions to the system.
Conversing: This type of interaction style is used for conversation with the system.
Manipulating: The technique for manipulation of data is used to interact with the system.
Exploring: This technique is used for exploring the data provided in the system.
The above stated interaction types are generally used in multi-touch based devices for
interaction of the users with the system.
Moreover, there are certain interaction styles that are used for carrying out the
interaction with the system (Shneiderman et al., 2016). The types of interaction styles that are
used in the mechanism for interaction are provided as follows:
Typing: This human interaction style is used for giving instructions to the devices via typing
methods that is with the help of keyboards provided in the touch-based systems.
Speech: The text to speech feature is an innovation in the field of multi touch based systems.
This feature helps the user to interact very easily with the system via voice instructions.

4TRENDS IN HCI
Gesture: This is an excellent interaction style that is observed in the interaction methods for
touch-based systems. This feature mainly enhances the interaction methodology for the
persons with disability and to makes the interaction procedure to be accessed easily (Yeo,
Lee & Lim, 2015).
Touch: This is the main methodology for interaction with the touch-based systems. The
whole user interface is very easy to access by each of the persons that are using the system.
3. Conceptual Model
As the restaurant is trying to provide its customers an online menu ordering system
that will help the customers to book an item using the online app of the restaurant via their
mobiles, tablets and any other devices that runs on a touch-based platform (Van Erp & Toet,
2015). The conceptual model of this online restaurant delivery app is provided below:
From this above model, it is quite clear that the restaurant will provide an ease of
access to the customers who are using the application for ordering a product from the
restaurant online. The customers can easily go through the products that are provided in the
restaurant’s website with the help of the touch-based device that the customer is using and
then the user can select and order the product to get it delivered to their own home (Evans et
al., 2016).

5TRENDS IN HCI
The touch-based devices will be very helpful in going through the database of the
restaurant, as the scrolling option will provide the access of the products in an easy manner.
The products can also be easily opted and the touch-based devices will easily carry out the
procedure for the delivery of the product.
4. Key analogies and concepts
Both the tap as well as double tap gestures can be achieved with the help of multi-
finger operations. However, the user needs to be precise while operating the devices that is
detecting as well as performing any task with the double tap option using their fingers. This
enhances the gesture technology of the touch-based systems to provide better services to the
users.
The systems uses the “Press” technology for performing the tasks that were likely to
be the change of mode, exposing the information that is contextual to the users or the actions
that are relevant for the users, whereas the “Double Tap” feature is used for opening any item
that is present on the device and also to zoom them and view it clearly (Wiberg, 2016). The
set of instructions or rules are set by each operating system particularly on the base of service
they want to provide their users. For example an windows operating system uses the “Press”
facility to provide a detailed information about the item or the instance they are using to
interact with whereas a “Single Tap” helps the user to invoke the main actions like executing
an instruction or a command or simply enhances the user to open an application and use the
various aspects of that application.
5. Manipulation of task-domain objects
The touch gestures can manipulate the objects present in the system. As for example,
in touch-based devices selecting and dragging an item icon over the screen usually allows the
user to delete the item from the device. The same feature is used to move objects or item

6TRENDS IN HCI
icons from one part of the screen window to another (Putze, Salous & Schultz, 2018). In case
of Windows based touch screen devices, if the user swipes their finger for a short distance in
perpendicular manner with respect to the list view of the system, it selects the objects present
in that list and hence enables the user to execute the action they want to perform with the
items present in the device.
6. Utility tools for the applications with memory retention
The online ordering system should possess the ability to retain and recall the placed
orders from time to time by the customers. It should maintain all the tasks initially starting
from the placing of the order by the customer, the order preparation, until the delivery
procedure of the item to the customer’s desired place. So that in case of any error in the
whole procedure could be thoroughly checked for future references. The utility tool that can
be implemented with memory retention technique is Java Applications. Memory can be
increased if it is necessary in case of the Java Virtual Machine (Grudin, 2017). This java
application can be used as an interaction procedure between the user and the online ordering
application. This technique can also help the employee of the restaurant to answer about any
queries of the user through this memory retention technique.

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7. References
Evans, S. K., Pearce, K. E., Vitak, J., & Treem, J. W. (2016). Explicating affordances: A
conceptual framework for understanding affordances in communication research.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 22(1), 35-52.
Grudin, J. (2017). From tool to partner: The evolution of human-computer interaction.
Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Interaction, 10(1), i-183.
Lazar, J., Feng, J. H., & Hochheiser, H. (2017). Research methods in human-computer
interaction. Morgan Kaufmann.
Putze, F., Salous, M., & Schultz, T. (2018, March). Detecting memory-based interaction
obstacles with a recurrent neural model of user behavior. In 23rd International
Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (pp. 205-209). ACM.
Shneiderman, B., Plaisant, C., Cohen, M., Jacobs, S., Elmqvist, N., & Diakopoulos, N.
(2016). Designing the user interface: strategies for effective human-computer
interaction. Pearson.
Van Erp, J. B., & Toet, A. (2015). Social touch in human–computer interaction. Frontiers in
digital humanities, 2, 2.
Wiberg, M. (2016). Interaction, new materials & computing–Beyond the disappearing
computer, towards material interactions. Materials & design, 90, 1200-1206.
Yeo, H. S., Lee, B. G., & Lim, H. (2015). Hand tracking and gesture recognition system for
human-computer interaction using low-cost hardware. Multimedia Tools and
Applications, 74(8), 2687-2715.