Human-Centered Computing  (HCC)

SYNOPSIS

Human beings, whether as individuals, teams, organizations, or societies, play an integral role in all stages of the creation and use of computational systems. Moreover, computing technologies and human societies co-evolve, transforming each other in the process. Human Centered Computing (HCC) research explores creative ideas, novel theories, and innovative technologies that advance our understanding of the complex and increasingly coupled relationships between people and computing.                                                        

HCC research targets diverse computing platforms such as traditional computers, handheld and mobile devices, robots, and wearable computers, at scales ranging from an individual device with a single user to large, evolving, heterogeneous socio-technical systems that are emerging from the increasingly pervasive availability of networking technologies. Environments of interest range from physical interaction with a single device to systems in which places and people, both physical and virtual, merge. As all electronic communications media become digital and interconnected, computing is also playing a central role in how humans communicate, work, learn, and play, dramatically transcending traditional geographical and cultural boundaries. HCC research explores and improves our understanding of new human-computer and human-human interactions, collaboration, and competition, developing systems that are aware of their social surroundings and of the conceptualizations, values, preferences, abilities, special needs, and diverse ranges of capability of the people that use them. HCC researchers and educators explore systems that interact with people using various and possibly multiple modalities such as innovative computer graphics, and haptic, audio, and brain-machine interfaces. HCC research outcomes are expected to transform the human-computer interaction experience, so that the computer is no longer a distraction or worse yet an obstacle, but rather a device or environment that empowers the user at work, in school, at home and at play, and that facilitates natural and productive human-computing integration.

The HCC program encourages research on how humans, in various roles and domains, perceive computing artifacts as they design and use them, and on the wider social implications of those artifacts. HCC supports social and behavioral scientists as well as computer and information scientists whose research contributes to the design and understanding of novel computing technologies and systems.

More information on topics of interest to the HCC program is available at:
http://www.nsf.gov/cise/iis/hcc_pgm.jsp

Human-Centered Computing (HCC) Staff

Funding Opportunities for the Information Integration and Informatics Program:

Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS): Core Programs.  NSF 08-575

THIS PROGRAM IS PART OF

Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS): Core Programs