Service-Oriented Human Computer Interaction and Scripting

The emphasis of human-computer interaction (HCI) design on the technology and computer action tends to obscure consideration of the contribution of the computer interface to the service interaction. This chapter suggests that since a majority of commercial information systems support or provide services, the nature and progression of the service encounter should be a key concern of human computer interface designers. The chapter proposes the concept of service-oriented HCI in which HCI design is derived from service design, dialog is driven by customer needs and perceptions, activities that have led up to the service encounter are considered, and the service interaction dialog is aligned with the computer dialog. As part of service-oriented HCI, the chapter illustrates the use of scripting to examine ex-post the role of a computer interaction in a service encounter. It demonstrates that the computer dialog can drive the service interaction in such a way that the quality of the interaction is reduced and customer satisfaction affected. It concludes that the role of the computer system in a service interaction is an area for further research. Furthermore, script analysis may enable the development of human-computer dialogs that meet some of the criteria of service-oriented HCI.