In this paper, Dix studies the roots of human-computer interaction (HCI) and the directions of its development. It is a discipline that is based on three foundations: people, who inspire the field; practice, which gives practical guidance to practitioners in interaction design; and principles that show intellectual theories, models, and investigations.

The paper consists of four sections, each of which includes an in-depth literature analysis.

Section 2 gives historical background and foundations. The author notes that HCI as a discipline began and has continued to develop since the 1980s, thanks to the personal computer (PC) revolution; on the other hand, Dix is aware that HCI should date back to the late 1950s. The constant development of this discipline means that HCI is now effectively human-technology interaction.

In section 3, the author looks more systematically at some of the changes in HCI and presents a technological context for the following problems: How many computers do we have? Who uses computers? For what are they used? The answers to these questions show the trends and threats that characterize the changes in this discipline.

Section 4 shows new paradigms in different areas, including: health, education, and well being; social pervasive applications; cloud-based computing; invisible computation; control systems; and digital fabrication.

If you don’t want to constantly reiterate the lessons of the past and do want to look toward the future, read this paper.