Why do we trust some technologies and hesitate with others?

As AI systems become more autonomous, adaptive, and opaque, trust has become one of the most complex challenges in Human–Computer Interaction.

In this episode of HCI Explained, we unpack what trust really means in AI-driven systems and why traditional UX approaches often fall short.

We explore:

• What trust means in HCI, beyond usability and satisfaction

• How AI systems challenge trust through opacity, automation, and unpredictability

• Automation bias and over-reliance on intelligent systems

• Why “more explanation” does not always lead to more trust

• Design factors that shape trust: transparency, predictability, control, and accountability

• The idea of appropriate trust rather than maximum trust

💡 Trust is not something you add at the interface level. It emerges over time from how systems behave, fail, and take responsibility.

👉 Tune in for a grounded discussion on how designers and researchers can think more carefully about trust in an age of AI.

#HCIExplained #TrustInAI #HCI #UXDesign #ResponsibleAI #InteractionDesign

As we look beyond 2025, the question isn’t what will definitely happen, it’s what might become possible.

In this episode of HCI Explained, we explore what could be in store for technology in 2026, drawing on emerging signals, open questions, and unresolved tensions shaping the future of tech.

We discuss:

• Likely directions in AI, HCI, and product design

• Shifts in how people may interact with technology

• Opportunities and risks around ethics, regulation, and trust

• What designers, researchers, and tech leaders should prepare for

• Why uncertainty matters more than prediction

💡 This episode is not about forecasting. It’s about learning how to think responsibly about the future.

👉 Tune in for a grounded, reflective look at the possibilities that 2026 may bring.

#HCIExplained #FutureOfTech #Tech2026 #HCI #UX #TechnologyTrends

2025 was a defining year for technology, marked by major breakthroughs and equally notable missteps.

In this episode of HCI Explained, we examine the biggest tech successes and failures of 2025, delving beyond headlines to understand why some ideas were successful while others failed.

We cover:

• The most impactful tech successes and what made them succeed

• High-profile failures, flops, and controversies

• Overhyped technologies that didn’t deliver

• Key decisions around design, ethics, timing, and execution

• Practical lessons for designers, engineers, and product leaders

💡 This episode isn’t about winners and losers; it’s about learning how innovation actually succeeds or fails in the real world.

👉 Tune in for a clear, balanced reflection on what 2025 taught us about building technology responsibly and effectively.

#HCIExplained #Tech2025 #TechFailures #TechSuccess #ProductDesign #UX #TechnologyTrends

Want to find usability problems before they frustrate your users?
That’s where heuristic evaluation comes in — a quick, expert-based method that delivers powerful UX insights without needing large-scale testing.

In this episode of HCI Explained, we explore how heuristic evaluation works and why it’s a must-have in every UX toolkit:

• What heuristic evaluation is and how it helps spot usability issues.

• Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics, explained with simple, real-world examples.

• Step-by-step process: gathering evaluators, reviewing the interface, logging problems, and prioritising fixes.

• Quick wins: fast, low-cost, and highly effective for improving user experience.

• Limitations: why expert judgment should complement, not replace, user testing.

💡 Heuristic evaluation is all about achieving quick wins in UX — making products more intuitive, consistent, and user-friendly from the start.

👉 Tune in to discover how you can apply heuristic evaluation today to improve your designs.

Ever tapped through an app and thought, who tested this?
That’s where usability testing comes in — one of the most practical and powerful methods in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and UX design.

In this episode of HCI Explained, we unpack the essentials of usability testing:

• What it is and why it matters

• Step-by-step process: setting goals, recruiting users, creating tasks, running sessions, and analyzing insights

• Best practices: test early and often, stay neutral, and keep it simple

• Common mistakes: leading participants, testing with too few users, or ignoring real-world context

• Examples in action: from apps to dashboards to VR headsets

💡 Usability testing helps us design products that are more intuitive, accessible, and enjoyable. And here’s the good news: it’s not just for big companies — anyone building an interface can do it.

👉 Tune in to learn how usability testing can transform the way you design and experience technology.

#HCIExplained #UsabilityTesting #UXResearch #HumanComputerInteraction

Every day, you’re already engaging in multimodal interaction, whether you’re tapping on a screen, speaking to a virtual assistant, or combining gestures and voice commands in your car. But what does it really mean when technology supports more than one way of communicating? And how does it change the way we design, use, and experience our digital tools?

In this episode of HCI Explained, we explore multimodal interaction: the blending of touch, voice, gesture, and other input modes to create more natural, flexible, and powerful ways of working with technology.

🔹 What we cover in this episode:

• The basics of multimodal interaction and why it’s a step beyond single-mode systems.

• How combining modalities (like voice + touch, or gesture + gaze) reduces cognitive load and enhances accessibility.

• The challenges designers face when blending modalities, including context, consistency, and system complexity.

• Everyday examples: voice assistants, adaptive car interfaces, VR/AR environments, and smart devices.

• Emerging frontiers: AI-driven multimodality, where systems learn and adapt to your preferred ways of interacting.

Multimodal systems aren’t just about convenience, they represent a major shift in human-computer interaction (HCI). They allow more inclusive experiences, support diverse user needs, and create interfaces that adapt to us rather than forcing us to adapt to them.

As automation and AI increasingly shape how we live and work, multimodal interaction also raises fascinating design and ethical questions:

• How can we ensure systems remain intuitive while growing in complexity?

• What happens to agency when the system “decides” which mode to prioritise?

• Can multimodal interaction help close accessibility gaps, or will it widen them if not carefully designed?

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clearer sense of how multimodal interaction is already shaping your daily tech experiences and how it could transform the future of human-AI collaboration.

🎧 Tune in and let’s unpack the many voices, touches, and gestures that are redefining interaction.

#HCIE #MultimodalInteraction #UX #HCI

What if your body wasn’t just a tool to operate technology but the interface itself? From swiping on a touchscreen to moving through a VR world, your body is already shaping how you experience the digital. This is the essence of embodied interaction, an HCI perspective that sees the body not just as an input device, but as central to how we think, act, and connect with technology.

In this episode of HCI Explained, we dive into the fascinating world of embodied interaction, exploring how movement, posture, and gestures allow us to interact more naturally with digital systems.

🔎 What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The roots of embodied interaction: How human cognition is shaped by our bodies, and why this matters for technology design.

• Everyday examples: Touchscreens that respond to swipes, fitness trackers that map movement, VR headsets that sense orientation, and gesture-based controls in gaming.

• Beyond the basics: How embodied interaction is pushing into advanced areas like full-body tracking, somatic design (using the felt experience of the body in design), and augmented movement through wearables or robotics.

• Theoretical underpinnings: Links between embodiment, perception, and cognition that make these interactions feel natural rather than artificial.

• Social and cultural contexts: Why the meaning of a gesture or movement can shift depending on who uses it and where.

• Future directions: From brain-computer interfaces to somatic play, embodied interaction could transform not just usability but also creativity, therapy, and social connection.

💡 Why this matters
Embodied interaction challenges us to rethink the boundaries between body and computer. It makes interactions more intuitive, immersive, and human-centered, while also raising important questions: How do we design responsibly when tech literally moves our bodies? How do we ensure inclusivity when bodies differ in ability, culture, and context?

By the end of this episode, you’ll see that your body isn’t just using technology, it’s part of the interface itself.

🎧 HCI Explained brings you weekly insights into the hidden principles shaping how humans and computers connect.

Every time you open an app, scroll through a website, or manage a cluster of browser tabs, your brain is doing more than you realise. It’s not just clicking and scrolling — it’s building a mental map of a hidden digital landscape. These internal representations, called cognitive maps, shape how we navigate, find information, and make sense of complex digital worlds.

In this episode of HCI Explained, we explore the fascinating role of cognitive maps in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Originally studied in psychology to explain how humans and animals navigate physical spaces, cognitive maps now help us understand how people orient themselves in vast digital environments.

🔎 What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How cognitive maps, once tied to navigating cities and physical spaces, now extend to digital platforms.

• Everyday examples: feeling lost in a sea of tabs, learning the layout of a new app, or remembering where settings are in your phone’s OS.

• How users build these maps through repetition, patterns, cultural conventions, and landmarks like icons, menus, and breadcrumbs.

• The difference between good design (that supports mental mapping with clarity and consistency) versus poor design (that leads to confusion, frustration, and abandonment).

• How disorientation in digital spaces mirrors being lost in real ones — and why that costs time, energy, and trust.

• Design strategies to support user maps: clear landmarks, predictable layouts, and consistency across contexts.

• Future frontiers: how AR and VR extend physical navigation into virtual environments, how AI may serve as adaptive “guides,” and the ethical questions of whether designers should empower exploration or funnel behaviour.

  
  

💡 Why this matters
Cognitive maps explain why some interfaces feel intuitive while others leave us struggling. They reveal how design choices directly affect user orientation, memory, and satisfaction. Understanding cognitive maps can revolutionise the way we design digital spaces — making them more navigable, humane, and empowering.

By the end of this episode, you’ll see that you’re not just “using” apps and websites — you’re exploring invisible landscapes your brain is constantly mapping.

🎧 HCI Explained is your guide to uncovering the hidden principles that shape our interactions with technology.

Every tap, click, and swipe leaves a trace — and the system whispers back. That whisper is feedback.

In this episode of HCI Explained, we dive deep into the fascinating world of feedback loops in Human-Computer Interaction, uncovering how they keep us informed, reduce errors, and help us build trust in the technology we use every day.

Think about the everyday moments when feedback quietly reassures us:

• The satisfying click of a keyboard key that tells you a letter has been typed.

• The illuminated elevator button confirming your request has been received.

• A progress bar creeping forward, reassuring you that your upload is on its way.

Without these signals, technology feels broken, uncertain, or even untrustworthy. Feedback is not just a convenience — it’s a core requirement of good design.

🔎 In this episode, we explore:

• Everyday feedback in action: simple but powerful examples that show why feedback is indispensable in both physical and digital worlds.

• The forms of feedback: visual (icons, progress bars, status lights), auditory (beeps, alerts, notification sounds), and haptic (vibrations, tactile clicks), and how they can be combined to enrich user experience.

• Positive and negative feedback loops: how games keep us hooked, how wearables like smartwatches encourage healthier habits, and how AI-powered recommendations adapt over time.

• Good vs. bad feedback: why vague error messages frustrate users, while clear, timely, and actionable feedback empowers them to recover quickly.

• Best practices for feedback design: covering timeliness (instant vs. delayed responses), clarity (avoiding confusion), proportionality (feedback that matches the action), and accessibility (feedback that works for all users, regardless of ability).

• Emerging frontiers: how feedback loops evolve in immersive environments like AR and VR, how IoT devices use feedback to blend into our everyday routines, and how conversational agents are changing the way feedback is delivered through natural language.

Along the way, we ask important questions:

• What happens when feedback is absent or misleading?

• How does feedback shape our sense of control, trust, and engagement with technology?

• In a future where AI anticipates our actions, how much feedback will we really need?

✨ By the end of this episode, you’ll see feedback not as an afterthought, but as the heartbeat of interaction design — the invisible thread that connects user intention with system response.

🎧 Join us as we decode how feedback loops shape not just our digital world, but also our minds, behaviours, and expectations of technology.

Acknowledgements: Powered by Google.

Ever wondered why some tech feels so intuitive while other interfaces leave you confused? In this episode of HCI Explained, we dive into the fascinating design principles of affordances and constraints—two forces that quietly shape how we interact with technology every day.

We’ll explore how affordances suggest possible actions, from the obvious tap of a smartphone icon to the subtle hint of a swipe gesture. Then, we’ll unpack constraints—the intentional limits designers place to guide behaviour—whether it’s a greyed-out menu option, the shape of a VR track, or the logical sequence of an online form.

Through real-world examples spanning smartphones, smart home devices, voice assistants, and AI-powered tools, you’ll see how designers combine affordances and constraints to create intuitive and safe interfaces.

By the end, you’ll have a deeper appreciation for how these concepts influence your everyday tech experiences—and how you can use them to design better, more user-friendly products.

🎧 HCI Explained is your guide to understanding the design and psychology behind the technology you use every day.

Episode highlights:

• What affordances are and how they work in tech

• The different types of constraints: physical, logical, and cultural

• How these concepts appear in everyday devices and apps

• Modern examples from AI, VR, and smart home design

• Why balancing affordances and constraints is crucial for good UX