Human Computer Interaction
Assignment Questions
[Write the questions and answers using Pen and Paper. Submit it in a channel file on or before
13/02/2026]
1. Critically evaluate the limitation of comparing human learning with machine learning.
Using a real-world Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) example, explain why a
system that learns from data may still fail to understand user intent or context in the
same way a human does.
2. Machines are often described as being “unable to take decisions on their own.”
Critically examine the extent to which supervised learning challenges this claim. In
your answer, distinguish between decision-making and autonomy, and support your
reasoning with an appropriate example.
3. In machine learning, “experience” is often represented in the form of data.
Explain why this abstraction is necessary, and critically discuss how poor or
incomplete data representation can distort the system’s learned experience and lead to
incorrect or biased outcomes.
4. Can a feature that is uninformative or misleading in one problem become critical in
another? Justify your answer using a relevant Human–Computer Interaction (HCI)
example, and explain how task context influences feature usefulness.
5. The Vector Space Model represents user interactions using numerical features.
Critically evaluate how this assumption influences the modeling of subjective HCI
attributes such as comfort, trust, or satisfaction, and discuss the limitations this creates
for intelligent interactive systems.
6. If two features individually provide weak classification performance, under what
conditions can their combination lead to a significant improvement in classification
accuracy? Explain your reasoning with appropriate examples or arguments.
7. Many classifiers assign a label by selecting the class with the highest conditional
probability. Critically discuss why this decision rule may be unreliable or unsafe in
safety-critical Human–Computer Interaction systems, and explain the potential
consequences of such failures.
8. In some classification problems, estimated probabilities take extreme values such as
0% or 100%. Critically analyze what such extreme probabilities indicate about the
size and diversity of the training dataset, and discuss their implications for a model’s
ability to generalize to unseen cases.
9. Class imbalance is a common issue in real-world datasets. Explain how class
imbalance affects probability estimation in Naive Bayes classifiers, and relate this
problem to challenges encountered in collecting and labeling Human–Computer
Interaction data.
10. Many digital systems provide all required functions, yet are still perceived as poorly
designed. Critically analyze why functional availability alone is insufficient to ensure
good design from a Human–Computer Interaction perspective.
11. Indicators such as confusing navigation, poor feedback, and high error rates are often
treated as surface-level usability problems. Identify the deeper design failures that
give rise to these symptoms, and explain how such failures typically emerge during
the design and development process.
12. Usability is commonly evaluated using dimensions such as efficiency, effectiveness,
learnability, memorability, and satisfaction. Identify a real-world digital product that
performs well in terms of efficiency but poorly in terms of user satisfaction, and
critically analyze the reasons for this mismatch.
13. In minimalist interface design, affordance and visibility can come into conflict.
Discuss this conflict using a relevant example, and argue how a designer should
balance simplicity with usability when resolving it.
14. A system may perform well during controlled usability testing yet fail when deployed
in real-world settings. Identify an evaluation approach that could help prevent such
failures and explain why this approach is effective in capturing real-world user
behavior.
15. The Table 1 represents interaction-level features collected from users performing a
task in a Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) system. Each sample is classified into
either Low cognitive load (C1) or High cognitive load (C2).
(a) Using this dataset, explain how a Naive Bayes classifier would model the
relationship between interaction features (Mouse Speed, Error Rate, Task
Time, Keystroke Pause, and Navigation) and the class labels.
(b) Identify two features from the table that are likely to violate the conditional
independence assumption of Naive Bayes, and justify your choice using
interaction behavior reasoning.
(c) One sample in Class C₂ shows “Efficient” navigation despite high error rate
and long task time. Critically analyze what this inconsistency reveals about
the limitations of feature-based classification in HCI.
(d) If this classifier were used to drive real-time interface adaptation (e.g.,
simplifying the UI for Class C₂ users), discuss one potential risk of
misclassification and its impact on user experience.
Table 1: Training Data
M K
E (Error T (Task N Cognitive
Sample (Mouse (Keystroke
Rate) Time) (Navigation) Load
Speed) Pause)
1 Fast Low Short Short Efficient Low
2 Slow High Short Long Inefficient High
3 Fast High Long Long Inefficient High
4 Fast Low Long Short Efficient Low
5 Slow Low Short Short Efficient Low
6 Fast High Long Long Inefficient High
7 Slow High Long Long Efficient High
8 Slow Low Long Long Inefficient High
9 Slow High Long Long Inefficient High
10 Slow High Long Long Inefficient High
11 Slow High Long Short Inefficient High
12 Slow High Short Long Inefficient High
13 Fast Low Short Short Efficient Low
14 Fast Low Long Short Efficient Low
15 Slow Low Short Long Efficient Low
16 Fast High Long Short Inefficient High
17 Fast Low Short Short Efficient Low
18 Fast Low Short Long Efficient Low
19 Slow High Long Long Inefficient High
20 Fast Low Long Long Inefficient High