With the rapid development of current software technologies, the system has been large-sized and multifunctionalized. As the result, the complexity has been increased and the usability has come to the fore. Especially, since computer has been used to most systems recently, the research on Human-Computer Interaction(HCI) has been stressed increasingly.
Human-Computer Interactions are performed primarily by visual cues presented on screen and dominated mostly by the semantic meanings of the sign implied in the visual cues. Thus to build good interface one must study how to comprehend and operate the visual cues on screen. In fact most of the current researches on HCI have been carried out by computer scientists, psychologists, user-interface engineers, and so on, but we must notice that only when designers who can deal with visual expression means most properly are participated in we can perform it most effectively.
This study deals with the issue of actual HCI design embodiment through the investigation on how to interprete and use visual expression means in HCI design in a semantic way. The purpose of this study is to provide the method by which designers can make the user-centered guidelines in HCI design. As a part of the user-centered design approaches, this study is based on the understanding of user group types which are divided by his/her extent of exposure to computer especially and is focussed on applying the level of each group's apprehension of visual expression means to the embodiment of HCI design.
This study proposes the 'Visual Tokens Model' with the semiotical concept, as a measure of interpreting and using the visual expression means in HCI design. Based on this model, the principles of the development of user-centered design are suggested considering the characteristics of user group types. Major findings of this study are : First, it proposes the 'Visual Tokens Model' as a basic source for the understanding and the embodiment of visual expression means in HCI design ; Second, it has examined the correlations between the characteristics of Visual Tokens and user group types that is, naive users, casual users, and expert users ; Third, it proposes guidelines for the user-centered embodiment of HCI Design in accordance with the correlations. In conclusion this study does not only contribute to the establishment of theoretical body of HCI design but also provide the ground to improve the actual role of designers in HCI design.
