CS474: Human Computer Interaction - Mother of All Demos (100 Points)
Assignment Goals
The goals of this assignment are:- To identify the systems and devices that shaped the way that humans engage with modern technology
- To motivate the application of human-computer interaction to our collective humanity thorugh the systems to augment the development of augmentation systems
The Assignment
In 1968, Douglas Engelbart gave The Mother of All Demos to the joint conference of the ACM/IEEE. Engelbart’s On-Line System (NLS) featured several groundbreaking computing ideas that we take for granted today due to their ubiquity.
In this assignment, you will watch the Mother of All Demos video (also shown below), and discuss its implications for human-machine interfaces as a class. Begin by answering these questions, which will help you to prepare for a meaningful class discussion on the history of human-computer interaction:
- What novel hardware interfaces were introduced at the demo?
- What kinds of software systems were demonstrated?
- What devices or software do you see at the demo that do not persist in ubiquity in modern computing? In other words, are there devices or software that have evolved into something different in modern use (and if so, what and how)?
- Engelbart called his design an “augmentation system.” What do you think he was hoping to augment?
- What is meant by the term “collective memory,” and what significance does Douglas Engelbart’s demo and career have with respect to our collective memory?
Full Video Presentation
Abridged and Annotated Version
Submission
No README is required for this assignment. You can submit a document or PDF of your report.Please refer to the Style Guide for code quality examples and guidelines.