tying human factors and its history
With the whole agentic and generative AI hype going around and how it is going to change work, it made me wonder how computerization feel. Human Factors, as a discipline, flourished during the 1950-1960s (with the support of military) and many research were done to design how the user can work with the technology to achieve a desirable performance. And then there is the Cold War era too that intensified the research scope.
I have been indulging myself with books from the 1980s that accounted for computerization and its impact to workers. Particularly Mike Cooley's (1980) Architect or Bee? and Shoshana Zuboff's (1988) In the Age of the Smart Machine. It really fueled my desire to dedicate a dissertation chapter to the history of computerization and the commonalities with current AI hype--and what to expect for designing interactions. I think it has potential.
I talked to a History professor whose focus in on the history of computer science (mostly post-WWII stuff, fits perfectly with the conception of Human Factors), and he gave me plenty of resources to read adjacent to human-computer interaction. It was really delightful to know how much he knows--and so many things learned from the hour-long discussion. Although his interest is more on the economics side of things, I appreciate his insights and his breadth of knowledge. After all, the economy is the one that steers how technology gets implemented. I am really excited to work on this chapter during the summer.