ABSTRACT
My interest in this particular field of the human-computer interaction was stimulated when observing the reactions of a group of students at Loughborough University to their initial introduction to computers. Although most felt enthusiastic initially, this attitude often altered dramatically after their first sessions at the keyboard, and the students seemed to separate into distinct groups. Working with these inanimate machines seemed to provoke various emotional responses, and few remained impartial. Most treated the computer as a useful but complicated ‘black box’, a tool, which because of their inexperience often seemed to create more problems than it solved; some went so far as to express open hostility, bewilderment and despair; while in contrast a few appeared totally fascinated by the machines to the exclusion of other activities. One of the students appeared to sacrifice most of his work and leisure time in order to program, and became known as a ‘computer junkie’ to his fellow students.
