ABSTRACT

This chapter investigates general aspects and basic concepts of computer-aided human-to-human interaction, and suggests a new method of using specific computerised tools in the support of human communications.

The key concept in the HCHI (human-computer-human interaction) approach is the introduction of specific, intentional computer-based processing of human messages, in which an intelligent machine aids human-to-human information transfer. The machine supports not only acquisition, storage, sorting, merging and retrieval of transmitted information, but also translation, formalisation, re-recording, analysis and re-synthesising of human-to-human messages. Moreover, filtering, adjusting, correcting and extracting key facts is possible, as is the constrained transfer of related mental models, via suitable decoding/encoding of messages. All of these properties result in enhanced precision and increased reliability in human-to-human information transfer – especially in complex man-machine systems.