AHF 3101 Human Factors

Describe a situation in which a command language or a natural-language interface (choose only one) may be more beneficial for users than other input methods would be. Include the intended audience, the main purpose of the application, and why a command language or a natural-language interface would be more suitable for this situation. Be sure your description is well organized and includes at least two examples.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is an important branch of artificial intelligence that enhances human-computer interaction. Natural Language User Interface (NLUI) is one such type, where the linguistic factors such as phrases, clauses and verbs act as the User Interface (UI) control and help to create, select and modify data in the software applications.

NLUI is considered to be extremely helpful when it comes to fast accessing of information. Search engines and E-commerce websites nowadays broadly uses NLUI. Google has this concept embedded into their search option for ages which has even updated to an improved voice-search option now (Choi & Varian 2012). Users need not depend upon searching only with keywords and Boolean GUI buttons to gain needed information. Simple search sentences are entered and thereon, the NLP decodes the sentence as per language semantics and derives meanings accordingly. After breaking down the user input, the NLP tries to extract the topic and the keywords to search.

NLUI is the best form of interface that can be used for search operations in the modern era. Typing the query in plain language is enough to trigger the search. It is aimed at making life faster. From business class people to students, this feature is aimed at improving every lifestyle. It is also meant to allow users search, using their local language. NLUI saves time for both users and coders.

The programmers need not worry about handling multiple GUI buttons and checkboxes to fetch user input. Furthermore, being an AI concept, this allows users to express their queries with freedom and hence search results can be more specific (Chopra, Prashar & Sain 2013). Therefore, NLUI is certainly a faster option for both parties.

As mentioned earlier, apart from Google’s search engine, the popular e-commerce website, Amazon.com use this system as well. This gives a better option for users to search their products more efficiently, using simple sentences, just as one would generally ask before a shopkeeper.

References

Choi, H., & Varian, H. (2012). Predicting the present with Google Trends. Economic Record, 88(s1), 2-9.

 Chopra, A., Prashar, A., & Sain, C. (2013). Natural language processing. Int. J. Technol. Enhanc. Emerg. Eng. Res, 1(4), 131-134.