Human-Centered Computing: My Journey From Users to Humans : The Learning Loop Volume 1 (Ep 3)

Human-Centered Computing: My Journey From Users to Humans

By Deepti Krishna| January 2026

First post of 2026.

"Not a resolution. Not a promise to be perfect."

Just a checkpoint.

I’m starting this year by writing about something that has quietly shaped how I see technology, people, and myself. Human-Centered Computing isn’t just a research interest for me. It is the result of watching people struggle with systems that were never built for them and refusing to accept that as normal.

This post is part reflection, part explanation, and part direction. It marks where I am right now and where I am trying to go. If 2026 is about building anything meaningful, then this is where it begins.

Let's Start!!!

I did not arrive at Human-Centered Computing through a textbook definition or a trendy research keyword. I arrived there slowly, through frustration, curiosity, and a quiet question that kept returning no matter what I studied: Who is technology actually for?

When I first started learning computer science, everything felt clean and logical. Code either worked or it didn’t. Errors had explanations. Problems had solutions. But the moment I stepped outside the screen and looked at the people around me, that neat logic collapsed.

Real humans did not behave like systems. They struggled, misunderstood, adapted, gave up, and tried again. And most technology seemed strangely indifferent to that.

That gap bothered me. So I started walking toward it.

When Technology Stops Making Sense

Growing up, I saw technology treated as something powerful yet distant. It was supposed to make life easier, but for many people around me, it did the opposite. Forms were confusing. Interfaces assumed knowledge people did not have. Systems demanded precision from users who were already exhausted.

I remember watching people struggle with basic digital tasks, not because they were incapable, but because the tools were not designed with them in mind. The problem was never intelligence. It was empathy.

At that time, I did not have the vocabulary to name this problem. I only knew that something felt off. Why did users always have to adapt to machines? Why were mistakes punished instead of anticipated? Why did design often assume a “perfect user” who did not exist in reality?

Those questions quietly shaped my direction.

Discovering Human-Centered Computing

Human-Centered Computing, at its core, is simple to explain and hard to practice. It is the study and design of computing systems that prioritize human needs, behaviors, limitations, and values.

Not users as data points.
Not users as error sources.
Humans as they actually are.

HCC sits at the intersection of computer science, psychology, sociology, design, and ethics. It asks uncomfortable questions:

Who benefits from this system?
Who is excluded?
What assumptions are we making about the person using this technology?

When I first read about HCC, it felt less like discovering a new field and more like recognizing something I had already been thinking about, just without a name.

My Shift From “Building Tech” to “Building for People”

Like many beginners, my early focus was on learning tools. Languages, frameworks, platforms. I wanted to build things that worked.

Over time, I started noticing a pattern. A technically impressive solution could still fail completely when placed in the hands of real people.

That realization changed how I approached projects.

Instead of asking, “What can I build?” I started asking, “Who will use this, and under what conditions?”

Will they be stressed?
Will they have limited time?
Will they make mistakes?
Will they understand the language?

These questions sound obvious, yet they are often missing from technical education. Human-Centered Computing brings them to the center instead of treating them as an afterthought.

Humans Are Not Edge Cases

One idea in HCC that deeply resonates with me is this: humans are not edge cases.

In many systems, accessibility features are added later. Error handling is treated as secondary. Diverse user experiences are categorized as exceptions.

Human-Centered Computing flips this logic. It starts with variability. It assumes imperfection.

People forget passwords.
People misunderstand instructions.
People use systems in ways designers never predicted.

Instead of blaming users, HCC treats these behaviors as design inputs.

This perspective matters to me because I have seen how often people internalize technological failure as personal failure. “I’m bad at tech.” “I’m not smart enough.”

In reality, many systems are simply not designed well.

Ethics Is Not Optional

Another reason HCC feels urgent is its ethical dimension. Technology shapes behavior, opportunity, and power. Design decisions are never neutral.

Algorithms decide what content people see.
Interfaces influence what choices feel available.
Defaults quietly guide behavior.

Human-Centered Computing insists that developers take responsibility for these effects. It does not allow the excuse that technology is “just a tool.”

Tools shape hands as much as hands shape tools.

For me, this is not abstract theory. It connects directly to questions of fairness, access, and dignity. Who gets represented in data? Who gets ignored? Who bears the cost when systems fail?

These are not side questions. They are the core.

Learning Without Permission

My journey into HCC has not been linear or institutionally guided. Much of it has been self-driven. Reading research papers. Observing real-world interactions. Writing. Building small prototypes. Reflecting on failure.

Without formal mentorship, I learned to study people as carefully as I studied code. I paid attention to friction points. I watched how people hesitated, where they got confused, when they gave up.

This kind of learning is slow and uncomfortable. There are no immediate metrics. No clear “correct” answers. But it feels honest.

Human-Centered Computing rewards patience and humility. It forces you to admit that you do not fully understand the people you design for. And that is precisely why it matters.

Why HCC Is the Future of Computing

As technology becomes more embedded in daily life, the cost of bad design increases. Systems are no longer optional. They mediate education, healthcare, governance, and communication.

If these systems are not human-centered, they do not merely inconvenience people. They harm them.

I believe the future of computing depends on moving away from purely efficiency-driven thinking. Faster is not always better. More automated is not always wiser.

Smarter systems must also be kinder, clearer, and more accountable.

Human-Centered Computing does not reject technology. It demands better technology.

Where I Am Headed

My interest in Human-Centered Computing continues to evolve. I am drawn to research that explores how people interact with systems in real, imperfect contexts.

I care about design that respects users rather than instructing them. I care about technology that adapts to humans, not the other way around.

This journey is still unfolding. I do not claim expertise. What I have is commitment, curiosity, and a refusal to accept that frustration and exclusion are inevitable side effects of progress.

If computing is going to shape the future, then humans deserve to be at the center of it. Not as users. As people.

And that is why Human-Centered Computing is not just an academic interest for me. It is a responsibility.

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