Introduction to Techniques and Modalities

Abstract

Defined by Luis von Ahn as “systems that combine humans and computers to solve large-scale problems that neither can solve alone,” human computational systems have attracted enough attention by researchers and developers to form a loosely connected community. This handbook aims to form stronger relationships between these researchers, many of whom happened into the field through artificial intelligence (AI) or human computer interfaces (HCI). In this section, several of these pioneers share “words of wisdom” from their own experiences with human computation. This section will be of considerable interest to anyone who is curious about how HC systems could be implemented, and those who would like to enhance existing systems. Techniques and Modalities highlights reusable techniques and approaches that can be applied to address common problems in human computation. Some recommendations are borrowed from other fields, such as human computer interfaces and biology. Others address issues that are unique to human computation, such as motivating contributors, incorporating the contributor’s personal context and aggregating multiple perspectives.