MSc Human-Computer Interaction | Statement of Intent

Hello everyone,

I am a german bachelor student and want to apply for a master program in Human-Computer Interaction. My favorite university needs a statement of intent, the deadline is close and I have never written anything like that before. So, here I am and would be very thankfull for your comments and criticism.

Statement of Intent

I was always interested in psychological questions. Why do people think the way they think? Why do they act the way they act? But I was also curious about computer science and now is my opportunity to combine my varied interests by studying Human-Computer Interaction.

My undergraduate education at the ___ University has provided me with a strong and comprehensive background in Computer Science. Combining this with the practical knowledge I acquired while working at **company**, I have a unique view of both, the academic and economic aspects while still studying.

During my bachelor program I never lost my psychological interest, which is why my very first practical experience was the evaluation of possibilities for interactive projections. Adding my knowledge concerning programming and computer science in general, I was able to create prototypes which were used for various presentational purposes. This showed me the potential and importance of interaction design.

A very interesting part is the vast amount of possibilities for human-computer interaction. Every sense provides us with a new way to interact with a computer. Besides seeing an interface and interacting with it through a mouse or keyboard, there are new technologies which allow us an even broader way of interaction. Be it the evolution of touch displays, the possibilities of eye tracking for disabled persons or the input and output of voice signals.

Everything is based on the human nature and applied with computer science. But the potential cannot be fully exhausted, if there are no usability experts who analyze and improve the current technology.

This is why my bachelor thesis shall deal with an extensive usability analysis concerning the user interface of an industrial supervisory and control system. Imagining a major incident in a nuclear power plant, it would be a catastrophe if the user interface was overloaded and confusing so that necessary actions could not be made in time.

That is of course a worst case scenario, but even a simple website can be frustrating if the navigation is complicated and the most important information are located on the bottom right of the page.

I want to extend my knowledge concerning human-computer interaction in order to correctly and extensively evaluate interaction designs and I want to extend my knowledge concerning computer science in order to design and implement user interfaces. Not only to satisfy my thirst for knowledge, but to help everyone, who is frustrated by complicated and not intuitive designs.

I consider myself an enthusiastic and hardworking person, and I am sure that my study will be a very fruitful one.

Combining this with the practical knowledge I acquired while working at **company**, I have a unique view of both, the academic and economic aspects while still studying.

This sentence sounds a little awkward, maybe you can clear this up by saying it in a more simple way? You are trying to say that your goal is to combine your work experience and your education to move forward in your career.

A very interesting part is the vast amount of possibilities for human-computer interaction.
Maybe this would sound better: "I am interested in the vast amount of possibilities for the analysis of human-computer interaction."

During my bachelor program I never lost my psychological interest, which is why my very first practical experience was the evaluation of possibilities for interactive projections.

Or, you could say it like this: "My interest in psychology persisted during my bachelor degree program. This inspired my very first practical experience, which was the evaluation of possibilities for interactive projections."

Every sense provides us with a new way to interact with a computer.
Another way to say this: "Analysis of the human senses is a new way of studying computer interaction."