In the past few years a branch of sociology, conversation analysis, has begun to have a significant impact on the design of human–computer interaction (HCI). The investigation of human–human dialogue has emerged as a fruitful foundation for interactive system design. This book includes eleven original chapters by leading researchers who are applying conversation analysis to HCI. The fundamentals of conversation analysis are outlined, a number of systems are described, and a critical view of their value for HCI is offered. Computers and Conversation will be of interest to all concerned with HCI issues—from the advanced student to the professional computer scientist involved in the design and specification of interactive systems.