Leonardo's Laptop: Human Needs and the New Computing Ben Shneiderman ([e-mail]) Founding Director (1983-2000), Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory Professor, Department of Computer Science Member, Institutes for Advanced Computer Studies

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Leonardo's Laptop Human Needs and the New
Computing Ben Shneiderman (ben_at_cs.umd.edu)Foun
ding Director (1983-2000), Human-Computer
Interaction Laboratory Professor, Department of
Computer ScienceMember, Institutes for Advanced
Computer Studies Systems ResearchUniversity
of Marylandben_at_cs.umd.edu
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Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
Interdisciplinary research community -
Computer Science Psychology - Information
Studies Education
(www.cs.umd.edu/hcil)
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Scientific Approach (beyond user friendly)

• Specify users and tasks
• Predict and measure
• time to learn
• speed of performance
• rate of human errors
• human retention over time
• Assess subjective satisfaction
  (Questionnaire for User Interface Satisfaction)
• Accommodate individual differences
• Consider social, organizational cultural
  context

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Design Issues

• Input devices strategies
• Keyboards, pointing devices, voice
• Direct manipulation
• Menus, forms, commands
• Output devices formats
• Screens, windows, color, sound
• Text, tables, graphics
• Instructions, messages, help
• Collaboration communities
• Manuals, tutorials, training

www.awl.com/DTUI usableweb.com hcibib.org
useit.com
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Library of Congress

• Scholars, Journalists, Citizens
• Teachers, Students

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Visible Human Explorer (NLM)

• Doctors
• Surgeons
• Researchers
• Students

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NASA Environmental Data

• Scientists
• Farmers
• Land planners
• Students

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Bureau of Census

• Economists, Policy makers, Journalists
• Teachers, Students

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NSF Digital Government Initiative

• Find what you need
• Understand what you Find UMd UNC

www.ils.unc.edu/govstat/
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Information Visualization

• The eye
• the window of the soul,
• is the principal means
• by which the central sense
• can most completely and
• abundantly appreciate
• the infinite works of nature.
• Leonardo da Vinci
• (1452 - 1519)

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Information Visualization Using Vision to Think

• Visual bandwidth is enormous
• Human perceptual skills are remarkable
• Trend, cluster, gap, outlier...
• Color, size, shape, proximity...
• Human image storage is fast and vast
• Opportunities
• Spatial layouts coordination
• Information visualization
• Scientific visualization simulation
• Telepresence augmented reality
• Virtual environments

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Treemap - Stock market, clustered by industry
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Current Research - TimeSearcher

• Time series
• Stocks
• Weather
• Genes
• User-specified patterns
• Rapid search

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Leonardos Laptop
The old computing is about what computers can
do, The New Computing is about what people can
do
mitpress.mit.edu/leonardoslaptop www.cs.umd.edu/h
cil/newcomputing
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An Inspirational Muse Leonardo da Vinci
(1452-1519)

• Renaissance Man
• Combined science art
• Integrated engineering esthetics
• Balanced technology advances human
  values
• Merged visionary practical

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Goals for The New Computing

• 1) Usable Reliable comprehensible
• 2) Universal Diverse users varied
  equipment
• 3) Useful In harmony with
  human needs

www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/newcomputing
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1) Usable Ending User Frustration

• Goal - make computer usage less frustrating
• Identify top ten frustrations
• Measure severity frequency in lost time
• Determine if the situation is improving
• Related areas
• Errors
• Time delays
• Emotional reactions

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1) Frequent frustrating experiences
Networking Web
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Application System Crashes
1) Frequent frustrating experiences
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1) Time diary study

• Self reports observations (64 UMD 47 Towson)
• Pre-session survey
• demographic information
• computer experience and attitudes
• level of computer anxiety, mood
• Users spent 1 hour report their frustrating
  experiences
• Post-session survey
• assess mood after the session
• overall frustration level
• loss of time

www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/newcomputing
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1) Results
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1) Minutes lost UMD Towson
Total minutes 9485
Total minutes lost 4250
568
UMD
902
877
7968
3652
1513
294
Towson
353
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1) Next Steps

• Validate results with other users
• professional
• elderly
• novice
• Develop more precise monitoring software e.g.
  www.bugtoaster.com
• Explore ways to improve
• Online help help desks
• Customer service online communities
• Education training
• Software interface re-design

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• 2) Universal Digital Divide Remains Troubling

Percent of Internet Use by Educational Attainment
  U.S. Department of Commerce www.ntia.doc.gov/nti
ahome/dn/
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2) Universal Usability in Practice
www.otal.umd.edu/uupractice/
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2) Universal Diverse Users Varied Equipment

• User diversity Accommodate users with
  different skills, knowledge, age, gender,
  disabilities, disabling conditions
  (mobility, injury, noise, sunlight),
  literacy, culture, income, etc.
• Technology variety Support broad range of
  hardware, software, and network access
• Gaps in user knowledge Bridge the gap
  between what users know and what they need
  to know

Communications of the ACM, May 2000
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3) Useful Generative Theories
Predictive explanatory theories are useful, but
the big step forward will be ?
generative theories Theories of human needs to
guide our invention of new technologies
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3) Theories of Human Needs

• Jefferson Life, Liberty the Pursuit of
  Happiness
• Roosevelt Freedom of speech expression,
  religion, from want, from fear
• Maslow Hierarchy of human needs
• Physiological
• Safety
• Love
• Esteem
• Self-Actualization
• Covey Living, Loving, Learning Leaving a
  legacy

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3) Human Needs for Relationships

• Relationships
• Self working on your own
• Family Friends 2-50 close intimates
• Colleagues Neighbors 50-5000 acquaintances
• Citizens Markets 5000 and more
•  

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3) Human Needs for Activities

• Activities
• Collect Information
• Relate Communication
• Create Innovation
• Donate Dissemination

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3) Activities and Relationship Table (ART)
Activities Collect Relate Create
Donate

• Relationships
• Self
• Family Friends
•  
• Colleagues Neighbors
•   
• Citizenry Markets
•  

Skeptics corner - Are relationships more
complex? - Are these useful activities?
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Activities and Relationship Table (ART)
Activities Collect Relate Create
Donate

• Relationships
• Self
• Family Friends
•  
• Colleagues Neighbors
•   
• Citizenry Markets
•  

Identicam PhotoDiary
PhotoFinder PhotoMesa Album sharing StoryStarter Family photo history
PhotoFinder Kiosk PhotoWall
PhotoFinder Webstarter PhotoQuilt Photo sharing
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Activities and Relationship Table (ART)
Activities Collect Relate Create
Donate

• Relationships
• Self
• Family Friends
•  
• Colleagues Neighbors
•   
• Citizenry Markets
•  

Medical log Diary
Find-a- Friend MusicLists Family vacation history
InfoDoors GatherEmail Send-a-Link
WebBushes WorldWide Med Million person communities Medical diagnosis Tourist sharing
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3) Future Directions

• E-learning The new education
• E-business The new commerce
• E-healthcare The new medicine
• E-government The new politics
• Mega-creativity
• Grander Goals The Next Leonardo

www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/newcomputing
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Getting to the Golden Age of Usability

• Action Items
• Developers Apply usability guidelines
  testing methods
• Web producers Develop UU statements
• Managers Provide responsible leadership
• Journalists Raise public expectations
• Policy makers Raise clarify requirements
• Funders Expand research on usability
• Educators Disseminate scientific results
• Researchers Explore bold new visions

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Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

• Three lessons
• 1) Usable Reliable comprehensible
• 2) Universal Diverse users varied
  equipment
• 3) Useful In harmony with
  human needs

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The old computing is about what computers can
do, The New Computing is about what people can
do
Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory 20th
Anniversary May 29-30, 2003
www.cs.umd.edu/hcil