Ben Shneiderman's book dramatically raises computer users' expectations
of what they should get from technology. He opens their eyes to new possibilities
and invites them to think freshly about future technology. He challenges developers
to build products that better support human needs and that are usable at any
bandwidth. Shneiderman proposes Leonardo da Vinci as an inspirational muse for the
"new computing." He wonders how Leonardo would use a laptop and what applications he
would create.Shneiderman shifts the focus from what computers can do to what users
can do. A key transformation is to what he calls "universal usability," enabling
participation by young and old, novice and expert, able and disabled. This
transformation would empower those yearning for literacy or coping with their
limitations. Shneiderman proposes new computing applications in education, medicine,
business, and government. He envisions a World Wide Med that delivers secure patient
histories in local languages at any emergency room and thriving million-person
communities for e-commerce and e-government. Raising larger questions about human
relationships and society, he explores the computer's potential to support
creativity, consensus-seeking, and conflict resolution. Each chapter ends with a
Skeptic's Corner that challenges assumptions about trust, privacy, and digital
divides.
