Advanced Computing Solutions for Modern Challenges

1. A New Agenda for Computing ProfessionalsBen Shneiderman (ben@cs.umd.edu)Founding Director (1983-2000), Human-Computer Interaction Lab Professor, Department of Computer ScienceMember, Institutes for Advanced Computer Studies &Systems Research

2. Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory Interdisciplinary research community - Computer Science & Psychology - Information Studies & Education www.cs.umd.edu/hcil

3. Scientific Approach(beyond user friendly) • Specify users and tasks • Predict and measure (theory-driven, hypothesis-testing) • 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

4. 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

5. U.S. Library of Congress • Scholars, Journalists, Citizens • Teachers, Students

6. Visible Human Explorer (NLM) • Doctors • Surgeons • Researchers • Students

7. NASA Environmental Data • Scientists • Farmers • Land planners • Students

8. U.S. Bureau of Census • Economists, Policy makers, Journalists • Teachers, Students

9. Treemap - Stock market, clustered by industry

11. Four challenges 1) Prevent future terror 2) Strengthen communities - increase vigilance - enable rapid response - support communities in coping 3) Broaden participation & universal usability 4) Reduce inequities by international development http://www.hcibib.org/preventterror/ /communities/ /participation/ /development/

12. Preventing future terror • National ID systems: authenticate, monitor, deter • Monitor selected email, financial transactions, and travel patterns • Improve transportation security: air, train, ships, roads • Protect public utilities: nuclear, water, electric • Attack terrorist sources • Eliminate “root causes of terror”

13. Study the process of terror • Recruitment • Training • Decision-making strategies • Choice of targets • Travel plans • Border crossing • Gaining identity • Local preparations • Implementation

14. 10 Questions for ID System Developers How do you • collect, verify and update the data?  what data? (signature, photo, thumbprint, eyescan)  • validate new applications and lost cards? (are expired cards destroyed?)  • conducts verifications?  (you need terminals everywhere)   • respond when a false ID is detected?  

15. 10 Questions for ID System Developers • verify security (prevent hacker destruction),         privacy (keep data in control) &         reliability (limit & cope with software /hardware/network/power failures?) • hire, train, and manage employees to continually improve quality 

16. 10 Questions for ID System Developers • handle inquiries from police, immigration, intelligence, and other government agencies?  • ensure appropriate management and judicial oversight? • measure costs, benefits, effectiveness?

17. Special classes of users • frequent travelers who agree to closer monitoring of their behavior in exchange for faster processing • non-citizen visitors whose background is checked more carefully • airline/airport/trucking/port personnel

18. Opportunities to increase rights Should citizens be able to view • their records to verify contents • the log of usage • government inquiries What form of citizen or judicial oversight?

19. Cautions for ID system proponents • Are identification systems a good investment? • Are other approaches more effective? • How easy are they to compromise? • What are the worst case risks? • Do they generate a false sense of security

20. Four challenges 1) Prevent future terror 2) Strengthen communities - increase vigilance - enable rapid response - support communities in coping 3) Broaden participation & universal usability 4) Reduce inequities by international development http://www.hcibib.org/preventterror/ /communities/ /participation/ /development/

21. Social Support: Concepts • Online communities • E-commerce customer service & consumer conversations • Medical support groups & information exchange • Educational discussions & teamwork • Neighborhood forums & political organizing • Technologies • Synchronous text: Instant messaging, chat rooms • Asynchronous text: Listservs, bulletin boards, newsgroups • Audio,video, virtual realities

22. Social Support: Goals • Supporting Sociability • People: Target a population • Purposes: Clearly state focus • Policies: Make expectations explicit • behavior, privacy, moderation, joining rules • Designing Usability • Users: Know the users • Tasks: Understand frequencies and sequences • Systems: Choose seamless combinations of tools Online Communities: Supporting Sociability, Designing Usability Jenny Preece, John Wiley & Sons, June 2000

23. Social Support: Trust • Invite participation by ensuring trust • Disclose patterns of past performance • Provide references from past and current users • Get certifications from third parties • Make policies for privacy & security easy to find & read • Accelerate action by clarifying responsibility • Clarify each participant's responsibilities • Provide clear guarantees with compensation • Describe dispute resolution and mediation services Communications of the ACM, Dec.2000, Special Issue on Trust

24. Restore social capital • Decline in community groups since 1965 • Less volunteerism, reciprocity, honesty, trust, philantropy • More commuting, women working, TV watching, solitary activities • Generational change • Potential remedies • Youth and school projects • Workplace changes • Urban and metropolitan design • Religion • Arts & culture • Politics & government Bowling Alone Robert Putnam, 2000

25. Four challenges 1) Prevent future terror 2) Strengthen communities - increase vigilance - enable rapid response - support communities in coping 3) Broaden participation & universal usability 4) Reduce inequities by international development http://www.hcibib.org/preventterror/ /communities/ /participation/ /development/

26. Broad participation • Universal usability increases participation • Involvement and contribution generate pride • Responsibility and participation increase protectiveness

27. Universal Usability • Technology variety: Support broad range of hardware, software, and network access • User diversity: Accommodate users with different skills, knowledge, age, gender, literacy, culture, income, disabilities, disabling conditions (mobility, injury, noise, light)... • Gaps in user knowledge: Bridge the gap between what users know and what they need to know Communications of the ACM, May 2000

28. 1 to 100 range in network bandwidth 9.6K 56K 10,000Kbps Technology variety: Support broad range of hardware, software, and network access Device Independence Input: keyboard, speech,... Output: visual, auditory,... Conversion: Text-speech Speech-text,... 1 to 100 range in processor speeds 286 486 Pentium 1 to 100 range in screen sizes Palm devices Laptops Large Desktop or Wall Display 30,000 480,000 3,840,000 pixels Software Versions Compatibility File conversion Multiple platforms

29. Language & Culture Western, Eastern, developing... Personality Introvert vs extravert Thinking vs feeling Risk aversion Locus of control Planful vs playful User diversity: Accommodate different users Disabilities Visual, auditory, motoric, cognitiveDisabling conditions Mobility, injury, noise, sunlight Age Young to old Gender Male or Female Income Impoverished to wealthy Skills Computer newbie to hacker Knowledge Domain novice to expert

30. Gaps in User Knowledge Bridge the gap between what users know and what they need to know Online Learning (evolutionary, phased) Introductory tutorials Getting started manuals, Cue cards Walkthroughs/Demos Minimalist/Active Design Layered Level-structured Task-oriented Training Fade-able scaffolding Training wheels Minimalist Online help Context sensitive, tables of contents, Indexes, Keyword search, FAQs, Newsgroups, Chat rooms Online communities Customer service Email Phone Help desks

31. ACM Code of Ethics In a fair society, all individuals would have equal opportunity to participate in, or benefit from, the use of computer resources regardless of race, sex, religion, age, disability, national origin or other such similar factors.

32. Four challenges 1) Prevent future terror 2) Strengthen communities - increase vigilance - enable rapid response - support communities in coping 3) Broaden participation & universal usability 4) Reduce inequities by international development http://www.hcibib.org/preventterror/ /communities/ /participation/ /development/

33. Information Technology & Development • Support development agencies • Disaster relief • Agricultural specialists & farm workers • Hospitals, clinics, doctors • Roads, irrigation, water, sewage, electricity,… • Education & training • Entrepreneurship & business development • Promote democratic principles • Civil rights, voting & judicial processes • Free press & open markets • Competent & responsive governments

34. Rodrigo Baggio in Brazil

35. Thomas Jefferson I feel... an ardent desire to see knowledge so disseminated through the mass of mankind that it may...reach even the extremes of society: beggars and kings. -- Reply to American Philosophical Society, 1808

36. Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory 19th Annual Symposium May 30-31, 2002 www.cs.umd.edu/hcil