Hello listers,
I thought some of you might be interested to see this bit of government
thinking on our place in the Information Age. What follows is a press
release on a new NRC report.
Enjoy!
--Bryan BAshin
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Aug. 18, 1997
Contacts: Ellen Bailey Pippenger, Media Relations Associate
Shannon Flannery, Media Relations Assistant
(202) 334-2138; Internet <news@nas.edu>
[EMBARGOED: NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 5 P.M. EDT MONDAY, AUG. 18]
PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENT
TIME HAS COME FOR MORE
USABLE INFORMATION SYSTEMS
A steady stream of new computing and communications gadgets, services, and
options heralds the growth of the national information infrastructure
(NII). This sprawling web of communications networks and information
facilities across the country includes the Internet, the telephone system,
radio and television networks, libraries, publishers, and more. The NII
promises benefits to everyone, everywhere. But today's technology --
although better than it was a decade ago -- is easy to use only for some
people and difficult or impossible for many more. People with disabilities
or in environments such as cars or factories that limit how they use their
hands, as well as new users of computers and online services, provide
illustrations of how much progress is needed to make the NII more
"user-friendly."
A new report by a National Research Council committee explains how
developing more useful and effective interfaces can improve access to the
NII. Interfaces -- the hardware and software that facilitate communication
between people and their computers -- are the gateways to the NII.
It is time to seek new paradigms for how people and computers interact, the
committee said. Current computer systems, which arose from models
conceived in the 1960s and 1970s, are based on the concept of a single user
typing at a computing terminal. These systems have limitations, however.
For example, using many applications simultaneously can be awkward, and
inefficiency can ensue when multiple users with different abilities and
equipment try to access and work on the same documents at the same time.
No single solution will meet the needs of everyone, so a major research
effort is needed to give users multiple options for sending and receiving
information to and from a communication network. The prospects are
exciting because of recent advances in several relevant technologies that
will allow people to use more technologies more easily.
"This is a time when tremendous creativity is required to take advantage of
the vast array of new technologies coming forth, such as virtual reality
systems and speech recognition, eye-tracking, and touch-sensitive
technologies," said steering committee chair Alan Biermann, chair of the
Levine Science Research Center at Duke University, Chapel Hill, N.C. "But
the point remains that we are still using a mouse to point and click.
Although a gloriously successful technology, pointing and clicking is not
the last word in interface technology."
The report encourages both government and industry to invest in research on
the components needed to develop computing and communication networks that
are easy to use. Applying studies of human and organizational behaviors to
lay the groundwork for building better systems will be very important to
these efforts. New component designs also should take into account the
varied needs of users. People with different physical and cognitive
capacities are obvious audiences, but others would benefit as well.
Communication devices that recognize users' voices would help both the
visually impaired as well as people driving cars, for example. It is time
to acknowledge that usability can be improved for everyone, not just those
with special needs.
In addition to developing individual components, the report also recommends
research at the systems level. It encourages more progress in designing
interfaces that support various types of individuals and groups working
with networked devices.
Research should be conducted in five high-priority areas:
>DETERMINING THE NEEDS OF CITIZENS. Psychological, sociological, and
historical studies should be undertaken to determine what kinds of computer
systems work best for different types of users. For example, the
accessibility of successful large public systems, such as the Thomas system
for congressional information or the EDGAR system for financial filings,
could be examined. This and other studies would guide research priorities
and target which technologies will work.
>DEVELOPING SPEECH-RECOGNITION AND NATURAL LANGUAGE-PROCESSING
TECHNOLOGIES. These technologies seem particularly promising because of
the broad need for such capabilities and recent progress in the field.
Speech recognition and language processing offer a range of uses,
especially for telephone applications and situations when hands and eyes
are occupied.
>DESIGNING ADAPTABLE TECHNOLOGIES. Research and development should
concentrate on making more versatile and adaptable computing and
communication systems to meet the varying needs of users. An example is
building devices that can be used on the road, in the office, or en route.
Interfaces also should allow people to receive information from computers
by sight, hearing, and touch.
>DEVELOPING THEORIES AND ARCHITECTURE FOR COLLABORATION. The new
opportunities offered by the NII will come to fruition only if technology
can improve collaboration in computing and communication networks. More
research in collaboration and problem-solving theories will help designers
better understand people's experiences when they use systems. Important
objectives include designs that allow users to recognize one another
online, communicate easily across space and time, and participate in
multi-group efforts. Various research communities have been building
system prototypes, but more progress is needed before use by the general
public can become possible.
>TESTING DESIGN AND EVALUATION PROCESS. Industry, under the pressure of
competition, has tended in recent years to minimize user-testing in favor
of quickly getting products to customers, sometimes within a matter of
months. Marketplace success has become the test for how usable a product
is. This trend will be accelerated by nationwide access to the NII.
Better understanding gained by more testing and evaluation will help
achieve new ways to interact with computing and communication systems. A
more effective testing process also will help address the needs of
individuals whose market buying power may be less than other groups.
While private industry will most likely take the lead in mainstream product
development and short-term research, the report notes that the government
also can play a role in ensuring every-citizen usability of the NII. This
will complement government policies that address economic and other aspects
of universal access. Federal agencies should encourage universal access to
the NII by supporting research and requiring adequate development and
testing of systems purchased for use at public service facilities.
The report draws from a late 1996 workshop that convened experts in
computing and communications technology, the social sciences, design, and
special-needs populations such as people with disabilities, low incomes or
education, minorities, and those who don't speak English.
The study was funded by the National Science Foundation. The National
Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy
of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. It is a private,
non-profit institution that provides science advice under a congressional
charter. A committee roster follows.
Copies of MORE THAN SCREEN DEEP: TOWARD EVERY-CITIZEN INTERFACES TO THE
NATION'S INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE will be available from the National
Academy Press in September; tel. (202) 334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242.
Reporters may obtain prepublication copies from the Office of News and
Public Information (contacts listed above.)
[This announcement is available on the World Wide Web at <www.nas.edu/new>.
More information related to the report can also be found at
<www2.nas.edu/cstbweb>.]
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
Computer Science and Telecommunications Board
TOWARD AN EVERY-CITIZEN INTERFACE TO THE
NATION'S INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE STEERING COMMITTEE
ALAN W. BIERMANN (CHAIR)
Duke University
Chapel Hill, N.C.
TORA BIKSON
RAND Corp.
Santa Monica, Calif.
THOMAS DEFANTI
University of Illinois
Chicago
GERHARD FISCHER
University of Colorado
Boulder
BARBARA J. GROSZ
Harvard University
Cambridge, Mass.
THOMAS LANDAUER
University of Colorado
Boulder
JOHN MAKHOUL
BBN Corp.
Boston
BRUCE TOGNAZZINI
Healtheon Corp.
Palo Alto, Calif.
GREGG VANDERHEIDEN
University of Wisconsin
Madison
STEPHEN WEINSTEIN
NEC America Inc.
Summit, N.J.
RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF
MARJORY S. BLUMENTHAL
Director, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board
JOHN M. GODFREY
Research Associate
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