The New Science of Universal Usability Ben Shneiderman Founding Director ( ), Human-Computer Interaction Lab Professor, Department of Computer Science Member, Institutes for Advanced Computer Studies & Systems Research University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742

Interdisciplinary research community - Computer Science & Info Studies - Psych, Socio, Poli Sci & MITH (

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

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

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

Visible Human Explorer (NLM) Doctors Surgeons Researchers Students

NASA Environmental Data Scientists Farmers Land planners Students

NSF Digital Government Initiative Find what you need Understand what you Find Census, NCHS, BLS, EIA, NASS, SSA

iSonic: Sonification for Maps Motivation: improve vision-impaired users’ access to geo-referenced statistical data Approach: interactive sonification Data-to-sound mapping: Piano pitch -> value. User study: 7 blind subjects, 6 hours each Users can recognize geographical patterns Users preferred spatial audio map over table

International Children’s Digital Library

Home Medical Devices Bathroom scale Thermometer Blood pressure Diabetes: Glucose Asthma: Breath Fat monitor EKG

Electronic Health Records: LifeLines

Spotfire: DC natality data

Treemap: Stock market, industry clustered

Treemap: Product catalogs

Treemap: Newsmap

Creativity Support Tools More people, More creative, More often

6 th Creativity & Cognition Conference Washington, DC June 13-15, 2007 Receptions at Nat’l Academy of Sciences & Corcoran Gallery of Art Expand community of researchers Bridge to software developers Encourage art & science thinking

Leonardo’s Laptop The old computing is about what computers can do, The New Computing is about what people can do mitpress.mit.edu/leonardoslaptop

Requirements Analysis 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. -- ACM Code of Ethics

Goals of Public Access Enable participation by every citizen & visitor Voting LicensesSocial security services Passports RegistrationsPolice-fire-emergency Permits RegulationsNational-local government Offer services to all Healthcare Housing Education Employment, Shopping Museums Libraries Transportation Recreation Sports Tourism Entertainment

Universal Usability Challenges Technology variety Fast & slow modems, small & large displays Diverse platforms, multiple versions User diversity Novice & expert, old & young Users with disabilities, poor literacy, or low motivation Bridge the gap between what users know and what they need to know Multi-layer interfaces Help vs. ShowMe! Communications of the ACM, May 2000

Technology variety 1 to 100 range in processor speeds 486 Pentium Multi-core 1 to 100 range in screen sizes Palm devices Laptops Large Desktop or Wall Display 80, ,000 8,000,000 pixels Software Versions Compatibility File conversion Multiple platforms Device Independence Input: keyboard, speech,... Output: visual, auditory,... Conversion 1 to 100 range in network bandwidth 9.6K 56K 10,000Kbps

User diversity: Accommodate all users Skills Computer newbie to hacker Knowledge Domain novice to expert Age Young to old Gender Male or Female Income Impoverished to wealthy Disabilities Visual, auditory, motoric, cognitive Disabling conditions Mobility, injury, noise, sunlight

Race Ethnicity Religion National Origin Literacy Fluent to illiterate Multiple languages Culture Western, Eastern, developing... Personality Introvert vs extravert Thinking vs feeling Risk aversion Locus of control Planful vs playful User diversity: Accommodate all users

Online help Context sensitive, tables of contents, Indexes, Keyword search, FAQs, answer gardens Gaps in User Knowledge-Strategies Bridge the gap between what users know and what they need to know Design Multi-Layered Task-oriented Training Fade-able scaffolding Training wheels Minimalist Online Learning (evolutionary, phased) Introductory tutorials Getting started manuals, Cue cards Walkthroughs/Demos Minimalist/Active

Community Newsgroups, online communities Chat rooms Customer service Phone Help desks Gaps in User Knowledge-Strategies Bridge the gap between what users know and what they need to know Supplements Online manuals, paper Audio, video, Live lecture, peer training, personal trainer

Research Agenda for Universal Usability For Desktop, Web, and Mobile Devices: Evidence-based Guidelines Automated analysis tools Improved application generators Improved user customization tools Social facilitation Tested with developers & users Shneiderman & Hocheiser, Behaviour & Info Technology, 2001

HCI Challenges Information Access Universal Usability Trusted Voting Healthcare Information Visualization Creativity Support Tools

HCI Challenges Information Access Universal Usability Trusted Voting Healthcare Information Visualization Creativity Support Tools Environmental Sustainability Emergency/Disaster Response International Development

UN Millennium Development Goals Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership for development To be achieved by 2015

Interdisciplinary Challenges Modern problems are complex Solutions require multiple disciplines Laboratory studies have limited relevance Natural sciences are not sufficient

Historic Transformation Existing sciences have reached limits: The End of Science: Facing the Limits of Knowledge in the Twilight of the Scientific Age, John Horgan End of Physics End of Computer Science End of History, Francis Fukuyama

Science 1.0 Reductionist Controlled Experiments Replicability Laboratory Natural World

Science Science 2.0 Reductionist  Integrated Controlled  Case Experiments Studies Replicability  Validity Laboratory  Situated Natural World  Made World

Science Science 2.0 Reductionist  Integrated Controlled  Case Experiments Studies Replicability  Validity Laboratory  Situated Natural World  Made World Hypothesis Testing  Hypothesis Testing Predictive Theories  Predictive Theories Replications  Replications

Science 2.0 Emerges Interdisciplinary study of the made world Socially embedded Bringing closer together - theory & practice - basic & applied research New research directions (Emerson, Dewey, James, Vygotsky, Simon, Suchman, Berners-Lee,… … and many of you!)

Science 2.0 Evaluation Methods Ethnographic Observational Situated Multi-Dimensional In-depth Long-term Case studies

Science 2.0 Evaluation Methods Ethnographic Observational Situated Multi-Dimensional In-depth Long-term Case studies Domain Experts & Communities Doing Their Own Work for Weeks & Months

Science 2.0 Evaluation Methods Ethnographic Observational Situated Multi-Dimensional In-depth Long-term Case studies MILCs Shneiderman & Plaisant, BeLIV workshop, 2006

MILC example Evaluate Hierarchical Clustering Explorer Focused on rank-by-feature framework 3 case studies, 4-8 weeks (molecular biologist, statistician, meteorologist) 57 surveys Identified problems early, gave strong positive feedback about benefits of rank-by-feature Seo & Shneiderman, IEEE TVCG 12,3, 2006

MILC example Evaluate SocialAction Focused on integrating statistics & visualization 4 case studies, 4-8 weeks (journalist, bibliometrician, terrorist analyst, organizational analyst) Identified desired features, gave strong positive feedback about benefits of integration Perer & Shneiderman, 2007

Case Study Methodology 1) Interview (1 hr) 2) Training (2 hr) 3) Early Use (2-4 weeks) 4) Mature Use (2-4 weeks) 5) Outcome (1 hr)

Short Range Goals Validate benefits of new designs Collect evidence to support/reject hypothesis - rank-by-feature - integrating statistics & visualization Rapid refinements of tools Benefits to users

Long Range Goals Harness Collaboration Pair-wise Small Team Larger Group Social Creativity

Long Range Goals Harness Collaboration Pair-wise Small Team Larger Group Social Creativity Thomas Edison: 1% Inspiration, 99% Perspiration

Long Range Goals Harness Collaboration Pair-wise Small Team Larger Group Social Creativity Thomas Edison 2.0: 1% Inspiration, 99% Collaboration

Long Range Goals Understand dynamics of Trust Empathy Responsibility Privacy Etc.

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

25 th Annual Symposium May 29, 30,