Leonardo's Laptop: Human Needs and the New Computing Technologies

2003 IEEE-USAB Award for Distinguished Literary Contributions Furthering Public Understanding of the Profession. and Selected as a Finalist in the category of Computer/Internet in the 2002 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs) presented by Independent Publisher Magazine

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.

"A very useful book..." -- Peta Jellis, First Monday Reviews "This book is an inspiration, a must read." < br /> "This book communicates a kaleidoscopic vision of how technology can be used to empower people in multiple areas of life." < br /> "A very useful book..."-- Peta Jellis, "First Monday Reviews" " Schneiderman} is blessed with an engaging writing style and the ability to make this material interesting and lively."-- Jessie Thorpe, Modbee.com -- Pashu Anantharam, "The Rational Edge" --Christinger Tomer, University of Pittsburgh -- Diane Maloney-Krichmar, University of Maryland Baltimore County -- Professor Gavriel Salvendy, "International Journal of Human Computer Interaction" " A very useful book..." -- Peta Jellis, "First Monday Reviews" " This book will change the way you think about web design." -- WebReference " This is an eloquently written and visionary book." -- Pashu Anantharam, "The Rational Edge" " This book is an inspiration, a must read." -- Professor Gavriel Salvendy, "International Journal of Human Computer Interaction" " Who should read (Leonardo's Laptop)? Everyone who cares about mankind, technology, and the future." -- Gerd Waloszek, SAP Design Guild " [Schneiderman} is blessed with an engaging writing style and the ability to make this material interesting and lively." -- Jessie Thorpe, Modbee.com " It's easy...to get caught up in the author's techno-Utopian vision of a world hotwired to serve its populace." -- Elizabeth Millard, ComputerUser.com " Questions about the relationship between technology and culture may be more important than ever. Ben Shneiderman's conviction that da Vinci's ideas about art and technique remain relevant may bring us an important step or two closer to useful answers about the roles that we want computers in play in our lives." The course in which I've used "Leonardo's Laptop" is called " LIS 2000: Understanding Information." ...It is designed as an introduction to the graduate program in library and information science at Pittsburgh, and attempts to look at a series of issues that affect the environment for scholarly publishing, information exchange, information retrieval, etc. The official course description is as follows: " Issues and problems arising from interrelationships among information and individuals, society, organizations and systems, and information that the information professions address." --Christinger Tomer, University of Pittsburgh & quot; This book will change the way you think about web design.& quot; -- WebReference & quot; A very useful book...& quot; -- Peta Jellis, First Monday Reviews & quot; This is an eloquently written and visionary book.& quot; -- Pashu Anantharam, The Rational Edge & quot; Who should read (Leonardo's Laptop)? Everyone who cares about mankind, technology, and the future.& quot; -- Gerd Waloszek, SAP Design Guild & quot; This book is an inspiration, a must read.& quot; -- Professor Gavriel Salvendy, International Journal of Human Computer Interaction & quot; [Schneiderman} is blessed with an engaging writing style and the ability to make this material interesting and lively.& quot; -- Jessie Thorpe, Modbee.com & quot; It's easy...to get caught up in the author's techno-Utopian vision of a world hotwired to serve its populace.& quot; -- Elizabeth Millard, ComputerUser.com & quot; Questions about the relationship between technology and culture may be more important than ever. Ben Shneiderman's conviction that da Vinci's ideas about art and technique remain relevant may bring us an important step or two closer to useful answers about the roles that we want computers in play in our lives.& quot; The course in which I've used Leonardo's Laptop is called & quot; LIS 2000: Understanding Information.& quot; ...It is designed as an introduction to the graduate program in library and information science at Pittsburgh, and attempts to look at a series of issues that affect the environment for scholarly publishing, information exchange, information retrieval, etc. The official course description is as follows: & quot; Issues and problems arising from interrelationships among information and individuals, society, organizations and systems, and information that the information professions address.& quot; -- Christinger Tomer, University of Pittsburgh Ben Schneiderman's book, Leonardo's Laptop, was a required text in a Cyberspace, Culture and Society course I taught this summer. The course was a combined upper level undergraduate and graduate seminar class that included students from a wide range of academic disciplines: English, sociology, psychology, anthropology, computer science, information systems, philosophy, interdisciplinary studies, Language, Literacy and Culture, and Policy Science. The students overwhelmingly indicated that the book was excellent: readable, inspiring, and thought provoking. Leonardo's Laptop urges users to promote better design by getting & quot; angry about the poor quality of user interfaces and the underlying infrastructure& quot; and to think big about the ways computers could & quot; support creativity, consensus-seeking and conflict resolution.& quot; Shneiderman urges designers to build technology guided by the principle of universal usability to insures that all types of people, young, old, novices, experts, disabled, will be able to use technology to enhance their lives. Chapters dealing with e-leaning, e-commerce, e-health, and e-government suggest creative ways that technology can support humans as they seek to deal with pressing social issues. This book creatively explores a topic that, all too often, is dealt with in jargon and technical terminology that is not accessible to a wide audience and narrowly frames the discussion of technology and its effects. The book promoted interesting discussion between technical and non-technical students about the effects of technology on societies around the world. The studentsespecially liked the & quot; collect, relate, create, donate framework& quot; that Schneiderman so skillfully uses to illustrate how technology can empower and liberate users. -- Diane Maloney-Krichmar, University of Maryland Baltimore County "A very useful book..." -- Peta Jellis, "First Monday Reviews" Ben Schneiderman's book, "Leonardo's Laptop," was a required text in a Cyberspace, Culture and Society course I taught this summer. The course was a combined upper level undergraduate and graduate seminar class that included students from a wide range of academic disciplines: English, sociology, psychology, anthropology, computer science, information systems, philosophy, interdisciplinary studies, Language, Literacy and Culture, and Policy Science. The students overwhelmingly indicated that the book was excellent: readable, inspiring, and thought provoking. "Leonardo's Laptop" urges users to promote better design by getting "angry about the poor quality of user interfaces and the underlying infrastructure" and to think big about the ways computers could "support creativity, consensus-seeking and conflict resolution." Shneiderman urges designers to build technology guided by the principle of universal usability to insures that all types of people, young, old, novices, experts, disabled, will be able to use technology to enhance their lives. Chapters dealing with e-leaning, e-commerce, e-health, and e-government suggest creative ways that technology can support humans as they seek to deal with pressing social issues. This book creatively explores a topic that, all too often, is dealt with in jargon and technical terminology that is not accessible to a wide audience and narrowly frames the discussion of technology and its effects. The book promoted interesting discussion between technical and non-technical students about the effects of technology on societies around the world. The students especially liked the "collect, relate, create, donate framework" that Schneiderman so skillfully usesto illustrate how technology can empower and liberate users. -- Diane Maloney-Krichmar, University of Maryland Baltimore County "A very useful book..." -- Peta Jellis, ""First Monday Reviews"" "This book is an inspiration, a must read." -- Professor Gavriel Salvendy, ""International Journal of Human Computer Interaction"" "This book is an inspiration, a must read." "A very useful book..." Ben Schneiderman's book, "This book will change the way you think about web design."-- WebReference "[Schneiderman} is blessed with an engaging writing style and the ability to make this material interesting and lively."-- Jessie Thorpe, "Modbee.com" "This book is an inspiration, a must read."-- Professor Gavriel Salvendy, ""International Journal of Human Computer Interaction"" "It's easy...to get caught up in the author's techno-Utopian vision of a world hotwired to serve its populace."-- Elizabeth Millard, "ComputerUser.com" "A very useful book..."-- Peta Jellis, ""First Monday Reviews"" "Who should read (Leonardo's Laptop)? Everyone who cares about mankind, technology, and the future."-- Gerd Waloszek, "SAP Design Guild" "This is an eloquently written and visionary book."-- Pashu Anantharam, ""The Rational Edge"" "Questions about the relationship between technology and culture may be more important than ever. Ben Shneiderman's conviction that da Vinci's ideas about art and technique remain relevant may bring us an important step or two closer to useful answers about the roles that we want computers in play in our lives."The course in which I've used "Leonardo's Laptop" is called "LIS 2000: Understanding Information." ...It is designed as an introduction to the graduate program in library and information science at Pittsburgh, and attempts to look at a series of issues that affect the environment for scholarly publishing, information exchange, information retrieval, etc. The official course description is as follows: "Issues and problems arising from interrelationships among information and individuals, society, organizations and systems, and information that the information professions address."--Christinger Tomer, University of Pittsburgh Ben Schneiderman's book, "Leonardo's Laptop", was a required text in a Cyberspace, Culture and Society course I taught this summer. The course was a combined upper level undergraduate and graduate seminar class that included students from a wide range of academic disciplines: English, sociology, psychology, anthropology, computer science, information systems, philosophy, interdisciplinary studies, Language, Literacy and Culture, and Policy Science. The students overwhelmingly indicated that the book was excellent: readable, inspiring, and thought provoking."Leonardo's Laptop" urges users to promote better design by getting "angry about the poor quality of user interfaces and the underlying infrastructure" and to think big about the ways computers could "support creativity, consensus-seeking and conflict resolution." Shneiderman urges designers to build technology guided by the principle of universal usability to insures that all types of people, young, old, novices, experts, disabled,