More Than Screen Deep: Toward Every-Citizen Interfaces to the Nation's Information Infrastructure

National Research Council, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, Toward an Every-Citizen Interface to the NII Steering Committee

National Academies Press, Oct 12, 1997 - Computers - 448 pages

The national information infrastructure (NII) holds the promise of connecting people of all ages and descriptionsâ€"bringing them opportunities to interact with businesses, government agencies, entertainment sources, and social networks. Whether the NII fulfills this promise for everyone depends largely on interfacesâ€"technologies by which people communicate with the computing systems of the NII.

More Than Screen Deep addresses how to ensure NII access for every citizen, regardless of age, physical ability, race/ethnicity, education, ability, cognitive style, or economic level. This thoughtful document explores current issues and prioritizes research directions in creating interface technologies that accommodate every citizen's needs.

The committee provides an overview of NII users, tasks, and environments and identifies the desired characteristics in every-citizen interfaces, from power and efficiency to an element of fun. The book explores:

• Technological advances that allow a person to communicate with a computer system.
• Methods for designing, evaluating, and improving interfaces to increase their ultimate utility to all people.
• Theories of communication and collaboration as they affect person-computer interactions and person-person interactions through the NII.
• Development of agents: intelligent computer systems that "understand" the user's needs and find the solutions.

Offering data, examples, and expert commentary, More Than Screen Deep charts a path toward enabling the broadest-possible spectrum of citizens to interact easily and effectively with the NII. This volume will be important to policymakers, information system designers and engineers, human factors professionals, and advocates for special populations.

Contents

• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: 1
• Introduction: 9
• POSITION PAPERS: 17
• Requirements for Effective EveryCitizen Interfaces: 21
• Current Status: 71
• Design and Evaluation: 121
• Communication and Collaboration: 154
• Agents and Systems Intelligence: 180
• Conclusions and Recommendations: 192
• Bibliography: 198
• Trends in HumanComputer Interaction Research: 221
• On Interface Specifics: 243
• Interfaces for Understanding: 252
• Interspace and an EveryCitizen Interface to the National: 260
• Ordinary Citizens and the National Information: 271
• SpokenLanguage Technology: 279
• Nomadicity Disability Access and the EveryCitizen: 297
• On Functions: 307
• Creating Interfaces Founded on Principles of Discourse: 315
• Digital Maps: 322
• Gathering and Integrating Information in the National: 330
• Integrating Audiences and Users: 334
• Resource Discovery and Resource Delivery: 354
• Research to Support Widespread Access to Digital: 372
• Supporting Learning in Communities of Practice: 389
• Electronic Access to Services for LowIncome Populations: 403
• On Key Processes: 411
• A Workshop Agenda and Participants: 425

Bibliographic information

• Title: More Than Screen Deep: Toward Every-Citizen Interfaces to the Nation's Information Infrastructure
• Authors: National Research Council, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, Toward an Every-Citizen Interface to the NII Steering Committee
• Publisher: National Academies Press, 1997
• ISBN: 0309063574, 9780309063579
• Length: 448 pages
• Subjects: Computers / Internet / General; Computers / Networking / General