Some characteristics of the Information Age and the importance of human factors issues are outlined. Immediate questions for the next 7 years or so are discussed, including nine substantive areas needing research (from a recent survey) and the development and better implementation of design procedures. Longer term questions discussed are -- the passing of paper, the reduction of writing, the victory of voice, the wired society and the expert in the system. Finally, some of the important broader issues are mentioned and the need for synergy by human and information engineers is emphasised.

For many users the informatics system is essentially the terminal or workstation which they are using, and that is the central computer as they see it. But only too often these users are seen as “end-users” by designers – and this name may well betray an attitude which causes some of the bad design for users and failures in usability. Designers must see the user as the centre of the computer system instead of as a mere peripheral. This simple concept, easy to state but harder to achieve, is often expounded by ergonomists and human factors specialists. It has been emphasised by Nicholls (1979): In spite of changes in the nature of computing, remnants of old thinking remain with us. In former days, when the CPU was at the heart of a system, designers naturally talked of “terminals” and “peripherals”. I suspect it was in this period that people began to use the term “end user”. The unconscious symbolism is both a symptom and a cause; the “end” user at the “terminal” was often the last person to be considered in the design of the system. It is important to develop a new view of computing systems, and to look at the user in a different light … taking this view of computing, the centre of a system is the user.

In this article, an overview is presented of the growth of work in human–computer interaction (HCI) over the last 40 years. Inevitably much must be omitted, but the referenced papers may fill some of the gaps. Various formative influences and contributing disciplines are noted. Aspects of research and human factors knowledge are prominent, but attention is also given to technology, applied problems, and design for usability. Finally, after summarizing the growth in three age-group partitions, some of the major threads of development are noted under the heading of continuities from the past and perspectives into the future.

In this article, an overview is presented of the growth of work in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) over the last 40 years. Inevitably much must be omitted, but the referenced papers may fill some of the gaps. Various formative influences and contributing disciplines are noted. Aspects of research and human factors knowledge are prominent, but attention is also given to technology, applied problems, and design for usability. Finally, after summarizing the growth in three age-group partitions, some of the major threads of development are noted under the heading of continuities from the past and perspectives into the future. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

No abstract available.

Functionality has for many years been the overriding criterion in the computer industry; in no small measure this has been due to the influence of IBM. Since 1981 a major change of policy at IBM has become evident, but is still little known. This short historical note presents the evidence and describes how IBM no longer gives supreme importance to functionality but now gives equal importance to usability.

This paper describes the progress after 2 of a 3½ year experimental programme organized jointly by two Universities as the Birmingham and Loughborough Electronic Network Development (BLEND). The aims of the programme are to explore and evaluate alternative forms of user communication through an ‘electronic journal’ and information network and to assess the cost, efficiency and subjective impact of such a system. After summarizing the background leading to this research, the project is described which involves the development of various types of ‘electronic journal’ with a community of initially about 50 scientists (the Loughborough Information Network Community—LINC). In this project, the journal procedures involving authors, editors and referees are being studied, up to the point at which editors accept papers for publication. The scientific subject area of this experimental programme is ‘Computer Human Factors’. Each member is expected to contribute at least one research article and one shorter note in each year of the project, and may also use other forms of communication such as messages, newsletters, annotated abstracts, workshop conferences, co-operative authorship, etc. Considerable problems have been experienced with the hardware available to LINC members, with communications equipment, with modifying and developing software to obtain an acceptable operating system, and with various unexpected bureaucratic and organizational difficulties. These problems and the results to date will be reviewed. Nevertheless, more than 20 papers are in the system and the first number of the Computer Human Factors experimental electronic journal was open to LINC members on 1st October 1982.

Abstract This article describes a three‐year experimental programme organised jointly by the two Universities as the Birmingham and Loughborough Electronic Network Development (BLEND). The aims are to assess the cost, efficiency, and subjective impact of such a system, and to explore and evaluate alternative forms of user communication through an electronic journal and information network. Using a host computer at Birmingham University, a community of initially about 50 scientists (the Loughborough Information Network Community—LINC) will be connected through the public telephone network to explore various types of electronic journal. The concept of the electronic journal involves using a computer to aid the normal procedures whereby an article is written, refereed, accepted, and “published.” The subject of this experimental programme will be “Computer Human Factors.” Each member will contribute at least one research article and one shorter note in each year of the project, and will also use other forms of communication such as newsletter, annotated abstracts, workshop conferences, cooperative authorship, etc. Throughout the project relevant data will be gathered to enable the assessment of system and user performance, cost, usefulness, and acceptability.

The paper describes a three-year experimental programme organized jointly by the two Universities as the Birmingham and Loughborough Electronic Network Development. The aims are to assess the cost, efficiency and subjective impact of such a system, and to explore and evaluate alternative forms of user communication through an electronic journal and information network. Using a host computer at Birmingham University, a community of initially about 50 scientists (the Loughborough Information Network Community) will be connected through the public telephone network to explore various type of electronic journal. The concept of the electronic journal involves using a computer to aid the normal procedures whereby an article is written, refereed, accepted and ‘published’. The subject of this experimental programme will be Computer Human Factors. Each member will contribute at least one research article and one shorter note in each year of the project, and will also use other forms of communication such as newsletter, annotated abstracts, workshop conferences, co-operative authorship, etc. Throughput the project relevant data will be gathered to enable the assessment of system and user performance, cost, usefulness and acceptability.