Frontiers of Human-Centered Computing, Online Communities and Virtual Environments

by Rae Earnshaw (Editor), Richard Guedj (Editor), Andries van Dam (Editor)

Rae Earnshawand John A. Vince --_. . _----- 1 Introduction The USPresident's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC)recently advised the US Senate of the strategic importance of investing in IT for the 21st century, particularlyin the areas of software,human-computer interaction, scalable information infrastructure, high-end computing and socioeconomic issues [1]. Research frontiers ofhuman-computer interaction include the desire that interac­ tion be more centered around human needs and capabilities, and that the human environment be considered in virtual environments and in other contextual infor­ mation-processing activities. The overall goal is to make users more effective in their information or communication tasks by reducing learning times, speeding performance, lowering error rates, facilitating retention and increasing subjective satisfaction. Improved designs can dramatically increase effectiveness for users, who range from novices to experts and who have diverse cultures with varying educational backgrounds. Their lives could be made more satisfying, their work safer, their learning easier and their health better.

497 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2001

About the author

Rae Earnshaw is Professor of Electronic Imaging at the University of Bradford, UK. He is a chartered engineer (CEng) and a chartered Information Technology Professional (CITP).

Prof Earnshaw has authored and edited 40 books on computer graphics, visualisation, multimedia, design and virtual reality, and published over 200 papers in these areas. He is a member of the Advisory Council of IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, Founding Co-editor of the Springer Journal Virtual Reality, ISSN: 1359-4338 (print version), ISSN: 1434-9957 (electronic version) , Vice-President of the Computer Graphics Society, and the UK representative to IFIP TC5. He was also a Director of Advance Visual Communications plc.