rel="nofollow" href="#u911364a2-92d1-5565-b22b-86da9de9e0b2">
Author’s Biography
Acknowledgments
The author would like to express his gratitude to the following.
To the funding agencies and other bodies who funded the research: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, National Research and Development Corporation, Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, Scottish Home and Health Department, Tayside Regional Council, Department for Trade and Industry, Department for Education and Skills, NCR (Dundee), Digital Equipment Corporation Europe (and Dave Lawrence), House of Commons, European Commission, Independent Broadcasting Authority, British Broadcasting Corporation, Intel, Palan-type Organisation, , Winston Churchill Travel Trust, Leverhulme Trust, Alzheimer’s Association of America, Spastics Society, Whitetop Foundation, TSB Foundation, and Private Donors.
To Barbara Johnson, Louisa Cross, and their administration team, and Derek Brankin and his technical support team.
To my academic colleagues who contributed to this research, including: Norman Alm, John Arnott, Alistair Cairns, Peter Gregor, Jesse Hoey, Janet Hughes, Stephen McKenna, Iain Murray, Adrian Pickering, Graham Pullin, Ian Ricketts, Annalu Waller, Vicki Hanson, Marianne Hickey, and Robin King.
To my research colleagues, including: Rob Baker, Andrew Lambourne, Colin Brookes, Andrew Downton, Alex Carmichael, Graeme Coleman, Anna Dickinson, Lorna Gibson, Paula Forbes, David Sloan, Bernadette Brophy-Arnott, Linda Booth, Liz Broumley, Hilary Hood, Richard Dye, Bill Beattie, Mike Smith, Andrea Szymkowiak, Greg Filz, Andy McKinley, Maggie Morgan (of Foxtrot Theatre and MM Training), Jon Brumfitt, Stefan Langer, Helen Peddie, Mark Rice, Phillipa Riley, Andrew Swiffin, Dave O’Mara, Andrew Wright, Alan McGregor, and Isla Beard (Palantypist).
To my national and international colleagues, including: Arleen Kraat, Penny Parnes, Rick Foulds. Gregg Vanderheiden, Thijs Soede, Pat Demsco, Eric Hollnagel, Alex Mihailidis, Sherri Hunnicutt, Janice Light, Peter Hutt, Leela Damodaran, Stephen Brewster, Steven von Tetzchner, David Goodall (of Soundsmove), Mike Smith, and Oli Mival.
To the Universities of Southampton and Dundee, and Principles Hamlin, Graham Bryce and Sir Alan Langlands.
To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Dr. Mary Dowager Countess of Strathmore, and Baron (Jack) Ashley of Stoke for their support for our research.
To licensees: Possum Controls, Lander Software, and Don Johnson, Mayer Johnson Co.
To Norman Alm, Maggie Newell, Gregg Vanderheiden, and Mickey Milner for reading and commenting on drafts of this book.
Alan F. Newell
June 2011
Foreword
Creativity researchers have found that persistence pays off and that fresh perspectives yield insights. Alan Newell’s 40-year professional career confirms these findings, and in addition makes other compelling claims. Readers of his thoughtful and compelling historical review will also learn about some further claims about creativity, such as: empathy triggers innovations and theater changes minds. I was charmed by these claims, which were embedded in Newell’s anecdote-filled history of his contributions.
Professional memoirs are valuable, not only to those whose work is mentioned and those whose research is aligned with the author’s, but also as a guide to young researchers in related fields. The lessons of a lifetime are a precious gift to readers who are trying to decide about careers, choose research domains, or respond to their passions about a specific project. Reading about how Newell came to be the champion for disabled, older, and extraordinary users of technology should give strong encouragement for those who are worried about blazing their own trail.
The encouragement to “take a fresh perspective” is easy to give, but harder to put to work in a meaningful way. Newell’s examples repeatedly show readers how to open their eyes and look at problems in fresh ways. The historic photos of early innovations are important historical records, which help readers see how new ideas developed. But getting new ideas is only the starting point in developing a successful innovation.
Newell reminds readers that “unless there is significant opposition to an idea it cannot be radical enough to have the potential to make substantial improvement.” This wise advice should propel young researchers to fly into the wind, because that is the best way to gain altitude. But there is more to research success than being bold. Newell supports the common belief that teamwork is a catalyst for success, but he cautions that teams must have certain components or properties:
• Engineers with empathy, insight and imagination,
• Clinicians and other relevant disciplines,
• An understanding of the lives of the people for whom one is designing
• An appropriate research methodology,
• A knowledge of the literature, and an awareness of current commercially available devices,
• A healthy skepticism of current practice,
• Ample time thinking what they want to achieve, rather than how they are going to achieve it.
Newell’s ethics are infused with human aspirations and personal connections. He believes that researchers should “have frequent contact with potential users not only as ‘experimental subjects’ but also as people and colleagues, to improve empathy and the intuitive skills of the researcher.” Here again Newell evokes empathy as a key ingredient for success, but how many students are taught its many flavors and satisfactions in their academic training?
I’ve come away from reading this book with fresh perspectives about research, clarity about teamwork, and reminders about persistence. Newell’s writings and his life work defined and legitimized research on extraordinary users, producing plentiful benefits for all technology users. He deserves ample recognition for catalyzing innovative research, initiating academic courses, and launching valuable products. I hope readers will experience the same warm feelings I have of respect and appreciation for my delightfully creative colleague.
Ben Shneiderman
June, 2011
CHAPTER 1
40 years–Highlights and a Brief Review
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Digital technology has maked an enormous difference in the lives of a great many people, but significant numbers of people have been excluded, or have excluded themselves, from these benefits. These include many older and disabled people and other minority groups including people from certain cultures and those with very poor educational achievements. This has been called the Digital Divide. As government and commerce increasingly rely on the internet, these groups are becoming more and more disenfranchised.
In the later part of the first decade of the 2000s, a range of initiatives were introduced to encourage such people to use Information Technology (IT) including advertising, provision of broadband in homes, and educational courses. A major problem, however, is that most information technology has not been designed with these groups of people in mind. They are either scared of it and/or do not think they will ever be able to use it. In order to play
