Designing for people in the age of information

Abstract

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.