There's still a lot of interface work to be done. Shneiderman invented Hyperties, the first system in which highlighted text could be linked to other written material. The 1983 system preceded the hyperlinks used to link Web pages today. Speakers at the six-day conference, including Shneiderman, said software and hardware aren't nearly as usable as they should be. And the presenters said so at times in very blunt language.
Most human error is caused by design error.
Among those at the conference was Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates, who made the opening speech this year. Microsoft this week announced that its paper clip character had outlived its usefulness. Asked about the usability of Microsoft products, CHI participants offered lukewarm comments about Gates' company. Despite that interface faux pas, he noted that Microsoft still stacks up well against other software makers. You look at Linux.