Instead today's computers, which have grown in variety and complexity, are overloaded with excessive features, inadequately address our needs, and demand too much of our attention. The list of woes is familiar and very real. We stand perplexed in front of incomprehensible system messages, and wait in frustration on the phone for computerized assistance. We constantly add software upgrades, only to watch as our machines crash. Simple word processing programs come loaded with 500 page manuals.
Websites take forever to download.
New handheld assistants demand that we learn entire new sets of commands. Email overloads us. As faster computers, new appliances, and mobile gadgets propel us toward a world overflowing with information and complexity, the situation continues to grow more critical. From now on, computers should be designed around the needs and capabilities of people, rather than requiring people to adapt to the limitations of the machine. At its foundation are five key technologies that will dramatically amplify our capabilities, including natural interaction, automation, individualized information access, collaboration, and customization.