Leonardo's Laptop: Human Needs and the New Computing Technologies (Paperback)

by Ben Shneiderman (Author) "The old computing was about what computers could do; the new computing is about what users can do..." (more)
Key Phrases: creativity support tools, universal usability, old computing, Leonardo da Vinci, Planet Art, Selected Works (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"... This book is an inspiration, a must read."
— Gavriel Salvendy, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction

"A very useful book ..."
— Peta Jellis, First Monday Reviews

"It's easy ... to get caught up in the author's techno-Utopian vision of a world hotwired to serve its populace."
— Elizabeth Millard, ComputerUser.com

"Questions about the relationship between technology and culture may be more important than ever. Ben Shneiderman's conviction that da Vinci's ideas about art and technique remain relevant may bring us an important step or two closer to useful answers about the roles that we want computers in play in our lives."
The course in which I've used Leonardo's Laptop is called "LIS 2000: Understanding Information." ...It is designed as an introduction to the graduate program in library and information science at Pittsburgh, and attempts to look at a series of issues that affect the environment for scholarly publishing, information exchange, information retrieval, etc. The official course description is as follows: "Issues and problems arising from interrelationships among information and individuals, society, organizations and systems, and information that the information professions address."
—Christinger Tomer, University of Pittsburgh

"This book communicates a kaleidoscopic vision of how technology can be used to empower people ... interesting and exciting."
— Parshu Anantharam, The Rational Edge

"This book will change the way you think about web design."
— WebReference

"Who should read [Leonardo's Laptop]? Everyone who cares about mankind, technology, and the future."
— Gerd Waloszek, SAP Deisgn Guild

"[Schneiderman] is blessed with an engaging writing style and the ability to make this material interesting and lively."
— Jessie Thorpe, Modbee.com

Ben Schneiderman's book, Leonardo's Laptop, was a required text in a Cyberspace, Culture and Society course I taught this summer. The course was a combined upper level undergraduate and graduate seminar class that included students from a wide range of academic disciplines: English, sociology, psychology, anthropology, computer science, information systems, philosophy, interdisciplinary studies, Language, Literacy and Culture, and Policy Science. The students overwhelmingly indicated that the book was excellent: readable, inspiring, and thought provoking.
Leonardo's Laptop urges users to promote better design by getting "angry about the poor quality of user interfaces and the underlying infrastructure" and to think big about the ways computers could "support creativity, consensus-seeking and conflict resolution." Shneiderman urges designers to build technology guided by the principle of universal usability to insures that all types of people, young, old, novices, experts, disabled, will be able to use technology to enhance their lives.
Chapters dealing with e-leaning, e-commerce, e-health, and e-government suggest creative ways that technology can support humans as they seek to deal with pressing social issues. This book creatively explores a topic that, all too often, is dealt with in jargon and technical terminology that is not accessible to a wide audience and narrowly frames the discussion of technology and its effects. The book promoted interesting discussion between technical and non-technical students about the effects of technology on societies around the world. The students especially liked the "collect, relate, create, donate framework" that Schneiderman so skillfully uses to illustrate how technology can empower and liberate users.
—Diane Maloney-Krichmar, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Product Description
Ben Shneiderman's book dramatically raises computer users' expectations of what they should get from technology. He opens their eyes to new possibilities and invites them to think freshly about future technology. He challenges developers to build products that better support human needs and that are usable at any bandwidth. Shneiderman proposes Leonardo da Vinci as an inspirational muse for the "new computing." He wonders how Leonardo would use a laptop and what applications he would create. Shneiderman shifts the focus from what computers can do to what users can do. A key transformation is to what he calls "universal usability," enabling participation by young and old, novice and expert, able and disabled. This transformation would empower those yearning for literacy or coping with their limitations. Shneiderman proposes new computing applications in education, medicine, business, and government. He envisions a World Wide Med that delivers secure patient histories in local languages at any emergency room and thriving million-person communities for e-commerce and e-government. Raising larger questions about human relationships and society, he explores the computer's potential to support creativity, consensus-seeking, and conflict resolution. Each chapter ends with a Skeptic's Corner that challenges assumptions about trust, privacy, and digital divides.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 281 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262692996
• ISBN-13: 978-0262692991
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #588,318 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars repetitive, but somehow doesn't say anything, June 21, 2005

By	Nadyne Mielke (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Schneiderman's "Leonardo's Laptop" is singularly disappointing. Promising to raise our expectation of what we should get from technology, he instead uses a forced extended metaphor in the form of Leonardo da Vinci. What would Leonardo do?, we are repeatedly asked. Schneiderman attempts to answer the question. Sadly, his answers are neither new nor groundbreaking. I cannot believe that Leonardo would simply recount solutions that are already available and attempt to make such solutions sound visionary and forward-thinking.

The chapters in the book discuss the issues with usability today, activites and relationships, and attempt to discuss future directions in several fields: government, healthcare, business, and education. In these chapters, Schneiderman uses feel-good buzzwords like 'empowering' and 'enabling', but never moves beyond the feel-good buzzwords to suggest real solutions. In most cases, he suggests solutions that are already implemented; in others, he simply waves his hands at the problem and says that there has to be a solution.

Each chapter concludes with a skeptic's corner. This section could easily be re-labelled the strawman's corner. In that section, he constructs arguments that skeptics might use, but he must assume that skeptics are uniformly moronic. The so-called skeptical arguments are drawn with exceptionally rough strokes, which he dispenses of with little regard to very real concerns that can and should be discussed.

I had high hopes for this book. I wanted something that pushed the boundaries. I wanted something visionary. Instead, I got a repetitive book that somehow didn't say anything. I can only hope that future works give us something better than this.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leonardo's Laptop by Ben Shneiderman, November 30, 2002

By	Dr. R. Ram-Appel (Tel-Aviv University) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonardo's Laptop: Human Needs and the New Computing Technologies (Hardcover)

Ben Shneiderman's "Leonardo's Laptop" should be as inspirational to readers in the 21st century as Leonardo daVinci was in the l5th and l6th. Renaissance man possessed "virtu"-the spirit of the times reflected by freedom to choose, invent and create. Shneiderman exemplifies this same attribute today, probably termed "existential". One does not remain static but, freely innovative with all tools available. While Leonardo pioneered the arts and sciences which eventually enlightened society, Shneiderman suggests what the user can do with the computer as an application of modern day social science .

This book offers a model, the same process of Leonardo's thought - COLLECT, RELATE, CREATE, DONATE. (CRCD) Clearly, this process has unlimited applications and Shneiderman highlights education, commerce, medicine and of course government, itself, sa varied spectrum of political ramifications. Most computer users master the technical side. Shneiderman reminds us that if we just stop for a moment, in the imaginative Renaissance spirit of "virtue" or his modern model CRCD, this technical tool can benefit various aspects of social living. Leonardo did not have this opportunity yet,because he well understood the human condition, we still positively enjoy his legacy. Shneiderman's model serves this same inspiration in today's world. Since the computer is here to stay, let's use it well!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bleh, September 25, 2006

By	NATHAN D GARRETT - See all my reviews

Leonardo's Laptop Response:

I really dislike this book. At first, I was looking forward to reading it. I am very interested in technology's future, human computer interface design, and enabling better software through simplicity. The combination of technology and artistry suggested by the title led me to believe that it would be an insightful volume pointing the way to a better computing. Instead, this diatribe leads me only left with a feeling that the author is so full of himself as to be blind to the world around him.

This book does address real issues. As computing moves from the back server closet into the home, real changes have to be made. Software today is complicated, and is frequently frustrating to use and learn.

However, this author acts as if the computing world is ignorant of the cost of complexity. His book falls short of actual ways to achieve these goals, has no recognition of the technological, economical, or social challenges involved, and totally fails to recognize the work of the past pioneers in achieving these goals. He views computing solely from a consumer point of view, ignoring the vast gains in efficiency and choice made possible through the vast computing infrastructure supporting modern day life.

As Schneiderman puts it, "old" computing is concerned with technology. These researchers and practitioners are concerned with increasing speed, decreasing cost, and improving reliability. In contrast, he views "new" computing as a focus on improving people's experience with technology.

This is a perfect example of the author's lack of technical competence. The only way that reliability is increased, user interfaces improved, and the experience of using a computer made more artistic and enjoyable is through improved computer speed and reliability. As an example, the aesthetically pleasing effect (in the new iTunes version) of flipping through album covers relies upon powerful computing technology. Schneiderman's dichotomy between "old" and "new," and downright distain for people interested in the former, is counter-productive. In every field, there are different groups working on different problems. While it is reasonable to argue for one's particular area of interest, it is incredibly narrow-minded to argue that it is the only field of interest.

Lastly, I found the author's presentation of historical Leonardo anecdotes incidental to his arguments. Rather than being the basis for the book, Schneiderman descends into the meaninglessness of arguing that Leonardo would "put man at the center" of the design process, or would like portable devices of different size screens.