Ben Shneiderman
Encyclopedia
Ben Shneiderman is an American
computer scientist
, and professor
for Computer Science
at the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park
. He conducted fundamental research in the field of human–computer interaction
, developing new ideas, methods, and tools such as the direct manipulation interface
, and his eight rules of design.
, and received a B.S.
in Mathematics
and Physics
from the City College of New York
in 1968, and then went on to study at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
, where he received an M.S.
in Computer Science in 1972 and graduated with a Ph.D.
in 1973.
He was inducted as a Fellow
of the Association for Computing Machinery
in 1997, a Fellow
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
in 2001, and a Member of the National Academy of Engineering
in 2010.
In 2002 his book Leonardo's Laptop: Human Needs and the New Computing Technologies was Winner of a IEEE-USA Award for Distinguished Contributions Furthering Public Understanding of the Profession
.
He also received Honorary Doctorates by the University of Guelph
(Canada) and by the University of Castile-La Mancha (Spain).
His major work in recent years has been on information visualization
, originating the treemap concept for hierarchical data. He also developed dynamic queries sliders with multiple coordinated displays that are a key component of Spotfire
, which was acquired by TIBCO in 2007. His work continued on visual analysis tools for time series data, TimeSearcher, high dimensional data, Hierarchical Clustering Explorer, and social network data, SocialAction plus NodeXL. Current work deals with visualization of temporal event sequences, such as found in Electronic Health Records, in systems such as LifeLines2 .
In addition to his influential work in user interface design, he is known for the co-invention (together with Isaac Nassi
) of the Nassi–Shneiderman diagrams, a graphical representation of the design of structured software.
He also defined the research area of universal usability
to encourage greater attention to diverse users, languages, cultures, screen sizes, network speeds, and technology platforms.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
computer scientist
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
for Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
at the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. He conducted fundamental research in the field of human–computer interaction
Human–computer interaction
Human–computer Interaction is the study, planning, and design of the interaction between people and computers. It is often regarded as the intersection of computer science, behavioral sciences, design and several other fields of study...
, developing new ideas, methods, and tools such as the direct manipulation interface
Direct manipulation interface
In computer science, direct manipulation is a human-computer interaction style which involves continuous representation of objects of interest, and rapid, reversible, incremental actions and feedback. The intention is to allow a user to directly manipulate objects presented to them, using actions...
, and his eight rules of design.
Biography
He is a graduate of the Bronx High School of ScienceBronx High School of Science
The Bronx High School of Science is a specialized New York City public high school often considered the premier science magnet school in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is now located in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx...
, and received a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
in 1968, and then went on to study at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
, where he received an M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in Computer Science in 1972 and graduated with a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1973.
He was inducted as a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Association for Computing Machinery
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
in 1997, a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
in 2001, and a Member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
in 2010.
In 2002 his book Leonardo's Laptop: Human Needs and the New Computing Technologies was Winner of a IEEE-USA Award for Distinguished Contributions Furthering Public Understanding of the Profession
IEEE-USA Award for Distinguished Contributions Furthering Public Understanding of the Profession
Created by the IEEE-USA, the IEEE-USA Award for Distinguished Contributions Furthering Public Understanding of the Profession '"recognize[s] outstanding journalistic or other efforts that lead to a better public understanding of the contributions of engineering professionals to the enhancement and...
.
He also received Honorary Doctorates by the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
(Canada) and by the University of Castile-La Mancha (Spain).
Work
In his earlier work on studying programmers, he conducted experiments which suggested that flowcharts were not helpful for writing, understanding, or modifying computer programs.His major work in recent years has been on information visualization
Information visualization
Information visualization is the interdisciplinary study of "the visual representation of large-scale collections of non-numerical information, such as files and lines of code in software systems, library and bibliographic databases, networks of relations on the internet, and so forth".- Overview...
, originating the treemap concept for hierarchical data. He also developed dynamic queries sliders with multiple coordinated displays that are a key component of Spotfire
Spotfire
Spotfire was a business intelligence company based in Somerville, Massachusetts. It was bought by TIBCO in 2007.-History:Spotfire's origins trace back to the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland, College Park where, in the early 1990s, Christopher Ahlberg, a visiting...
, which was acquired by TIBCO in 2007. His work continued on visual analysis tools for time series data, TimeSearcher, high dimensional data, Hierarchical Clustering Explorer, and social network data, SocialAction plus NodeXL. Current work deals with visualization of temporal event sequences, such as found in Electronic Health Records, in systems such as LifeLines2 .
In addition to his influential work in user interface design, he is known for the co-invention (together with Isaac Nassi
Isaac Nassi
Isaac "Ike" Nassi is Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist at SAP AG and is based in SAP's Palo Alto location. He is the practice lead of the SAP Research Technology Infrastructure practice, which is focused on guiding SAP's technology infrastructure vision, direction, and execution...
) of the Nassi–Shneiderman diagrams, a graphical representation of the design of structured software.
He also defined the research area of universal usability
Universal usability
Universal usability refers to the design of information and communications products and services that are usable for every citizen. The concept has been advocated by Professor Ben Shneiderman, a computer scientist at the University of Maryland, College Park...
to encourage greater attention to diverse users, languages, cultures, screen sizes, network speeds, and technology platforms.
Publications
A selection:- 1980. Software Psychology: Human Factors in Computer and Information Systems; Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 0-87626-816-5
- 1987. Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, 1st edition. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-321-26978-0.'
- 1999. Readings in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think. With Stuart K. Card and Jock D. MackinlayJock D. MackinlayJock D. Mackinlay is an American information visualization expert and Director of Visual Analysis at Tableau Software. With Stuart K. Card, George G...
. Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN 1-55860-533-9. - 2002. Leonardo's Laptop: Human Needs and the New Computing Technologies; MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-69299-6.
- 2010. Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, 5th edition. With C. Plaisant. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-321-26978-0.'
- 2011. Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL: Insights from a Connected World. With D. Hansen and M. Smith. Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN 978-0-12-382229-1.
External links
- Ben Shneiderman's home page
- Ben Shneiderman's Collection of Historical Videos on YouTube
- A short history of structured flowcharts (Nassi–Shneiderman diagram)
- NodeXL free download, for social media network analysis and visualization
- Ben Shneiderman's CV, with an extensive list of publications.
- Experimental investigations of the utility of detailed flowcharts in programming, B. Shneiderman, R. Mayer, D. McKay, and P. Heller, Communications of the ACM, Vol. 20, Iss. 6, Jun 1977.