The central thesis of "Leonardo's Laptop" (MIT Press, 2002) is that designers who are sensitive to human needs are more likely to make the breakthroughs that yield new technologies successes. Therefore, a theory of mobile devices would focus on compact devices that support human relationships, provide salient information, and enable creative expression. The foundations are not only the megahertz of connectivity, but also the usability and universality of interfaces. Demonstrations include digital photo applications, personal info, healthcare, and e-commerce.
Ben Shneiderman is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Founding Director (1983-2000) of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory, and Member of the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and the Institute for Systems Research, all at the University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. Shneiderman is the author of "Leonardo's Laptop: Human Needs and the New Computing Technologies" (2002, MIT Press) and "Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction" (4th edition, 2004, Addison-Wesley). He is a Fellow of the ACM and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received the ACM CHI (Computer Human Interaction) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.