USI 2009 Session

Computing today looks to the future. Our computers have changed and now offer us an array of possibilities that make interface designers dream. 

The computing challenge today is how to take advantage of this computing power to best help end users in their daily work. This challenge goes against a natural reflex to use a feature just because it’s there and requires that we consider our users’ true needs and goals. 

Through a number of examples, our session will examine what it means to adapt to one’s users, and to create an interface around this goal. We will look at the tensions between form and function, and how we can finally meet the promise initially made to users: to simplify their lives.