Public Access
Enabling access to information and services is one of the great opportunities for HCI research and user interface design. The HCIL has been a leader in working on information access with projects on web-based information gathering, digital libraries, electronic books, educational technology, voting, public kiosks, and mobile devices. Projects have often been driven by the needs of U.S. government agencies in their continuing efforts to provide public services. These digital government projects regularly included working with the Library of Congress, Bureau of the Census, the National Library of Medicine, and other agencies.
A key aspect of providing public access is to consider the requirements for universal usability, that is, design strategies to enable novice and expert, young and old, as well as speakers of multiple languages or those with low literacy to "Find what you need; understand what you find." Universal usability also addresses the needs of users with disabilities and those with small displays or slow network connections. Expanding the diversity of users benefits all users by enabling multiple voices to contribute solutions for the pressing problems of our age.
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