SHNEIDERMAN ON INFORMATION VISUALIZATION - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently sponsored a public lecture, "The Eyes Have It: User Interfaces for Information Visualization," by Dr. Ben Shneiderman of the Department of Computer Science, Human-Computer-Interaction Laboratory (HCIL) at the University of Maryland. Shneiderman discussed the way in which human perceptual skills are currently underutilized by human-computer graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and what the future holds for this area. He presented his "Information Seeking Mantra": overview first (give the user the big picture), zoom and filter (allow the user to pinpoint area of interest and screen out extraneous information); then details-on-demand (provide more detailed data only when the user requests it).

Shneiderman argues for more sophisticated information visualization interfaces which will enable users to comprehend and navigate through "information-abundant" Web sites without being overwhelmed by the vast quantities of data. Shneiderman is author and editor of: Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective\Human-Computer Interaction Interaction (3rd edition, Addison-Wesley, 1997, http://www.aw.com/DTUI/) and Sparks of Innovation in Human-Computer Interaction. He is a co-author of the forthcoming book, Reading in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think, to be published January, 1999. (Morgan Kaufman Publishers, 1999).

THE UNIVERSITY ASSOCIATION FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION (UCEA) - recently sent out a request for input on "hot" topics that could form the basis for a Community of Practice Trend Talk Session at their April National Conference. The organization received responses that indicated "one of the most important, overreaching 'futures' topics was (the) leadership attributes (that are) needed to function in and successfully deal with the electronic environment." (UCEA Futures Electronic Newsletter, January)