| When Chris Forsythe, Eric Grose and I co-edited the first edition of Human Factors and Web Development, our intent was to compile the definitive "seminal" research on the impact of the World Wide Web (WWW) development in the fields of cognitive psychology, engineering, user interface design, and educational technology.
In 1996, at the time we were planning the book chapters, there were very few publications or web specific resources for practitioners or researchers to cite, so we sought out the trend setters in academia, corporate, and government institutions. The purpose of the first edition was to share research on human factors, including user interface (UI) design standards, as best practices shifted to accommodate the delivery of information on the web.
As sole editor of the second edition, my approach to planning the content of this volume changed significantly because of the new technological landscape in 2001 and the global integration of the Internet in schools, libraries, homes, and businesses. Because many computer users are connected both at home and at work, the web has transformed communication, consumption patterns, and access to businesses, politicians, and neighbors halfway around the world. With numerous books on the user-friendly web sites, my challenge was to deliver a second edition with another radically different snapshot of the research being conducted at the beginning of the twenty-first century. |
