Many computers, many people, and everything in between: Supporting shared computing

Over the years we have seen a shift from mainframe computing, to personal computing, to a world heavily dominated by Web interactions. Users today have access to a wide variety of devices and advances in social computing now enable users to keep in touch with colleagues, friends, and family all over the world; however, we are still limited by the one-user/one-computer origins of PC technology. Whether we want to interact with people in the same room, down the hall, or 10,000 km away; whether we want to work together, or apart, at the same time, or independently, our computing environments need to adapt. In this talk the author emphasizes the importance of designing for ldquoshared computingrdquo; the notion that devices as well as experiences are often shared, and we need to effectively support all dimensions of shared use. Extending a design from individual to shared use is more than adding a few new features and often, the underlying conceptual model of the system must change. This talk reflects on where we´ve come from, current stumbling blocks, and where we are headed.