March 2003 - Vol. 46 No. 3

If there was a Moore's Law for user interfaces, it would state that the number of computers per user will double every two years. In the past four decades, we have moved from many users sharing a single mainframe computer through command line interfaces, to a single user with a personal computer using a graphical user interface (GUI). Today, increasing numbers of users are surrounded by multiple ubiquitous computing devices, such as BlackBerries, PDAs, and cell phones. As our devices connect to a global wireless network, we become members of a 24-hour global society---one where we are always connected, and always on.

Eye-tracking systems hold some of the greatest potential among AUIs. Here, two systems that focus on eye gazing demonstrate how this simple form of visual attention can perform a level of common interactive tasks.

Creating computing and communication systems that sense and reason about human attention by fusing together information from multiple streams.

Attentive displays address the need for rendering power and computer display resolution. The five examples presented here illustrate a common goal with very different approaches to achieving it.

Why is the attentive user interface paradigm important for human-computer interaction? The human attention system is so sensitive to various methods of notification that traditional design involves too much compromise and guesswork.