The Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Pioneers Project draws attention to the trail-blazers by describing their backgrounds and contributions. The photographs were taken by Dr. Ben Shneiderman during his professional career, accompanied by personal reflections on his friends and colleagues. More profiles will be added as time and resources permit. Click on the portraits to learn more about each pioneer and see more photos.
For more information about the project, please see the About page.
Selected photos, short bios, and extended history now in book form: Encounters with HCI Pioneers: A Personal History and Photo Journal. Also available from Amazon.
Baecker, Ron
Icon Innovator
Beaudouin-Lafon, Michel
HCI trailblazer in France
Bederson, Ben
Zooming Pioneer
Berners-Lee, Tim
Inventor of the World Wide Web
Bly, Sara
User studies expert and consultant
Brooks, Fred
Operating systems & software engineering design guru
Buxton, Bill
Touchscreen Innovator
Card, Stuart
Searching Modeler
Carroll, Jack
A founding father of HCI
Churchill, Elizabeth
Ubicomp Pioneer
Coutaz, Joëlle
HCI software expert and trailblazer in France
Czerwinski, Mary
Pioneer of Multitasking
de Souza, Clarisse
Semiotic Theorist
Dray, Susan
International Innovator
Druin, Allison
Champion of Children’s Computing
Dumais, Susan
eLanguage Innovator
Engelbart, Doug
Inventor of the mouse and video conferencing
Feiner, Steven
Augmenting Reality
Fischer, Gerhard
Discipline Bridger
Foley, James
Graphics HCI pioneer
Greenberg, Saul
Ubiquitous computing expert
Ishii, Hiroshi
Tangible Reality
Jacob, Robert
User interface software expert
John, Bonnie
Cognitive modeling pioneer
Johnson, Jeff
Usability Wizard
Kay, Alan
Inventor of the Laptop
Kellogg, Wendy
Computer-mediated communication expert
Kiesler, Sara
Pioneer of Collaborative Work
Konstan, Joseph
GroupLens project contributor
Kraut, Robert
Online communities guru
Landay, James
HCI community builder
Lanier, Jaron
Re-enfranchising the Internet
Laurel, Brenda
Virtual Reality Pioneer
Lewis, Clayton
Usability advocate
Licklider, J. C. R.
Father of the Internet
Mackay, Wendy
Ubiquitous Computing Pioneer
Marcus, Aaron
Groundbreaker in computer-based graphic design
Mountford, Joy
User experience and interaction design specialist
Myers, Brad
User interface software engineer
Mynatt, Elizabeth
Everyday computing expert
Nelson, Ted
Visionary of universal hypertext systems
Newell, Alan
Advocate for the “digitally disadvantaged”
Newell, Allen
Pioneer of artificial intelligence
Nielsen, Jakob
Web page usability guru
Norman, Don
Mentor and pioneer
Olsen, Dan
User interface software pioneer
Olson, Gary
Collaboration expert
Olson, Judy
Collaboration over distance pioneer
Pausch, Randy
Virtual Reality Pioneer
Plaisant, Catherine
User interface expert
Preece, Jennifer
Online social interaction researcher
Robertson, George
Pioneer of Information Visualization
Rogers, Yvonne
Ubiquitous computing pioneer
Rosson, Mary Beth
Psychology and Software Engineering Authority
Shneiderman, Ben
Pioneer of direct manipulation
Thomas, John C.
Psychology and computer science authority
Tremaine, Marilyn “Mantei”
“Founding mother” of SIGCHI
van Dam, Andy
Graphics Guru
Wales, Jimmy
Founder of Wikipedia
Winograd, Terry
Computer innovator with a focus on people
Encounters with HCI Pioneers - A Personal Photo Journal 