New Book | The New ABCs of Research: Achieving Breakthrough Collaborations | by Ben Shneiderman

The New ABCs of Research: Achieving Breakthrough Collaborations

by Ben Shneiderman. Oxford University Press, 2016, 336 pages, ISBN: 9780198758839.

About the Book

The problems we face in the 21st century require innovative thinking from all of us. Be it students, academics, business researchers of government policy makers. Hopes for improving our healthcare, food supply, community safety and environmental sustainability depend on the pervasive application of research solutions. 

The research heroes who take on the immense problems of our time face bigger than ever challenges, but if they adopt potent guiding principles and effective research lifecycle strategies, they can produce the advances that will enhance the lives of many people. These inspirational research leaders will break free from traditional thinking, disciplinary boundaries, and narrow aspirations. They will be bold innovators and engaged collaborators, who are ready to lead, yet open to new ideas, self-confident, yet empathetic to others.

In this book, Ben Shneiderman recognizes the unbounded nature of human creativity, the multiplicative power of teamwork, and the catalytic effects of innovation. He reports on the growing number of initiatives to promote more integrated approaches to research so as to promote the expansion of these efforts. It is meant as a guide to students and junior researchers, as well as a manifesto for senior researchers and policy makers, challenging widely-held beliefs about how applied innovations evolve and how basic breakthroughs are made, and helping to plot the course towards tomorrow's great advancements.

About the Author

Ben Shneiderman is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Founding Director (1983-2000) of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland. His development of user interfaces such as the highlighted clickable link for the web, small touchscreen keyboards, and information visualization concepts earned him membership in the National Academy of Engineering.

Table of Contents

Guiding Principles

1: Combining Applied and Basic Research: ABC Principle

2: Blending Science, Engineering, and Design: SED Principle Blending

Science, Engineering & Design

3: What Science Contributes: Persistence in Understanding the World

4: What Engineering Contributes: Devotion to Focused Innovations

5: What Design Contributes: Fresh Thinking to Serve Human Needs

Research Lifecycle Strategies

6: Choose Actionable Problems that Address Civic, Business & Global Priorities

7: Apply Observation, Intervention, and Controlled Experiments

8: Form Teams with Diverse Individuals & Organizations

9: Test Ideas and Prototypes with Realistic Interventions

10: Promote Adoption & Assess Impact

Making it Happen

11: Why change is hard, but possible

12: Recommendations for action

​Further Details