Industry veteran Raymond Nickerson provides an extensive introduction to the information technology revolution that is transforming industrial society. He focuses particularly on the study of person-computer interaction, noting how computers are affecting their users and society as a whole, and describes a variety of ways in which information technology is expected to develop in the forseeable future.Nickerson summarizes the development of information technology and discusses many of its applications - in farming, research, education and training, manufacturing, general management, retailing, defense, and elsewhere - that have already had a substantial impact on society. He reviews the human-factors research that has been done and is underway, with special attention to the physical and cognitive interface, including languages, conversational interactions, and the concepts of friendliness and usability.

Raymond S. Nickerson is Senior Vice President of BBN Laboratories, a subsidiary of Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. A Bradford Book.