Human-Scale Computing: A Case for Progressive Narrow Waist for Internet Applications

TL;DR

This paper advocates for a human-centered computing approach that provides individuals with seamless, unified access to their data across devices and services through a progressively developed intermediary called the Human Scale Portal.

Contribution

It introduces the Human Scale Portal, a transitional intermediary design that enables unified data access, bridging current fragmentation and future human-scale data control.

Findings

Proposes a phased development strategy for the portal

Demonstrates improved data access convenience

Bridges gap between current and future data control

Abstract

In the era where personal devices and applications are pervasive, individuals are continuously generating and interacting with a vast amount of data. Despite this, access to and control over such data remains challenging due to its scattering across various app providers and formats. This paper presents Human-Scale Computing, a vision and an approach where every individual has straightforward, unified access to their data across all devices, apps, and services. Key to this solution is the Human Scale Portal, a progressively designed intermediary that integrates different applications and service providers. This design adopts a transitional development and deployment strategy, involving an initial bootstrapping phase to engage application providers, an acceleration phase to enhance the convenience of access, and an eventual solution. We believe that this progressive "narrow waist" design can bridge the gap between the current state of data access and our envisioned future of human-scale access.