Until now the user profile adopted is mainly one of a lazy person, a subject whose only tendency is to avoid effort and care. This passive attitude is, for sure, a strong component of every human being, but it is not the only one. Human beings can also be active and committed, and they may enjoy using their skills and capabilities. The combination of these two human attitudes – passive and active depends on many variables. The most important ones are those related to the kind of systems that a person has the possibility of using. Some systems may be seen as enabling, but the majority of them are conceived as disabling: systems conceived to reduce the capability and will of the user to actively participate in the solution of his or her problems. This growing passivity is individually, socially and, in the long run, also environmentally, unsustainable.
E. Manzini