This is Donald Norman's latest book, and the last one I'll be reading.
It's the same old same old, and I've heard it enough before from him in his previous books, such as Things That Make Us Smart, The Design of Everyday Things, The Psychology of Everyday Things, and Turn Signals Are the Facial Expressions of Automobiles.
This book isn't even a long article; rather, the new or useful information it contains would fit in a column in the Wall St. Journal.
Here's the book, as digested by the crack bookofjoe editing team [the editing team, by the way, and fyi, has absolutely no connection to my crack research team - in fact, the editing team works in a secure, undisclosed location, unlike the editing team, slaving away down below me in the sub-basement. But I digress] for you:
1) Most human error is, in actuality, design error
2) Good design must be a fundamental part of design from the start
3) Good design cannot be adopted once a product has been completed
4) Technology must provide function unnoticed, without disruption
5) Good design makes people happy to be seen using it
6) Good design makes products seem to work better, even if they don't
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Huh. Not even a column.
Norman's website, interestingly enough, is not very good.
Not surprising, really: a recent contest compared the websites of a bunch of world-class design gurus, including Norman and Jakob Nielsen, against those of non-famous design-focused bloggers, and the gurus lost 8-0.
They know too much to step back and actually look at the mess they've made of things.
Article comments
1 - Colin SCHMIDT
Donald Norman,
I am heading up an International Conference on Computers and Philosophy,
I was wondering whether you would like
to honour this event by accepting to be an active member in the
Scientific Committee.
to date, I have the following secured.
Confirmed Speakers in Laval, France (3-5 May 2006):
Daniel DENNETT, Philosophy, Tufts USA
Lorenzo MAGNANI, Logic & Philosophy Pavia ITALY
Daniel VANDERVEKEN, Logic & Language, UQTR CANADA
to be confirmed:
Francis JACQUES, Logic, Philosophy, Theology, Sorbonne FRANCE
Sincerely,
Colin Schmidt
PS: Their may possibly be room for another invited speaker, I would need
a couple of weeks to see.
CTAS
--
___________________
Colin T. SCHMIDT
Ma�tre de conf�rences [ Associate Professor
Universit� du Maine Le Mans University, France ]
[Contact information removed]
2 - Colin Schmidt
the title of the conference is
i-CaP 2006 Laval, or Computers & Philosophy, an International Conference (cf. www address to go live soon on my url).
PS: I really was unaware my mail to D. Norman was going to be so widely (or wildly) readable.
3 - Henry Potter
Is the human genome project a suitable topic for this conference, or should it be related to technological cloning of humans?
4 - cta SCHMIDT
Donald Norman,
The address for that event is now up and running
C.T.A. SCHMIDT, Scientific Coordinator for COMPUTERS & PHILOSOPHY, an International Conference
Le Mans University, Laval, France, 3-5 May, 2006
See CALL FOR PAPERS
[contact info edited]
5 - Colin Schmidt
Donald Norman,
I think you would be interested to know that D. Dennett is planning to come to the "Computers and Philosophy" International Conference in France. Going back to what was said earlier, robotic humans could be a more accceptable alternative to cloning in some situations. Transhumananism and other future of science issues could well be on the list at the i-C&P Laval conference. One thing I forgot to tell you is that, if that url I gave does not work you can always try an alternative one http://www.iut-laval.univ-lemans.fr/I-CaP_2006 for the conference. Dennett is planning to be their too.
6 - Schmidt
Info on Dennett's Profile may be found on his site or at the site of first future of science conference to be held soon in Venice http://www.veniceconference2005.org/speakers/dennet_c.htm
Another thing I should add is that ICAP is not our official acronym; in fact it is "i-C&P 2006", but the ampersand yields problems. One could try "i-CaP 2006", buth there is no guarantee as things shift so these days.
7 - ctaS
who would like to discuss about the topic on Machines, communication & thought?