It's reassuring to know that there's someone like Apple interface design guru Donald Norman putting the flood of new technology into perspective for us. Norman's books and essays, about how we interact with technology, and how technology is changing the way we live and work, are contained on a wonderful CD-ROM, Donald Norman: Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine.
The CD, which contains full texts of three of Norman's books, explores design principles for everyday technology such as door hinges, stoves, refrigerators, and automobiles - and other design theories about how we use technology. The texts are peppered with lively anecdotes that give examples of good and poor design. In one episode, Norman tells of a colleague who was trapped in the lobby of a European post office because it was impossible to figure out how to swing open its glass doors.
Norman uses these design studies as a starting point to explore deeper issues of how we relate to technology. He considers the many ways that technology can empower us by making us smarter, stronger, and faster. Yet at the same time, we are becoming dependent on technology, changing the way we do things and how we interact with one another. In a society in which we are increasingly expected to conform to technology, it's refreshing for someone like Norman to shift the focus back toward people. His aim is to show us how technology can make us smarter, but only if we treat it properly.
Norman and Voyager have seamlessly integrated the text, illustrations, audio, and video. A nimble user interface, which lets you search, highlight, color-code, and annotate interesting sections of the text for future perusal, is a definite plus. And not to be overlooked are the extras - a glossary, a color slide show that illustrates Norman's design principles, and a quiz in which you propose design solutions for automated teller machines, floppy disk drives, and appliances.
Donald Norman: Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine, part of Voyager's First Person series: US$49.95. The Voyager Company: (800) 446 2001, +1 (914) 591 5500.
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