The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution

From "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms" (motto of the 1933 Chicago USA World's Fair)to "People Propose, Science Studies, Technology Conforms" (Donald Norman's person-centered motto for the twenty-first century). Technologies have a life cycle, says Donald Norman, and companies and their products must change as they pass from youth to maturity. Alas, the computer industry thinks it is still in its rebellious teenage years, exulting in technical complexity. Customers want change. They are ready for products that offer convenience, ease of use, and pleasure. The technology should be invisible, hidden from sight. In this book, Norman shows why the computer is so difficult to use and why this complexity is fundamental to its nature. The only answer, says Norman, is to start over again, to develop information appliances that fit people's needs and lives. To do this companies must change the way they develop products. They need to start with an understanding of user needs first, technology lastthe opposite of how things are done now. Contents Preface 1 Drop Everything You're Doing 2 Growing Up: Moving from Technology-Centered to Human-Centered Products 3 The Move to Information Appliances 4 What's Wrong with the PC? 5 There Is No Magical Cure 6 The Power of Infrastructure 7 Being Analog 8 Why Is Everything So Difficult to Use? 9 Human-Centered Development 10 Want Human-Centered Development? Reorganize the Company 11 Disruptive Technologies 12 A World of Information Appliances Appendix: Examples of Information Appliances Notes References Index