- Hardcover: 231 pages
- Publisher: Basic Books (6 Dec 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0465002277
- ISBN-13: 978-0465002276
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16.3 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 338,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Design of Future Things
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"written with wit, authority and the pragmatic, everyman touch that probably made Norman so good at his job in the first place." BBC Focus Magazine --BBC Focus Magazine
Product Description
The best-selling author of "The Design of Everyday Things" casts his critical eye on the new dawn of "smart" technology, from smooth-talking GPS systems to cantankerous refrigerators. This is a consumer-oriented look at the promise and perils of the smart objects of the future, and a cautionary tale for designers of these objects - many of which are already in use or development. Don Norman, a popular design consultant to car manufacturers, computer companies and other industrial and design outfits, has seen the future and is worried. He points out what's going wrong with the wave of products just coming on the market and some that are on drawing boards everywhere - from "smart" cars and homes that seek to anticipate a user's every need, to the latest automatic navigational systems. Norman offers a theory of natural human-machine interaction that can be put into practice by the engineers and industrial designers of tomorrow's thinking machines.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very little content or insight from an otherwise excellent designer authority,
By Odibus (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Design of Future Things, The (Hardcover)
I was extremely intrigued by what Donald Norman was going to say about the design of future things, especially given his insights from previous books. The content is sparse: some interesting views of designing human/machine interactions to be more like human/horse (tight-rein, loose-rein, etc.) and technology that assists our lives rather than automate chunks of it. There's also a rather odd dialogue at the end of the book where he interviews a machine to get their perspective...
The bulk of the information in the book appears to be gleaned from the conference circuit and some industrial tourism -- the remainder references his earlier books. This book could have been summarised, with no loss of information, in a four thousand word essay, and the impression you're left with was that the author took his conference presentation and after dinner anecdotes, then quickly wrote a book around them -- there is little in the way of substance in this short book. (This view is exacerbated by the repetition and easy-going, colloquial style, not to mention the large font size and leading!) Save your pennies for his earlier books
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
a couple of interesting ideas and a lot of repetition,
By
This review is from: Design of Future Things, The (Hardcover)
The book is interesting, but having finished it, I don't feel like I've taken a great deal from it. He raises a number of interesting ideas worth considering when designing for human-machine interaction, but he seems to labour his points, repeating the same ideas again and again. The various chapters draw the same conclusions and are not very distinct from one another. You could read any one chapter individually and develop a sound understanding of most of the ideas he presents.
He references his own books on a number of occasions that became a little tiring, and the book seems almost a little self-indulgent. The afterword is just bizarre and a little patronising. Having abandoned "The Design of Everyday Things" halfway through, as a little voice in my head shouted *ok, I get it, think about people more*, I was determined to finish this one, though I am left feeling a little disappointed.
5.0 out of 5 stars
readable engineering to make you think!,
By Helenix (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Design of Future Things (Paperback)
I bought this because I enjoyed "The psychology of everyday things" by the same author. He combines practical information with interesting comments about how the mind works and how people react to good design. Well worth reading
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