Book Reading #8 - Living with Complexity

References:
Title: Living with Complexity
Author: Donald A. Norman
Editor: Julie Norman, 2011

Summary:
In this book, Donald Norman attempts to support complexity in our daily lives -- at least, when complexity is actually necessary.

He begins by discussing the double standard we have with complexity. In many older devices like musical instruments, we accept the complexity required to operate them -- especially if we are exposed when young. An example he uses is violins versus keyboards. Both have caused repetitive stress injuries to people who have used them, but people haven't sued violin companies over it, while people have sued keyboard makers.

Then, he discusses the psychological influences behind our perceptions of complexity. He mentions that often, an increase in outer simplicity leads to an increase in inner complexity. Furthermore, even though we often talk about how we like simplicity, devices with more features, and thus more complexity, actually sell better. He also talks about how even simple devices can become complex when there is a lack of standardization. For example, locks are simple devices, but since which direction is locked and unlocked isn't standardized, remembering which way to turn the lock is actually quite hard.

Finally, he briefly discusses how social influences can affect complexity. He shows how observing how someone uses an unknown device can assist you in learning it correctly. However, if they have a poor idea of how the device works their influence can be harmful.

Discussion:
This book was interesting because I find it odd that Norman is, in a way, stepping back from his early stances on design. In his early books, he seems to decry any complexity in devices, but in his last two we read, he seems to be far more accepting of small amounts of complexity in device designs.

I was also intrigued by the double standard he illustrated behind how people describe devices. I can't talk to anyone without hearing how today's devices are too complicated, but when device makers show more minimalist designs, they don't sell. I actually like maximum functionality when I buy things, and then just accept the cost of the learning curve.

(Image courtesy of: Hussman Funds)

Book Reading #7 - Why We Make Mistakes

References:
Title: Why We make Mistakes
Author: Joseph T. Hallinan
Editor: Donna Sinisgalli, 2009

Summary:
In this book, Joseph Hallinan describes the psychological reasons behind why people make mistakes.

In each of the main thirteen chapters, Hallinan describes an error we have in our ways of thinking that causes us to make mistakes in our daily lives. Some of these include: skimming, believing we are above average, wearing rose-colored glasses, and multitasking. In each, he uses many different examples to illustrate not only how we make mistakes, but how the people and businesses around us manipulate these mistakes for their own gain.

Finally, in the conclusion, he describes some small changes we can make in our thought processes to fix many of these errors. The main one he provides is to "think small," that is, to pay attention to small details, since that is where most of these manipulators lie.

Discussion:
I really liked this book. Not only was each chapter entertaining to read, there was a significant amount I learned about how my mind works. Each chapter provided a lot of interesting questions that gave me something to think about during bus rides.

I really didn't think the solutions that he provided in the final chapter would be very useful, however. Many of the issues he describes in the book seem almost hard-wired to our psyches, so it is unlikely we could surpass them with any amount of self-training. Then again, thinking that way might be a mistake.

(Image courtesy of: Humanology)

Book Reading #6 - Things That Make us Smart

References:
Title: Things that Make us Smart
Author: Donald Norman
Editor:Bill Patrick, 1993

Summary:
In this book, Norman talks about how technology can assist or hinder us in our daily lives based on how well it is designed. He begins by discussing how most design today is technology-centered, which is why it's so confusing to use. Instead, if the designs were human-centered, they would fit much better into our lives.

He then discusses two states of the mind, experiential and reflective, and discusses how good designs place us in the right state for a task, while bad designs do not. He then discusses the importance of using the correct designs when displaying data as well as using the correct tools when working on a job. Doing so will keep you in the correct mindset for the task.

Discussion:
I feel like for learning how to design, this book is not as important as the last two we have read, as it talks less about the design of products and instead looks at their effects on the user. However, as an examination of the effects of technology on us it is quite successful. I am definitely going to think more about how I use objects in relation to the tasks I am trying to perform from now on.

(Image courtesy of: PBS)

Book Reading #5 - Coming of Age

References:
Title: Coming of Age in Samoa
Author: Margaret Mead
Venue: Edited by M.L. Loeb; 1908

Summary:
In this book, Mead discusses the culture of Samoa, as she found while living there as an ethnography. She then takes this knowledge to find why girls in our society have so much trouble.

She begins by describing the overall culture of Samoa. She describes what women can and cannot do, the social structure, and what qualities they like and dislike. She then goes on to describe the daily lives of a few of the girls, and then describes their conflicts.

After that, she makes some theories about why, in many cases, the lives of the Samoan girls have less conflict that girls in our society. She believes it is because of the lack of conflicting views in their society as opposed to ours. She also believes another reason is that children in their civilization are exposed to death and sex in childhood, which makes them better equipped to deal with them later in life.

Discussion:
While I cannot say that I liked this book, I think that as far as teaching us the basics of ethnography the book is a success. I really didn't get the grasp of how detailed we needed to be until I read the appendices in this book, where she has her research notes and polls. When I saw those, I finally got the concept of how the ethnography needs to be.

Additionally, I think that the points she makes about society in this book are quite valid. The many conflicting viewpoints lead to quite a lot of unnecessary conflict between people. However, I don't think we would ever be able to excise this from our society.

(Image courtesy of: Election Guide)

Book Reading #4 - Emotional Design

References:
Title: Emotional Design
Author: Donald Norman
Editor: Jo Ann Miller, New York, 2004.

Summary:
In this book, Norman describes how the designs of products can positively or negatively impact our perceptions before we even use them. He describes these influences as three different levels -- visceral, behavioral, and reflective.

The visceral level is influenced by the look and feel of the product. This level occurs before a user begins to use the product, and can put them in a positive mindset which can make the product "work" better.

The behavioral level is influenced by how well the product works. This level occurs as the user makes use of the product, and is slightly affected by the performance at the lower level. This level has been well described in Norman's other books.

The reflective level is influenced by the remembrances of the product. This level occurs far after the usage of the device; a positive influence here can bring the user back to use the product again if it works correctly.

With each of these in the book, Norman goes into significant detail of what influences each of these levels, as well as general design tips.

Discussion:
In general, like his last book, I liked this book because of how much I learned. However, after reading his last book he seems like less of a sage in this one, mostly because of how he seems to often reuse tips he as already given.

However, because the focus of this class is on design, I think that this along with the other design books by Norman are the most important books in this class. Following these design concepts well can help us make good products far down the road.

(Image courtesy of: )

Book Reading #3 - Obedience to Authority

References:
Title: Obedience to Authority
Author: Stanley Milgram
Editor: 1975

Summary:
In this book, Milgram details his famous experiment on the effects of authority, from its inception to the many different iterations of the experiment that were performed.

Milgram begins by discussing how he came up with the experiment and how they brought in the candidates for the experiment. He then briefly describes the expected results that he received from asking people.

Then, he begins describing the various versions of his experiment. He mentions many different iterations, including learner in separate room, conflicting orders, female teachers, and even one where the authority is not in the room. After each set of experiments, he gives stories of individual subjects, which further illustrate the quandaries that the subjects were in.

At the end of the book, he describes in deep detail his theories on why we are so susceptible to authority, from both a biological and mechanical perspective. He then closes the book by refuting some of the most basic arguments against his theories.

Discussion:
I really liked this book because of how it changed my perceptions of the experiment. In the other book we read as well as the IRB tests, they lambasted Milgram and his experiment. However, even though the experiment definitely caused people some problems, it also taught people valuable lessons about themselves.

Furthermore, because of the detailed manner in which he experimented, I feel like Milgram gave us valuable knowledge about the nature of authority. In fact, in a few parts of the book where he mentioned experiments he was unable to do, I was saddened because I was curious what theories he could have gleaned had he been able to do them.

(Image courtesy of: All About Psychology)

Book Reading #2 - Opening Skinner's Box

Comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2

References:
Title: Opening Skinner's Box
Author: Lauren Slater
Editor: Angela von der Lippe, 2004

Summary:
In this book, Lauren Slater describes ten different psychology experiments that broke the mold and became controversial for one reason or another.

In each chapter, Slater carefully describes the story behind one side of the issue, usually the scientist's, describing their past up until they began their experiment. Then, she describes counterarguments that refute the previous experiments. Occasionally these reversals are scientifically based, but more often they are personal stories of people whose actions refute the theory.

For example, for B.F. Skinner, she described his past and experiments, including his cages like the one at left. She also described some of the rumors and legends about him that have propagated over the years. Then, she changed sides and showed the softer side of him from the perspective of his family members, and tried to refute the rumors.

Discussion:
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was a very interesting read and set up the debates on these issues very well. By the end of each chapter, I felt that I could argue both for and against the issue at hand in equal measure. Additionally, the narrative style made most of the stories riveting from start to finish.

However, I didn't like a lot of the chapter material. Many of the stories were so depressing that I could barely keep reading. I understand that it is unavoidable in some cases because of the subject matter, but I feel like in some cases it was unnecessary. In summary, while I enjoyed reading the book the first time, I'm probably not going to read it again.

(Image courtesy of: blog.games.com)

Book Reading #1 - Design of Everyday Things

Comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2

References:
Title: The Design of Everyday Things
Author: Donald A. Norman
Editor: Judy Greissman, 1988

Summary:
In this book, Norman describes the psychology behind how we use objects in our daily lives and applies this knowledge to give us rules to abide by during the design process. Throughout he gives examples to show both good and bad designs, often with pictures. These examples and tips come together to help us avoid badly designed products, like the quite awkward gun to the left.

Norman divides the chapters into sections based on processes of the mind you must cater to during the design process, including: actions, memory, visibility, and errors. In each section, he gives models of the brain as psychologists understand it and then details design concepts that assist the brain in using your product correctly. Some of the design tips he gives include constraints, standards, natural mappings, and mental models. Finally, he has a short section on how to make objects intentionally difficult to use for security or safety purposes.

References:
I think this book has done the best job so far of showing the usefulness of HCI in the design process of everything we have read. The concepts he presents here are useful not only in the design of physical products but also in the design of software and even games. Of all the books that have been presented so far, this is definitely the one most likely to stay on my bookshelf. On the not-so-bright side, the book has no tips for making good-looking designs, so anything made using only this as a manual would probably look extremely utilitarian.

(Image courtesy of: ssw.com)