Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The Design of Future Things

//Comments

The Design of Future Things

This book by Don Norman was certainly easier to read and relate to than the previous book I read (The Design of Everyday Things). Since the book was published within the last decade, it was easier to understand some of the points that he was making in the book. Overall though, the book was essentially only about two things: cars and houses. 

He started by talking about how automation is cars is both good and bad depending on how it is implimented and used. This is OK by itself, but with nearly half the book being about automation in cars, it began to feel like he was just running out of ideas and only trying to find something to write about what he already knew. The book is supposed to be about future THINGS, not future cars and houses.

The other half of the book was about future houses. I would have to say that it is about a 50/50 split between the two, but intertwined. He talks about how the fridge will know what you're supposed to be eating by talking to your doctor, looking at your medical records, and even talking to the scale. I found that a lot of the things he states would be possible, but not practical. I cannot see a company spending thousands or millions of dollars to build a fridge that would tell you what you can and cannot eat. If they do, I certainly can't see it actually being marketable.

People do not like being told what they can or cannot do. Even if I am told that something is unhealthy or bad, I still might do it anyway, just because I am human and I have the choice to do so. I can see how cars being automated would be likely, but I do not like the idea of a car going somewhere of its own choosing because it thinks it would be better for me, or because some advertising company talked to my car from a bilboard and said it would be better.

Overall, the book is a nice read, as long as you stick to the first few chapters. After that, it is essentially the same ideas but only with varying concepts.

1 comment:

  1. They should make it to where you can turn the fridge comments off or it only works for certain people who want it on.

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