Donald A. Norman's Blog, page 11

Disruptive Innovation: Commentary on Christensen

Clayton Christensen, famous for his several books and many articles on disruptive innovation, provided an excerpt from one of his books for the on-line Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction. The editor, Mads Soegaard, asked if I would write a commentary. Having long been a fan of Christensen's writings, I gladly obliged. The articles that make up this package are all valuable. Read Christensen, then read the commentaries -- not just mine, also read the very excellent comments by Marc Steen (at TNO in the Netherlands) and by Paul Hekkert (from Industrial Design at Delft, the Netherlands). And then, permanently bookmark the Encyclopaedia as a valuable source of critical essays.

Incremental and Radical Innovation: Design Research versus Technology and Meaning Change

Don Norman and Roberto Verganti: We discuss the differences between incremental and radical innovation and argue that each results from different processes. Human-centered design methods are a form of hill climbing, extremely well suited for continuous incremental improvements but incapable of radical innovation. Radical innovation requires finding a different hill, and this comes about only through meaning or technology change. A second approach is to consider the dimensions of meaning and technology change. Finally, we show how innovation might be viewed as lying in the space formed by the dimension of research aimed at enhancing general knowledge and the dimension of application to practice. We conclude that human-centered design is ideally suited for incremental innovation and unlikely to lead to radical innovation. Radical innovation comes from changes in either technology or meaning. Technology-driven innovation often comes from inventors and tinkerers. Meaning-driven innovation, however, has the potential to be driven through design research, but only if the research addresses fundamental questions of new meanings and their interpretation.

(Updated). Microsoft's Rebirth: Windows 8 on Phone, Tablet, & PC

An update on an earlier interview with me about Microsoft's Windows 8 And Mobile 8. Dave Needles of TabTimes published an interview with me in February, 2012. Now, on March 23, 2012 he has released a second column based upon that interview. In this note I update my earlier release and give the relevant background information. The main message is still the same: Microsoft is back. Windows 8 is brilliant, and its principles have been extended to phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop machines (and larger -- for example, Surface), whether operated by gesture, mouse and keyboard, or stylus, but with appropriately changed interaction styles for the different sizes of devices and different input devices. Android is pretty much a copy of Apple iOS. Not Windows 8: this is a powerful rethinking of interaction in the age of gestures, touch screens, and Kinect.

Microsoft's Rebirth: Windows 8 on Phone, Tablet, & PC

Dave Needle of TabTimes just interviewed me about the Microsoft Windows 8 Operating system. Microsoft is back. Windows 8 is brilliant, and its principles have been extended to phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop machines (and larger -- for example, Surface), whether operated by gesture, mouse and keyboard, or stylus, but with appropriately changed interaction styles for the different sizes of devices and different input devices. Android is pretty much a copy of Apple iOS. Not Windows 8: this is a powerful rethinking of interaction in the age of gestures, touch screens, and Kinect.

My Dream: The Rise of the Small

Steelcase celebrated its 100th anniversary by asking 100 people to write essays about their dreams for the next 100 years. It is an impressive list of people and i am honored to be one of them. My essay, my dream is "the rise of the small." Here is the start: I dream of the power of individuals, whether alone or in small groups, to unleash their creative spirits, their imagination, and their talents to develop a wide range of innovation.

Thinking Fast and Slow

This is an excellent summary of the latest thinking in the psychology of thought judgment, and decision making, written by one of the foremost scholars in the area. Highly recommended. The book covers a wide range of phenomena, producing very important, counter-intuitive insights to many aspects of everyday life. I have long used Kahneman's insights, work and examples in my own thinking and writing. This is a very valuable and easy-to-read review of his lifetime of research.

The origins of the modern world

Two books that treat history from a non-European point of view, emphasizing the critical role and world leadership, especially in trade, that Asia played until the 1800s. They should be of interest to everyone, but for designers, they help reinforce the notion that western biases have affected the way we think about the world and build products. Both books point out that the claims of European/American superiority in thinking (rational, logical thought) and governance (the rise of democracy) is a modern, western myth. Read at least one of them: it will change your view of world history and of the relative importance of east and west.

Yet Another Technology Cusp: Confusion, Vendor Wars, and Opportunities

There is a technological revolution in the air, not because new principles and technologies have been discovered, but because so many past technologies have simultaneously reached a state of maturity that they can be incorporated into everyday technology. These cusps in technology produce new opportunities, but until the marketplace settles down, they also deliver considerable confusion and chaos. Each of the changes discussed here seems relatively minor and inconsequential, but taken as a whole, they pose considerable problems and potential risks.

Does Culture Matter for Product Design?

Does culture matter for product design? For the world of mass-produced products, that is, for the world of industrial design, culture might be far less important than we might have expected. Is this really true, and if so, is this a positive or negative finding?

Conversation: Jon Kolko & Don Norman mediated by Richard Anderson

Out with the Old, In with the New: A Conversation with Don Norman & Jon Kolko, mediated by Richard Anderson. The item contains photos, a transcript, and an embedded video of the event. Topics addressed included the nature of and the difference between art and design, whether design should be taught in art schools (such as AAU), Abraham Maslow, usability, what design (or all) education should be like, the problem with "design thinking" courses, the destiny of printed magazines and printed books, aging and ageism, the relationship between HCI and interaction design, Arduino, simplicity, social media, Google, privacy, design research, the context in which design occurs, the Austin Center for Design, solving wicked problems, whether designers make good entrepreneurs, politics, Herb Simon & cybernetics, the strengths & weaknesses of interconnected systems, and how designers should position themselves.