Donald A. Norman's Blog, page 2

Design, business models, and human-technology teamwork

As automation and artificial intelligence technologies develop, we need to think less about the design of human-machine interfaces and more about the design of human-machine teamwork.

Faculty Jobs at UC San Diego

Four Design-related faculty jobs at the University of California San Diego*Assistant/Associate Professor in Design*The Design Lab at UC San Diego (http://designlab.ucsd.edu) is seeking acandidate to fill a tenure-track faculty positionCandidates for the Assistant Professsor position can apply athttps://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/J... for the Associate Professsor position can apply athttps://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/J... Assistant Teaching Professor (LPSOE) in Cognitive Science*https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/J... Professor in Human Augmentation, Robotics or Data Science in Cognitive Science*https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/J... Professor in the Social Basis of Human Knowledge, Learning & Creativity*??h?ttps://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/apply/JPF01122...

The Challenges of Partially Automated Driving

I am pleased to say that my paper with Steve Casner and Ed Hutchins, The Challenges of Partially Automated Driving, has been published in the Communications of the ACM. The creation of most-automated vehicles provides major challenges for us. For a long time I( have argued that the most dangerous part of the transition from manual to full automation is when the job is mostly complete -- which is precisely where we are today.

The argument has been made many times. first by Lisanne Bainbridge in 1983 -- 33 years ago! I made the argument in 1990. Nothing has changed.

In this paper, we once again warn that partial automation lulls drivers into a false sense of security. Moreover, people are especially bad at maintaining vigilance and a sense of situation awareness for long periods when nothing is happening or when their assistance is not needed. In the year 2014 (the latest year for which statistics are available), there was roughly one death for every 100 million vehicle miles. One per 100 million miles. Even so, there were over 33 million deaths in the United States plus roughly 1 million injuries. American drove almost 3 trillion miles.

The Future of Design: When you come to a fork in the road, take it

Design started out as a craft, primarily focusing upon the creation of beautiful objects to become a powerful force in industry. Today, design has gone far beyond its simple origins as a craft to develop powerful new ways for people to interact with the world, emphasizing experience, not technology. Moreover, it has evolved into a way of thinking, of problem discovery, and of enhancing the lives of individuals, the experience of the workforce, and even the health of the planet. Are these new developments compatible with the craft traditions of the old? Is this a fork in the road, with some continuing the craft tradition of enhancing the emotional experiences of our products and others taking the other path, moving design thinking into all endeavors, but far removed from the history and mainstream practice of today. What is the future of design? We are at a fork: Which path should we take? I take my answer from the famed American baseball player Yogi Berra who said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

Interview: Is Tesla Racing Recklessly Towards Driverless Cars?

Chunka Mui wrote to say he was writing an article on autonomous cars and asked for my thoughts.  He published his article in Forbes , and before I knew it, I was suddenly front and center into the debate about Tesla and autonomy.Here is the article:http://www.forbes.com/sites/chunkamui... here is my response to the (fortunately very few) complaints.  People really love their teslas and do not like any criticism.My reply is:Yes, I have experienced Tesla's autopilot (as well as the pre-release models from other OEMs)....

Design Doing (UX Podcast)

A two part audio interview with Per Axbom and James Royal-Lawson of UX Podcast. Part 1 covers virtual and augmented reality, design thinking, radical innovations and "user experience."http://uxpodcast.com/125-don-norman-p...    (27 minutes)Part 2  talks about whether technology is making us dumber or smarter, living with complexity, as well as AI, agents and their role in the future of healthcare. I also ponder their "Heptascale challenge" questions.http://uxpodcast.com/126-design-doing...  (34 minutes)...

Norman & Stappers (2016). DesignX: Design and complex sociotechnical systems

I am pleased to say that the paper by P.J. Stappers and me on DesignX has been published, along with several commentaries and then a response by the authors. With citation and URL for the package.

Vox Media on Norman Doors. 'Bad doors are everywhere'

A video that is both instructional and fun. The article text concludes by saying "Don Norman's seminal book on design, The Design of Everyday Things, ... (p)ublished 25 years ago, it remains just as relevant today. Doors shouldn't need instructions. When most people complain about something, nothing happens. But Norman is not most people -- he's a psychologist and cognitive scientist. So his writing about his complaints is so incredibly thorough that he changed the way design works.

And the "human-centered design" revolution he sparked changed not only how designers work, but also how people in fields like public health work to make the world a better place. This is why Melinda Gates believes human-centered design is one change that could save the world. To find out what all this has to do with crappy doors, watch the video."

Can HCD Help with Complex Sociotechnical Systems? (Video)

My work today focuses upon design a complex sociotechnical systems, with an emphasis on healthcare. This hour video describes my thoughts as of 2015. My keynote address at the Relating Systems Thinking and Design conference in 2015 was on this topic. Here is the one-hour video.

Designing for Touch (Josh Clark)

Josh Clark has written a magnificent book (Designing for Touch) on the appropriate design for touch (gesture) systems. Highly recommended as a welcome breath of fresh air: intelligent design principles, an overall refreshing philosophy for touch and gesture, and excellent examples and illustrations.