Discussion
Norman provides a lot of good examples throughout all the chapters. This is true about all his books. His books are always insightful, and detailed, however I did get bored when reading the chapters.in this particular book. Perhaps I don't appreciate the material enough. Design of Everyday Things was by far my favourite amongst the Norman books.
I do have to take my hat off to him because his analysis is thorough all the time, and he really went out of his way to explain what complexity was, its causes, and the different types of complexity you have.
Showing posts with label Living With Complexity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Living With Complexity. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Book Reading #52: Living With Complexity
Chapter 3Summary
In chapter 3 Norman discusses how things get more complicated as the number of items increases. He provides remembering passwords as an example. He also discusses the “scaling problem,” something that works well with only a few cases, but often fails as the number grows. He finally mentions how in an ideal world we would not need signs and how too much information makes things complicated.
Chapter 4
Summary
Chapter 4 focuses on social signifiers, indicators in the environment that allow people to navigate in otherwise complex and confusing environments. These signifiers are referred to as “perceived affordances” by some.
In chapter 3 Norman discusses how things get more complicated as the number of items increases. He provides remembering passwords as an example. He also discusses the “scaling problem,” something that works well with only a few cases, but often fails as the number grows. He finally mentions how in an ideal world we would not need signs and how too much information makes things complicated.
Chapter 4
Summary
Chapter 4 focuses on social signifiers, indicators in the environment that allow people to navigate in otherwise complex and confusing environments. These signifiers are referred to as “perceived affordances” by some.
Book Reading #51: Living With Complexity
Chapter 1Summary
The first chapter serves as an introduction to complexity. Norman differentiates between things being complex and the idea of things being complicated . He discusses keys to coping with complexity, and also brings up how some complicated systems occur as a result of poor design and he provides several examples of how we like complexity in certain instances.
Chapter 2
Summary
In chapter 2 Norman brings up the idea of the conceptual model, and how it helps to simplify the complexities of different systems. Norman discusses “featuritis,” adding more and more features, and explains how complexity is in the mind of the beholder.
The first chapter serves as an introduction to complexity. Norman differentiates between things being complex and the idea of things being complicated . He discusses keys to coping with complexity, and also brings up how some complicated systems occur as a result of poor design and he provides several examples of how we like complexity in certain instances.
Chapter 2
Summary
In chapter 2 Norman brings up the idea of the conceptual model, and how it helps to simplify the complexities of different systems. Norman discusses “featuritis,” adding more and more features, and explains how complexity is in the mind of the beholder.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)