Reading Response #5

In Chapter 2 of Norman's The Design of Future Things he revisits some earlier material by discussing the three levels of processing in the brain: the visceral level (most basic, automatic/subconscious level which is determined by our biological heritage), the behavioral level (based on learned skills, mostly subconscious level), and the reflective level (conscious, self-aware, the home of self and one's self-image). One of the quotations that stood out for me in this chapter was "The future of everyday things lies in products with knowledge, with intelligence, products that know where they are located and who know who their owners are and that can communicate with other products and the environment. The future of products is all about the capabilities of machines that are mobile, that can physically manipulate the environment, that are aware of both the other machines and the people around them and can communicate with them all." (p. 44) Norman also discusses the possibility of a symbiotic relationship with machines, in particular cars and their drivers. Norman continues to hearken back to the horse+rider relationship as an analogy of what future car+driver symbiotic relationships might look like, with "loose rein" and "tight rein" control that a horseback rider can exert over the horse. Norman thinks that this possibility of "loose rein" and "tight rein" control might be applied to the future car+driver symbiotic relationship with the car and its driver splitting up the visceral, behavioral and reflective levels. I don't think I agree with Norman's wishes for the future of automobiles. I like driving, I like being in control. I like modern advances in automobile technology such as power steering, anti-skid brakes and the various electronic controls and monitors of my car's engine, but I don't think I'd like to have to share control of the vehicle's actual operation with a machine. Certainly, it may be commonplace in the future to have vehicles drive themselves, but I would still want to exercise control, or have the ability to opt out. The last thing I'd need is a cautious car or worse a skittish car. I've seen horse jumping competitions where the horse "refuses" to jump and the rider gets dumped off the horse. I think that Norman has sort of romanticized the horse + rider relationship. Accidents still happen with horses and their riders even though we've been riding them for hundreds of years.
I was also a little bit disturbed when Norman mentioned the "handshaking" that might occur between machines and systems, with your refrigerator conspiring with your weight scale and your doctor to prevent you from getting eggs out of the fridge. I think there would be FOIP issues involved in Canadian law with regard to sharing medical records and private information electronically.