Reading Response #10

In Chapter 6 of Norman's The Design of Future Things ("Communicating with our Machines") there were a few salient points that I wanted to discuss here on the blog. One of the key quotes that I took out from Chapter 6 was on page 141, where Norman states that, "as we move toward an increasing number of intelligent, autonomous devices in our environment, we also need to transition toward a more supportive form of two-way interaction. People need information that facilitates discovery of  the situation and that guides them in deciding how to respond or, for that matter, reassures them that no action is required." I selected this quote because it ties into themes that Norman explores in his book, that communication between man and machine needs to be continuous, non-intrusive and effective, and it also ties into elements of what Kim Vicente discussed in his book, The Human Factor. People need continuous feedback and communication from their machines whether it is a smart home, a smart car or a nuclear reactor, people need information that is "informing without overburdening" the users (p.149). The other quote that I found appealing in Chapter 6 was the last paragraph in the chapter that states that, "for effective communication with machines, the machines must be predictable and understandable. People must be able to understand their state, their actions, and what is about to happen. People need to be able to interact in natural manner." Ultimately, we're not there yet with our design of smart computer systems that interact with people. Even simple word processing programs often have their quirks that leave the users puzzled at times.

In Chapter 7 "The Future of Everyday Things", I have selected one really good quote from page 156, where Norman writes, "smart technologies have the capacity to enhance pleasure, simplify lives, and add to our safety. If only they could really work flawlessly; if only we could learn to use them." This quote to me, is one of the great "take away" quotes from the entire book because it encapsulates the potential benefits of technology in our everyday lives, whether it is at home, in the cars we drive, or where we work, but also the potential problems that can arise out of smart technology not being all that "smart" in communicating with people. Or perhaps it's just that the people who are designing our smart devices are not all that strong in communicating with actual people either and the flaws of the designer are passed on to their designs.