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Book ReviewOriginally published in The British Journal of Healthcare Computing & Information Management. |
Donald A. Norman (1999). The Invisible Computer. MIT Press: London.
Software reviews are often written by technophiles who discuss arcane program capabilities with palpable glee when most users only want a core set of functions to carry out a few specific tasks. Herein lies the problem of the PC, as eloquently, if a little repetitively, explained by Donald Norman. The central thesis is that PCs are difficult to use because they are general-purpose machines designed to meet all needs for all people. This is compounded by technology-driven suppliers who foist spiralling functionality on a market which neither requires nor necessarily wants it.Norman is an eminent cognitive scientist who has published extensively in the field of IT. His persuasive analysis of how the PC industry fails to meet the requirements of its customers is not motivated by ignorance of the technology. Instead, the principles are illustrated with apposite parallels from the histories of earlier innovations. The style is conversational, non-academic, and accessible, whilst remaining authoritative. His solution to the problems is to replace the all-purpose computer with specific, task-oriented information appliances. Each activity (e.g. writing a letter, recording holiday experiences) has its own dedicated appliance which is more specialised, convenient, and easy to use, precisely because of its limited remit. The computing infrastructure is kept hidden from the user because there is no need to keep switching between tasks; like the many separate motors buried within numerous kitchen devices, the computer is invisible.
Norman acknowledges the revolutionary changes needed for industry to switch from PCs to information appliances. He argues for a human-centered approach where customers drive the technology and products, thereby emancipating them from the prevailing technological stranglehold. Let's hope that his exciting vision becomes part of the zeitgeist.