The Inmates are Running the Asylum Ch 1-2

Summary

Chapter 1 – Riddles for the Information Age – The chapter starts by giving an example that illustrates how communication can be precise and exact while still being tragically wrong. Computers are known for doing this constantly, mainly because of their poor way of communicating and behaving. The fundamental truth about computers is that they may tell us facts, but they don’t inform us. The author then goes on to talk about different examples of what used to be simple to use artifacts like cameras and alarm clocks and how they have transformed in computers. He believes all of our products will soon behave the same as most obnoxious computers, unless we try something different. The reality is that our computerized tools are too hard to use. The fundamental problem is one of culture, training, and attitude of the people who make them. The high tech industry has inadvertently put programmers and engineers in charge, and when the creators of software-based products examine their handiwork, they overlook how bad it is. They key to solving the problem is interaction design before programming.

Chapter 2 – Cognitive Friction – this chapter is about cognitive friction, or the resistance encountered by a human intellect when it engages with a complex system of rules that change as the problem changes. Software interaction is very high in cognitive friction and we need to find a way to lower that. We could achieve this if interactive products were to be designed by interaction designer instead of by software engineers. By this, the chapter means we should stop postponing design until after programming, and start from designing a system that meets the goals the user is trying to achieve. Difficult interaction is very avoidable, as cognitive friction doesn’t come from the technology, but from the people who control technology. The chapter then goes ahead and explains how to software makers, it seems virtually free to add features so programs eventually get clogged up with features that are rarely used. In reality, each user learns the smallest set of features that he needs to get his work done, and he abandons the rest. Then the author differentiates between apologists and survivors. The first group adopts cognitive friction as a lifestyle, while the second goes underground and accept it as a necessary evil. The chapter finishes by explaining that programmers generally surround themselves with other programmers and fail to see the big picture. As an industry, we are largely in denial about the problem of usable interactive products.

Discussion

The first two chapters of this book were very interesting and actually remind me of The Design of Future Day Things. I agree with most of what the author says, mainly about how we truly need to start designing before we start coding. It is definitely true and obvious that computers are hard to use for non-programmers. The main reason for this is, as the author says, letting the programmers do the design or "letting the inmates run the asylum". The people that will use the software need to be heavily involved in the design of the program before anybody writes a line of code.