Good reading…
I recently finished a couple of good books and am starting on a couple of new ones.
Although a bit dated since it was published in 1999, “The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution” by Donald Norman (who also wrote the classic Design of Everyday Things) is primarily about the development of specialized information appliances to combat the complexity of generalized purpose computers. Peppered throughout is also some good info on the role of user experience in any organization interested in human-centered product development: forming the successful triad of technology, marketing, and user experience; who ‘owns’ the customer; what is the proper organizational home for user experience (where have I grappled with that before?).
I read a great excerpt in Wired recently from Steven Levy’s iPod book, “The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness” and had to read the whole book. It was great to get more of the background story, since it’s easy to think it was all Steve Jobs or Jonathan Ive. What made this read even more interesting is that I read the entire book using Sony’s eBook Reader (see pic below). I’m definitely hooked on the eBook concept, though I don’t think Sony’s going to stay in this for the long haul (the Connect store is a poor attempt at replicating the iTunes experience).
Continuing on my Apple-related reading kick, I’m about to start on “iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It” by Steve Wozniak. After all I’ve read about Steve Jobs, it’ll be refreshing to hear a different perspective about the start of Apple.
I’ve also been flipping through Edward Tufte’s Beautiful Evidence – it’s definitely not a ’sit down and read’ kind of book – but one that you occasionally pick up and sample. While a bit of content seems repeated from Tufte’s previous works, I especially enjoyed the discussion of sparklines. Plus, the overall design and feel of the book, as well as its readability is fantastic (as you’d expect from someone who basically self-publishes).
