Don Norman
Don Norman is the author or co-author of fourteen books, including the seminal The Design of Everyday Things, and his recently released The Design of Future Things.
In reviewing Dr. Norman’s book “The Invisible Computer: Why good products can fail, the PC is so complex, and information appliances are the answer” Business Week has called this “the bible of the ‘post PC’ thinking.” His latest book, Emotional Design: Why we love (or hate) everyday things, is available in 9 languages. This book marks the transition from usability to aesthetics, but with the emphasis on a well-rounded, cohesive product that looks good, works well, and gives pride to the owner. “The well-rounded product,” says Norman, “will enhance the heart as well as the mind, being a joy to behold, to use, and to own.”
Norman has a repertoire of talks on the design of usable and emotionally pleasurable things which he handcrafts for each audience. He works closely with the client to ensure that the talk and message is on-target for the particular needs of the audience.
Dr. Norman is cofounder of the Nielsen Norman Group, an executive consulting firm that helps companies produce human-centered products and services, Professor at Northwestern University, Prof. Emeritus of the University of California, San Diego, and co-director of Northwestern’s Segal Design Institute; founded by Crate & Barrel creators Gordon and Carole Segal. He has been Vice President of Apple Computer and an executive at Hewlett Packard. He was President of the Learning Systems division of UNext, an early, online education company.
He serves on many advisory boards, such as Chicago’s Institute of Design and Encyclopedia Britannica. He is a fellow of many organizations, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer & Cognitive Science from the Franklin Institute (Philadelphia), honorary degrees from the University of Padova (Italy) and the Technical University of Delft (the Netherlands), the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from SIGCHI, the professional organization for Computer-Human Interaction, the Mental Health award for contributions to Business from Psychology Today, and the Taylor Award for outstanding contribution to the field of Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology from the American Psychological Association.
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Listen to an interview of Don Norman by Peter Merholz
April 24th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
[…] 9:15-10:15am Keynote Interview Don Norman with Peter Merholz […]