Contact:cdent@burningchrome.com
Norman, D. (1999). Chapter 1: A human-centered technology (p. 3-17).
In _Things that make us smart_. Cambridge: Perseus Books.
Humans use technology to allow themselves to do more than they could
otherwise. Norman argues that although technology does allow us to do
more it can also make it difficult to get things done because so much
knowledge is required to use it. This difficulty is the result of a
machine-centered view of design.
A human-centered view of design approves of and accounts for the human
characteristics that a machine-centered view discounts and considers a
liability. Norman draws special attention to the human characteristics
of distractability and flexible responses to error.
One area in which modern learning technologies fail is the way in
which they encourage experiential cognition but not reflective
cognition. Experiential cognition feels good and is the essence of
elegant interaction with technologies. However, reflective cognition
is the soure of new ideas, new concepts and new understandings.
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