The Invisible Computer: A Human-Centered Approach - Prof. S. R. Rightmire, Papers of Linguistics

Download The Invisible Computer: A Human-Centered Approach - Prof. S. R. Rightmire and more Papers Linguistics in PDF only on Docsity! Linguistics 1 First day in-class diagnostic writing Instructions: Read the following excerpt from the book The Invisible Computer, by Don Norman. Then answer the questions that follow. Respond in the form of a brief essay (two to three handwritten, double- spaced pages). You will have about fifty minutes to read, write, and edit your essay. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today we cannot do business or conduct much of our daily activity without the use of modern information technology, both the computer infrastructure and the associated communication technology. But the computer does not really meet our needs. It suffers from the rush, the haste, and, for that matter, the arrogance of the technology industry. This is an industry that puts the device first, the customer second. The real needs of consumers are ignored. Today’s technology imposes itself on us, making demands on our time and diminishing our control over our lives. Of all the technologies, perhaps the most disruptive for individuals is the personal computer. The computer is really an infrastructure, even though today we treat it as the end object. Infrastructures should be invisible…[a] user-centered, human-centered humane technology where today’s personal computer has disappeared into invisibility. This change will not be easy. It requires a disruptive technology. For manufacturers, it requires a new approach to design, a human-centered design. This means hiring new kinds of people, changing the design process, perhaps restructuring the company. Remember, there are far more people in the world who do not use computers than there are who do: That is the marketplace, that is where the opportunities lie. Companies shouldn’t always talk to their customers: they should talk to those who are not (yet) customers. Among other things, this was Edison’s main fault. He thought he knew better than his customers; he didn’t provide them with what they wanted, he provided them with what he predetermined was best for them. This was a bad idea then, it’s a bad idea now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Essay topic: Discuss the extent to which you think Norman’s ideas are true, according to your own experience, as well as what you have read elsewhere.