Book Reading #45 - Things That Make Us Smart

Reference:Things That Make Us Smart
Donald A. Norman
1993 Basic Books

Summary:
Ch. 3 - The unaided mind is a limited tool, but through the use of effective tools we are able to better represent things and ideas.  Even the use of simple artifacts can lead to a much greater comprehension of a subject.  A representational system has two parts to it. The represented world is that which is to be represented, while the representing world is a set of symbols that each represent something.  Cognitive artifacts are powerful tools, but the best representation of the information depends on the task being performed.

Ch. 4 - Depending on how a task is represented, we often see tasks that are functionally identical as completely different.  As this is the case, it is best to use appropriate representations for a task.  If a graphical representation is used, it needs to convey an accurate description of the data.  In the end, those who benefit from a technology should be the ones who use that technology to do work.  Otherwise, the technology will likely fail.


Discussion:
Ch. 3 - I found this chaper interesting because I've never really thought about it in depth before.  Many people say that one of the things they enjoy about books is that they are able to envision the characters and locations in whatever way they wish, but there is no denying that having a visual representation (via film or images) provides a much stronger impression.  In using artifacts as tools I know that when grappling with a complex problem, it helps if I have an environment to manipulate.

Ch. 4 - The representation of tasks can be very helpful or detremental to someone.  This reminded me of a scene from the movie "Stand and Deliver," where a student is struggling with a problem and the teacher demonstrates just how easy it is to solve.