Book Reading #51 - Living With Complexity

Reference:
Living With Complexity
Donald A. Norman
2011 The MIT Press

Summary:
Ch. 1 - Complexity is all around us, though much of it is of our own design.  Many of us have our own organized chaos, where something incomprehensible to another person makes perfect sense to us.  However, sometimes in products unnecessary complexity is used that makes a device or feature difficult to use.  At other times, complexity is used for aesthetic reasons.  Intreestingly, we are much more at home with complex things that we grow up with (swimming, reading, learning an instrument) than we are with taking an hour or two to learn a new technology.

Ch. 2 - Conceptual models are one method to hide the underlying complexity of a system.  In a computer file system, for example, what we thing of as files and folders are simply blocks of data scattered across the storage space.  Sometimes, we use conceptual models that simplify a complex system while still getting the main interactions across.  There are some tools that are simple in design, but incredibly complex in their application and usage.  While the design of things can be simple or complex, sometimes the simple thing is confusing (an array of unlabeled light switches) while a complex thing is easilly unserstood (a crowded marketplace).

Discussion:
Ch. 1 - It is interesting how we will defend complexity that we know for all of our lives.  While I know that the digital clock face is more efficient overall, I still prefer the analog method and always wear a watch.  I am often shocked when I run into peers that don't know how to read the analog face, but from a usability standpoint it makes sense.

Ch. 2 - The computer file system is a good analogy to use here.  We have a fairly simple conceptual model that it works like a physical file cabinet, yet the underlying system is so complex and confusing that it makes your head spin.  Still, everyone is able to use it because it is presented in a way we can understand.