Full Blog: Things That Make Us Smart

Reference Information

Title: Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine

Author: Donald Norman

Publisher: 1994 Basic Books

Summary
We only read part of this book, but from what we did read, it mostly discussed cognitive artifacts, or tools to help mental understanding. Norman pointed out many problems that currently exist with technology, and suggested causes and solutions for each.

The first chapter described the problems with technology having a machine-oriented view, involving straight facts and numbers. People do not think that way, as they are clouded with judgments and emotions, and are easily distracted. Therefore, Norman suggests that we should move towards a human-centered view of technology and people in order to design new systems that reduce error. In addition, there are two different kinds of cognition: experiential, which leads to a state where people can react to events effortlessley, and reflective, where thoughts can be compared and contrasted.

The different levels of cognition were discussed in more detail, including tools for each type. Both experiential and reflective must work together, with neither being superior to the other. In addition, Norman discussed learning, suggesting ways that it could be improved, such as merging video games with educators to create a simulated environment with proper social interaction and guidance for learning important information. Motivation plays a large part in learning. The different steps of learning include accretion (the accumulation of new facts), tuning (repeated practice that leads to experiential, expert knowledge), and restructuring (reflective thought that forms conceptual structures of learning).

How things are represented plays a large role in how they are remembered and understood. The power of cognitive aids comes from the fact that some unrelated symbol or mark can be used to represent and abstract some larger, unattainable object for reasoning purposes. This allows people to work with things that are not generally workable. Some idea features of representations include that they should capture important features of the represented world, be appropriate for the people that will be using it, and be appropriate for the task.

Cognitive artifacts were discussed in more detail. The difference between surface and internal representations, passive and active artifacts were explained. In addition, helpful examples such as puzzle games were explained to help understanding of the topic. Artifacts can easily be misused, whether intentionally or not, so they should be designed carefully and should enhance mental understanding of the task at hand. The representation should be fitted to the task and the people who will be using it, and proper affordances should be used to suggest correct and easy understanding.

An example of a cognitive artifact. By aiding writing, a pen aids a person to understand and remember details.
Source: rickischultz.wordpress.com

Discussion
I found many of Norman's problems and suggested solutions to be very interesting. It is very true that programs are designed for how machines think because it is easier to implement. However, it would be easier to use if it were designed for how humans think. The fact that the examples urged the reader to become reflective in reading his book was amusing. However, Norman was fairly long-winded in this book, and easily could have made his point in half the amount of time. I do believe he made some good points, though. I especially liked the discussion on learning, as I believe that looking into improving education and making it more motivational is something that could really help society.