steve kwan user experience designer

DOET

(April 14th, 2006 - 1:41AM)

I've been re-reading The Design of Everyday Things (or as the author calls it, DOET), as it's the text for a new course I'm taking. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this book.

Have you ever read one of those books that totally changed the way you think? For me, DOET was one of those books. If you're an engineer of any sort, or for that matter if you build things that other people are going to have to use, I highly recommend you read DOET.

Speaking as someone who makes software for a living, I know how easy it is to get detached from your users. When you spend every day developing a product hands-on, before long you don't think about anything else. And that's unfortunate, because the users are one of the first things you tend to forget. DOET helps you get your head in the right place again.