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The Inmates Are Running the Asylum
Free PDF The Inmates Are Running the Asylum
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Amazon.com Review
In this book about the darker side of technology's impact on our lives, Alan Cooper begins by explaining that unlike other devices throughout history, computers have a "meta function:" an unwanted, unforeseen option that users may accidentally invoke with what they thought was a normal keystroke. Cooper details many of these meta functions to explain his central thesis: programmers need to seriously reevaluate the many user-hostile concepts deeply embedded within the software development process. Rather than provide users with a straightforward set of options, programmers often pile on the bells and whistles and ignore or deprioritize lingering bugs. For the average user, increased functionality is a great burden, adding to the recurrent chorus that plays, "computers are hard, mysterious, unwieldy things." (An average user, Cooper asserts, who doesn't think that way or who has memorized all the esoteric commands and now lords it over others, has simply been desensitized by too many years of badly designed software.) Cooper's writing style is often overblown, with a pantheon of cutesy terminology (i.e., "dancing bearware") and insider back-patting. (When presenting software to Bill Gates, he reports that Gates replied: "How did you do that?" to which he writes, "I love stumping Bill!") More seriously, he is also unable to see beyond software development's importance--a sin he accuses programmers of throughout the book. Even with that in mind, the central questions Cooper asks are too important to ignore: Are we making users happier? Are we improving the process by which they get work done? Are we making their work hours more effective? Cooper looks to programmers, business managers, and what he calls "interaction designers" to question current assumptions and mindsets. Plainly, he asserts that the goal of computer usage should be "not to make anyone feel stupid." Our distance from that goal reinforces the need to rethink entrenched priorities in software planning. --Jennifer Buckendorff
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From the Back Cover
The Inmates are Running the Asylum argues that, despite appearances, business executives are simply not the ones in control of the high-tech industry. They have inadvertently put programmers and engineers in charge, leading to products and processes that waste huge amounts of money, squander customer loyalty, and erode competitive advantage. They have let the inmates run the asylum. Alan Cooper offers a provocative, insightful and entertaining explanation of how talented people continuously design bad software-based products. More importantly, he uses his own work with companies big and small to show how to harness those talents to create products that will both thrill their users and grow the bottom line.
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Product details
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Sams; 1 edition (March 23, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0672316498
ISBN-13: 978-0672316494
Product Dimensions:
6.3 x 1 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
3.9 out of 5 stars
142 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#253,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
While I agree with many things Alan Cooper says about the challenges of designing user friendly technologies for normal end users, I think his attitude is a bit pessimistic about how engineers and programmers design technologies that are yet to come... I think it is better to encourage Universities and Colleges to require a certain amount of technical support and customer support courses in additional to standard social sciences courses required for a typical science major for Engineering and computer science students to graduate... This should also be required for any student who hopes to get into any field of study where work in this field would affect end users of products and services rendered to them. Engineers and Technical workers need to take responsibility for their work and help end users with their products. Furthermore, licensing for Engineers and Technical workers should not only require ability to design products and technologies (i.e. traditional assessment materials), but also require ability to communicate effectively with end users and support their products and technologies. This might be a great book for young students in high school and college who want to study Engineering, IT Services, Computer Sciences or related fields.
Cooper has done a good job of pointing out common problems in software design. The book is well written, with interesting examples and anecdotes to illustrate the author's points. While most of the book focuses on "off the shelf" products, I think the author's arguments are even more relevant to custom software development. If you already believe that software is poorly designed, this book is unlikely to be a revalation to you. It will, however, give you some ammunition to use in discussions with "apologists".I agree with the earlier reviewer, who said that the people most needing to read it probably won't. This would seem to be a great book for development managers and purchasers of software, but I think the only people likely to read the whole thing are professional developers.I have two criticisms of the book (for which I give it 4 out of 5 stars): too often it comes across as an advertisement for the author's company; and I would have appreciated more "how-to" information. To this latter point, the author himself says in his preface that he had intended to write a "how-to" book, but was talked into writing a "business case" book instead. I hope that he will soon follow up this effort with the planned "how-to" book.A final question -- what is with these 1 star reviews? I've read a few of them now, for different books, and I have to question whether the reviewer has even read the book. If so, they seem to have completely missed the point. At the very least, if giving a 1 star review, please provide some detailed criticisms so I can decide whether I am likely to share your opinion.
From a software engineer's perspective, this book is fairly on point. However, it does come off a bit as an extended personal rant against engineers involved in the design of devices and systems the author has interacted with and only provides perfunctory guidance on how to improve things. Suggested read from an HCI professor, it makes a point but isn't as informative as one would hope.
This was a textbook for my Interaction Design class, but the ideas are valid in boat loads of circumstances. I highly recommend it to everyone, in fact, not just programmers and designers. While you're at it, be sure to pick up The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, which solidifies his ideas from the consumer side of things.I'm a junior high teacher by trade, so I'm going to particularly recommend it to teachers. Students, just like tech consumers, come in a variety of levels of understanding. One of the biggest challenges is to cater a lesson to smart students, slow students, and all the students in between. Teachers, like programmers, like all of us, tend to assume that others' experience is similar to their own, so they plan with themselves in mind. This book helps explain how to break out of that mentality and design for everyone.
I like Alan Cooper. He is entertaining, thoughtful and has numerous amusing anecdotes and analogies. He is a "voice sounding in the wilderness" in the software community about usability. Unfortunately, I think his point is lost somewhat in the marketing message and sensationalism of this book. Who is the book written for - the software developer or the frustrated user? The first chapter sounds like a Luddite rebellion against computers. It is hard to imagine the person writing that chapter as a computer professional. Using the analogy of a secretary who doesn't know how to save files to a folder as an example of poor design is blaming the programmer for poor training. True, software is often developed by programmers who barely get real requirements, develop in a vacuum and then force feed the end result to the user. And ironically, Alan Cooper invented Visual Basic, which ushered in Rapid Application Development (RAD) programming (good!) but adds the tendency for quick prototype demos to get shipped as "Version 1.0" because the CEO or CIO says,"hey it works now" (bad!).These shortcomings are not solved by adding a layer of another design person partially disconnected from the user, or making the screen prettier. It is by adapting the Extreme Programming/Agile programming methods of including the user in everything from design to testing, so the software reflects how the user does business.I still liked the book, just not clear on the message.
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