Opening Essay

• Change of status. After nine enjoyable years, I'm retiring from Northwestern University. I'll be busier than ever, but this will let me do more consulting, travel more, stay longer, and be more spontaneous. So I'll be busier than ever, but on my own schedule: I already have activities scheduled throughout the rest of 2010 and into 2011.
• Core77. I've begun to write a column for the Design Website, Core77. These columns will be relatively short and aimed at a wide audience. I start with "Design thinking: A useful Myth."
  

Welcome to jnd.org:
Welcome to jnd.org: jnd = just noticeable difference, a technical term in the field of psychophysics. See What is jnd? This website is the home for my essays, chapters from my books, book reviews, and other miscellany.

I spend my time with the Nielsen Norman group consulting for industry to produce enjoyable and effective products and services, serving on company board of directors and advisory boards, and writing and publishing. I spend two months each year as a "Visiting Distinguished Professor of Industrial Design" at KAIST, in Daejeon, South Korea.

Living with Complexity: to be published October, 2010 (MIT Press)

Table of Contents, Cover Photo, and Chapters:

The world and our activities are inherently complex, so our tools must match that complexity. Complexity is necessary: it is confusion and unnecessary complication that should be eliminated. This book is an argument in favor of properly designed complexity, against the simple-minded notion that things should be simple. Simplicity is in the mind. We need complexity, but accompanied by understanding. Simplicity is in the mind: When we understand something, it is simple. When we don't, it is complicated.

Understanding defeats complexity. To most of us, the cockpit of a commercial airline is a confusing jumble of dials and controls. To the expert, the cockpit is comforting, familiar, and understandable. Knowledge makes the difference.

See my essays Sociable Design, Psychology of Waiting Lines, Simplicity Is Not the Answer
Norman, D. A. (2010, September). Living with Complexity. Cambridge, MA. MIT Press.
(MIT Press also published my Invisible Computer as well as the UK edition of Design of Everyday Things.)

Other Books
Translations of my published books keep appearing. The Japanese translation of "Living with Complexity" has started, with the same team who have done my previous books. A Portuguese (Editora Rocco, Brazil) translation of "Emotional Design" is out as are Japanese and Taiwanese translations of "Design of Future Things." I've seen Korean and Chinese editions of "Design of Future Things." Translations in Brazil, Italy, Korea, and Spain are underway. The Greek translation of "Design of Everyday Things" is complete, which will make it the twelfth country to publish it. A Persian translation (for Iran) is in the works.

Company Advising:
I am not permitted to name all of my clients, but but here are a few:

reQall
I am officially empowered as "Chief Mentor" of reQall (and now I'm becoming a board member). Call reQall from any phone and speak whatever you want to remember. It then shows up in your email as text, as a voice message, and on a website. Even automatically on your calendar. We worked hard to make it really simple, to eliminate all the features that came to mind. No features, therefore no fuss. Simple and powerful. Developed by a team, some of whom worked with me at Apple. Neat. It is also a teamwork tool. Free. It works smoothly with Evernote, to increase the power of both (read the CNet discussion).

reQall is also an active memory assistant, using time or your location to remind you. Read all about it in a review by David Pogue in the New York Times.

Evolution Robotics's Mint
An automatic floor cleaner (for hard floors only: think of it as a robotic Swiffer). I'm an adviser to Evolution Robotics: Mint is their latest, cool release. See the You-Tube Video. And here is the website.

UICO
I'm on the Board of UICO, doing 21st century control panels and interfaces for industry. If iPhone and Android can have sexy dynamic graphical displays with multi-touch sensitivity, why can't your washing machine or the controls for chemical plant? Why not update those horrible phone systems at the entrance to apartment buildings so they are usable, with colorful displays and touch-sensitive screens? (UICO's website does not do it justice: fixing it is a priority item.)

Trumpet. A telecommunications, social networking app for smart phones, but that's all I can say: Trumpet is still in stealth mode.