Categories: design, learning

To expand my knowledge in “design thinking” but also to spark some inspiration to improve the interactions for a product I’ve been working on, I’ve been reading books related to interaction design and usability.

One that I just finished reading is Designing Interactions written by Bill Moggridge the founder of the infamous design firm IDEO. The book’s narrative approach is quite different from other design material I’m accustomed to. Rather than explaining concepts and expressing his own personal design philosophy in great length, the book features interviews with 40 people that have helped shape our interactions with technology. Interviews with key players such as Doug Engelbart (inventor of the original mouse), Tim Mott (who developed the first desktop publishing system and later went on to found both Electronic Arts and Macromedia), and Larry Page and Sergey Brin (before Google went public). The book’s overall message is to know the people you are designing for and what they are really trying to accomplish.

Also included is a DVD that contains two-to-three minute snippets of 37 interviews. With 100 minutes of content. If you want to take an in-depth perspective on the mind of an innovator/designer, this is a terrific book.