{"243081":{"#nid":"243081","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Norman Visits Campus for \u2018Complexity\u2019 Conversation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Don Norman gets angry, he writes a book.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was pissed at people saying, \u2018Why can\u2019t we make things simple?\u2019\u201d the author said in a WREK radio interview on Friday.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENorman, whose \u003Cem\u003ELiving with Complexity\u003C\/em\u003E book was this year\u2019s selection for the First-Year Reading Program, visited campus last week and discussed simplicity versus complexity during a brown bag discussion, plenary lecture, panel session, and radio interview.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI embrace complexity, but I\u2019m against complication or confusion,\u201d Norman said during the radio interview.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn one of his book\u2019s relatable anecdotes, Norman explains desire lines, which occur when people cut across grass and create ruts, communicating their desire to have a specific path not initially incorporated into the landscape design. To Norman, this frowned-upon habit is an essential part of solving a design problem \u2013 and decreasing confusion.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe problem with design is to solve the right problem,\u201d Norman told WREK. In this scenario, landscape architects should see the problem as creating paths where they\u2019ll be most used \u2013 not as keeping people from walking on the grass.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn \u003Cem\u003ELiving with Complexity, \u003C\/em\u003ENorman, a former Apple vice president, refers to examples such as using an iPhone or learning to drive to explain that something is only complex until you\u2019ve dedicated the time to master it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhether something is simple or confusing is in the head, not in the world,\u201d he said. However, bad design can make a concept more challenging to master than is necessary. He dedicates a great deal of the book to explaining how to improve design of both products and systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd, in his WREK interview, he highlighted 3D printing, which goes on nearly 24\/7 in Georgia Tech\u2019s Invention Studio, as a new technology that could simplify tasks through its design.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou could be building a piece of IKEA furniture and find you\u2019re missing a part, then go online and find the plan to print the screw you need,\u201d Norman said. \u201cYou can make things just the way you want them. It\u2019s going to be a really empowering event as 3D printers become more available. They\u2019re already changing lots of ways designers work.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn his book, Norman issues a challenge to readers involved in design of any sort to do their best to make things simple; meanwhile, he says non-designers must take the time to learn and master new skills and processes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis year\u2019s First-Year Reading Program book was selected to connect with themes in Georgia Tech\u2019s strategic plan, particularly those around design and innovation,\u201d said Steven Girardot, associate vice provost for undergraduate education.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFirst-year reading author gave a plenary lecture and talked with WREK 91.1FM about simplicity and complexity in design.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"First-year reading author gave a plenary lecture and talked with WREK 91.1FM about simplicity and complexity in design."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2013-10-07 13:24:34","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:05","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-10-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-10-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"218531":{"id":"218531","type":"image","title":"Living With Complexity","body":null,"created":"1449180130","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:02:10","changed":"1475894885","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:05","alt":"Living With Complexity","file":{"fid":"197196","name":"living_with_complexity.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/living_with_complexity_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/living_with_complexity_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":38464,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/living_with_complexity_0.jpg?itok=BMQ2TnRh"}}},"media_ids":["218531"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.wrek.org\/lostinthestacks\/","title":"WREK\u0027s Lost in the Stacks"},{"url":"http:\/\/newscenter.gatech.edu\/2013\/06\/24\/campus-invited-support-first-year-reading","title":"Campus Invited to Support First-Year Reading"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"75081","name":"donald norman"},{"id":"68291","name":"First-Year Reading Program"},{"id":"12499","name":"Lost in the Stacks"},{"id":"2577","name":"wrek"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:nirmal.trivedi@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ENirmal Trivedi\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFirst-Year Reading Program\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}