The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High-Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity

The must-read summary of Alan Cooper’s book: “The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High-Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity”.

This complete summary of the ideas from Alan Cooper’s book “The Inmates Are Running the Asylum” shows that computer technology is embedded within almost every product that is manufactured. Yet all too often, these ”new-and-improved’’ products are hard to use because the engineers who are developing the interface between the user and the machine don’t think like the average man-on-the-street who knows nothing about technology. Therefore, the situation effectively becomes the equivalent of letting the inmates run the asylum in which they are incarcerated. Better products need to be developed that work in the same way that average people think. Only then will new products deliver on their implied promise of enhancing the quality of life for their users. According to Alan Cooper, designers who are skilled in this specific field should be responsible for designing the interface between the user and the machine. This summary asserts that the goal of computer usage should be “not to make anyone feel stupid”.

Added-value of this summary:
– Save time
– Understand the key concepts
– Increase your business knowledge

To learn more, read “The Inmates Are Running the Asylum” and rethink entrenched priorities in software planning.