Friendly counsel cuts off many foes. ?span>William Shakespeare (King Henry VI, Act III, Scene 1) To list those who have helped is difficult, because they are so numerous, and the debt is so enormous. Many friends, colleagues, relations, reviewers, and some generous strangers I know only via the Internet have contributed ideas, critiques, suggestions, and detailed editorial work. Please forgive (and inform) me if you've helped and I've left you out or gotten your name or title wrong. Thanks to the groups at Addison Wesley Longman, whether editors, designers, in PR, marketing, or whatever, all of whom seem to have been chosen not only for their competence, but also for their friendliness and forbearance. On the other hand, the anonymous reviewers they chose were merciless, for which I am also grateful. Among the following list are friends, acquaintances, colleagues, my brother, my son's horn teacher, a fellow model airplane enthusiast a seemingly unlikely lot. Only a few are experts in human-computer interface design, but all have read my manuscript and made essential contributions to the book or have contributed over the years to its concepts: David Alzofon (who also drew Quasimodo), Bill Atkinson, Thomas Atwood, Paul Baker, Jerry Barenholtz, John Bumgarner, David Caulkins, William Buxton, Ph.D., Renwick Curry, Ph.D., Robert Fowles, Josh Garrett, Ph.D., Jean-François Groff, Scott Kim, Ph. D., Kathleen Mandis, Pamela Martin, Troy May, Miriam Meisler, Ph.D., Douglas McKenna, Michael S. Miller, David Moshal, M.D., Andrew Nielsen, Jakob Nielsen, Julie Ososke, Ian Patterson, Michael Raskin, Ph.D., Erasmus Smums, Spider Robinson, Minoru Taoyama, Shay Telfer, Yesso Tekerian, Bruce Tognazzini, David Wing, Terry Winograd, Ph.D., the local chapter (BayCHI) of the ACM's Special Interest Group in Computer-Human Interaction, which has let me preach and debate my theses, and the students at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University and its director, John Chowning. I am lucky to have a literate as well as a loving wife, Linda Blum, R.N., who has never cared that writing a technical book is no way to support a family, so long as it was a worthy endeavor. Her attention to the ideas, direction, and details of this book have improved many a page. I can take no credit in choosing my parents, but they deserve much credit for teaching me to value people over things and to relish the arts as well as the sciences, choices that lead directly to this work. My son Aza contributed far beyond what you'd expect from someone of his youth, including ideas, editing, and hard work on the illustrations. He and his sisters were amazingly patient with me as I wrote. Especially important in my life is L. Roland Genise, my best teacher, who, during high school, gave me the twin gifts of intellectual self-confidence and a love of mathematics. Among those who have shared warm friendship, philosophy, and music, and who have been devastating editors of my earlier works, I am lucky to be able to name Brian Howard and Douglas Wyatt. I have disagreed with a few details of the writings of Dr. Donald Norman in this book, but these are minor points as I regard his work as essential reading in the field; without his critiques and teachings this book would not have come about. I am grateful to Bill Verplank, a quiet and agreeable sort whose comments are delivered so gently that you don't realize the rug's been pulled out until you hit the floor. His was one of the voices that convinced me to completely change the tone and orientation of the book, for the better. Another who hammered this book into shape was Lyn Dupré, a fierce and nitpicking professional editor. She wrote BUGS in Writing, which you should read. Many concepts, a few of which are cited in the text, came from or were polished during discussions and work done with my friend James Winter, M.D., Ph.D. The delightfully acerbic computer scientist Dick Karpinski, who styles himself aptly as the world's largest leprechaun, has been helpful in manifold ways, whether expounding on a technical point, introducing me to a key person or book, or dropping by with dim sum. And, whom I've saved for last, there's Peter Gordon, a man of wisdom, persistence, and (especially) patience, who was my advocate at Addison-Wesley. Our correspondence must never be made public as it would reveal a penchant for extended word play and awful puns that would forever besmirch both our names, but which lightened the burden of endless details that must be attended to in putting together even so slim a book as this. Thanks to Agfa Corporation for supplying the digital camera used in creating some of the illustrations. Thanks, also, to the following readers, who first offered me particular corrections, or suggested changes, that have now been incorporated into the book: Eric Blossom, Jon Bondy, Philip Craiger, Paul Cubbage, Ted Frick, Rebecca Fureigh, David B. Gustavson, Peter Johns, G. A. Michael, Cam Mitchner, Rich Morin, Guy Parker, Martin Portman, and Elisabeth Riba, Reuben Thomas, and Jim Weiner. The author is also grateful to Rich Morin for supporting the www.jefraskin.com Web site. |
