ERIC BERGMAN

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

DONALD A. NORMAN

Unext.com

Figure 1.1: Donald A. Norman

BERGMAN: Why is the personal computer so difficult to use?

NORMAN: The use of digital technology is still in its infancy. The digital computer has indeed been with us 50 years, but it's only in the last decade that the personal computer has reached the desktop of so many people in industries, in business, and in so many homes. The PC as a result has evolved by historical accident, and as it has evolved, it brings that historical legacy it drags a heavy weight behind it. The PC as a result has become incredibly complex, as well as unstable, and I believe that to a large extent, the complexity is unavoidable.

The PC attempts to do all things for all people. It is one device: the same design for both hardware and software made to fit everybody in the entire world. You have the same machine then to do all the tasks and activities that you wish to do. As a result, there is no focus. You cannot design for a specific user's needs. You cannot design for a specific set of applications, but rather you must design for everyone. This means there must be something for everyone, which leads to an ever-increasing number of features, an ever-increasing number of specific applications, and as a result, an ever-increasing complexity.

It's not helped by the fact that as more and more people use computers, the more you...