Techdirt Reading List: Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons From Science Fiction

from the design-and-star-trek dept

We're back again with another in our weekly reading list posts of books we think our community will find interesting and thought provoking. Once again, buying the book via the Amazon links in this story also helps support Techdirt.


As I was debating what book to showcase this week, I saw that Open Technology Institute Director Kevin Bankston had apparently just recommended a book that sounded so good that I couldn't resist picking up a copy and making it this week's choice: Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction. I haven't even read it yet, but the idea, and the recommendation from Kevin (along with the Amazon reviews) definitely make it sound worthwhile:
For years, people have talked about how early Motorola flip phone designs were inspired by the Tricorder device in Star Trek, but the book appears to go much further in detailing lots of other examples. Hell, just take a look at one page from the index at the end:
Looks like a fun read all around, and as I start to dig into it, I figured many of you might appreciate it as well.
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Filed Under: books, design, reading, science fiction, techdirt reading list, ui


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  1. icon
    Scott Yates (profile), 10 Mar 2016 @ 1:59pm

    Nerd Alert!

    Well, ACTUALLY.....

    It was the Communicator that inspired the flip phone.

    The Tricorder was a scanning device.

    Then there is the The Medical Tricorder that has inspired things like the Scio

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    MrTroy (profile), 10 Mar 2016 @ 5:58pm

    Spaceballs?

    Am I the only one scared of what UI Spaceballs might have inspired?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    Scott Yates (profile), 10 Mar 2016 @ 7:08pm

    Re: Spaceballs?

    Plaid!!!

    link to this | view in thread ]


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