Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design

Has anyone read this book, it's pretty old, but skimming the table of contents makes it look really interesting.

Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design
amazon.com

I read it. Years ago. And at the time, it was one of the most influential books I had read. But it has its pluses and minuses like any book.

One plus that I remember: They apply Heidegger's notion of "Readiness at Hand" to software (Simple non-software example: A hammer does not exist when you're using it. At that moment, it's an extension of your body. A hammer only exists during a fail -- hammering your thumb, for example). That had a big influence on the way I design user experiences.

One minus: The book is sort-of building a case for a workflow system the authors were building that ultimately crashed and burned in a pretty big way. They odd thing to me was that, in reading their description of the workflow system, it seemed anything but ready-at-hand. It was very strict and regimental in the way it operated and required people to actively think about process flow (which isn't a bad thing, but I think it takes you off the court and puts your in the stands, so to speak). But, learning what doesn't work is, in and of itself, a form of learning, as we all know. And, sometimes things fail due to timing and it is likely the case that, back in 1987, it was way too early to approach businesses with such a radical approach to workflow.

I recommended it to people for many years and I still would.