[.ca] The Human Factor: Revolutionizing the Way We Live with ... (ISBN 0676974902)

Amazon.ca:
Kim Vicente is probably the only person who can make the connection between a perpetually blinking VCR clock and the nearly 100,000 preventable deaths per year in the U.S. due to medical error. But he does it convincingly and entertainingly in The Human Factor by outlining the many ways technology is failing us, and then providing a framework to fix the problem. From early airplane cockpit designs that caused unnecessary pilot error and even deaths to a BMW dashboard system that was supposed to simplify driving by offering seven or eight hundred features, Vicente makes a strong case for a new approach to creating high and low-tech devices. "Our traditional ways of thinking have ignored--and virtually made invisible--the relationship between people and technology," he writes. "But until a new and better way of thinking crystallizes and takes hold, we'll keep on resorting to familiar but outdated ideas because they used to work and they're all we have in our conceptual tool box." Vicente offers his "Human-tech Revolution" manifesto as our new toolbox--a framework for developing technologies that work for people, not just engineers. It's an approach that takes into account our social, economic, and political realities and could possibly even ensure your VCR clock will never blink again. An educational and accessible read for high and low-tech enthusiasts. --Craig Silverman

Kim Vicente is one of the clearest authors I've read.:
This was one of those books that is totally effortless to read. I attribute this to Kim Vicente's obvious passion for what he does, and his interesting ideas, research, and teaching, but most of all to his extraordinary ability to express himself. I've read many similar books, like Normal Accidents, Human Error, and most of Donald A. Norman's books, and enjoyed them all, but this one was probably the most enjoyable. It's very logical and well-designed, and does a great job of clearly explaining past disasters like Chernobyl and TMI. I was especially enthralled, as well as appalled, by the description of the Walkerton Ontario public water disaster as an example of a system failure. This was the first I heard of that one. His recommendations and predictions for the way forward are eminently sensible and practical. I especially liked the possibility of instituting anonymous incident reporting systems like the Aviation Safety Reporting System in medicine and industry. But most of all I'm very glad that such an excellent thinker, author, and teacher is following up and developing the groundbreaking and critically important work of Jens Rasmussen.

Making technology safe for humans:
Ever since Charlie Chaplin parodied automation in Modern Times, we have known what happens when we ignore the human factor in technology, but we continue to produce dangerous and unusable devices. Dr Vicente, a professor of human factors engineering, claims that we need to define technology in much broader terms than we usually do in order to avoid a "Cyclopean fixation on either mechanistic or humanistic world views." We need, in fact, to consider the entire legal, psychological, organizational and political environment in which technology is embedded. The author calls this approach Human-tech. Consider that one of the reasons that hospitals continue to kill patients, even after badly designed equipment is identified, is that medical personnel dare not openly admit error, because of the severe career and legal consequences. This type of problem goes beyond traditional technical design issues of usability or ergonomics. Ultimately, Dr Vicente is optimistic that we can and will resolve these problems. He offers the commercial airline industry as an example. In 2001, despite the horrendous murders on September 11th, the total number of major airline crashes was fewer than in any year since World War II. What the aviation industry did for commercial flights, we can do for our healthcare system, airport security, or anything we want to turn our hand to.

not an original idea:
Human-tech is a phrase Vicente supposedly coined...however, it is a phrase found throughout the human factors profession and is even the name of a human factors company. This example is a metaphor for the entire book - a restatement of other people's ideas, much of which has been published in countless other domains - absolutely no new thinking here. The idea that systems should be designed from a legal, sociological, psychological, engineering, etc. approach has been in practice for some time and Vicente seems to ignore an entire field of research that has taken place in the science, technology, and society (STS) domain.

A scientific and social assessment of modern technology:
Modern technology may ably supply the equipment and new convenience features people desire, but lacks the ability to consider or correct human error in using it. Kim Vicente argues for the need for technology that works easily for its users in his The Human Factor: Revolutionizing The Way People Live With Technology, which goes beyond argument to pint out how to bridge the widening gap between people and technology. From hand-eye coordination to matching complex human systems to easier consumer products, this provides both a scientific and social assessment of modern technology.

Like the best kind of textbook:
I bought this book for a young engineering grad for whom I was acting as a mentor about two years ago. She, like many female engineers in my acquaintance, was struggling to find a context to the profession she was entering. When I saw her a few weeks ago, she told me how immensely helpful this book had been - she'd even passed it on to her boss to read! This book is like the best kind of textbook - rich with detail, methodology and examples. I still read it and get a rush of excitement for the possibilities contained within such a powerfully simple, yet absolutely revolutionary, way to apply our skills as engineers.