black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

It’s harder than you might think to squander millions of dollars, but a flawed software development process is a tool well suited to the job.

Alan Cooper

Define what the product will do before you design how the product will do it.
ALAN COOPER

Before Define Design Product
In turn, we will be tempted to kill our computers, but we won’t dare because we are already utterly, irreversibly dependent on these hopeful monsters that make modern life possible.
ALAN COOPER

Computer Dependent Hopeful Irreversible Kill Life Modern Monster Possible
Computers no longer interface with humans–they interact, and the interaction will become steadily deeper, more subtle, and more crucial to our collective sanity and ultimate survival.
ALAN COOPER

Computer Critical Deeper Human Interact Interface Longer More Sturdily Subtle Survival
Run for your lives-the computers are invading. Awesomely powerful computers tackling ever more important tasks with awkward, old-fashioned interfaces.
ALAN COOPER

Computer Invade Life Live Run
There’s only one thing you can use against pure logic, and that’s common sense.
ALAN COOPER

Against Common Logic One Only Pure Sense Thing
To scenes by memory’s silver chain Close-linked, and ever yet apart, That like the vine, whose tendrils young Around some fostering branch have clung, Grown with its growth, as tho’ it sprung From one united heart.
ALAN COOPER

Around Branch Foster Memory Scene Silver Sprung Tendril Until Vine Young
To our human minds, computers behave less like rocks and trees than they do like humans, so we unconsciously treat them like people.
ALAN COOPER

Behave Computer Human Less Like Rock Mind People Treat Tree Unconsciously
Keep it simple: In general, interfaces should use simple geometric forms, minimal contours, and a restricted color palette comprised primarily of less-saturated or neutral colors balanced with a few high contrast accent colors that emphasize important information.
ALAN COOPER

Balance Color Contour Contrast Form General Geometric High Interface Keep Minimal Palette Restrict Should Simple
Ironically, the thing that will likely make the least improvement in the ease of use of software-based products is new technology.
ALAN COOPER

Ease Improvement Ironically Least Likely New Product Software Technology Thing Use
When I was a teenager, that was when I fell in love with music. It affected me in a deep way. That’s why I love having teenagers at our shows.
ALAN COOPER

Affect Dep Fell Love Music Show Teenager Way
And as soon as any object exhibits sufficient cognitive function, those instincts kick in and we react as though we were interacting with another sentient human being.
ALAN COOPER

Being Human Interact Object React Sentiment Soon Sufficient
English bohemians sit in cold orderly rows, like carrots.
ALAN COOPER

Bohemian Carrot Cold English Like Orderly Row Sit
It has also been said that the software industry is an example of midgets standing on the toes of other midgets.
ALAN COOPER

Industry Midget Software Stand Toe
Usability methods are like sandpapering a chair.
ALAN COOPER

Chair Like Method Sandpaper Usability
Design principle: Take things away until the design breaks, then put that last thing back in.
ALAN COOPER

Back Break Design Last Principle Thing
If you are making a chair, the sandpaper can make it smoother. But no amount of sandpaper will turn a chair into a table.
ALAN COOPER

Amount Chair Make Sandpaper Smoother Table Turn

It’s harder than you might think to squander millions of dollars, but a flawed software development process is a tool well suited to the job.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

It’s harder than you might think to squander millions of dollars, but a flawed software development process is a tool well suited to the job.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Alan Cooper Quotes