Don Norman’s “one perfect book”

Over the past year-plus, I’ve been working on a book with my colleagues Perter Merholz, David Verba, and Todd Wilkens. The result is an interesting take on how organizations can embrace both the emerging and the long-held concepts behind research, design, and agile development to become more nimble and prepare to succeed in an uncertain future. We called it Subject to Change.

We’re glad to see that Don Norman liked it to. After some grumbles complaining that we wrote a book that he couldn’t put down, he said Subject to Change is:

“Short, but powerful. Easy to read, yet profound. I’ve been searching for just this book: the one perfect book that summarizes the essence of modern product design. This is it. The lessons are as powerful as they are simple: The product is NOT the goal. Successful products are systems. Focus on the experience. This requires empathy, agile product management, real understanding of the target audience. This book practices what it preaches. I will use it in my courses for MBA students. You should use it for, well, for everyone. Short, simple, persuasive, and powerful.”