Don Norman

A former Apple vice-president and co-founder (with Jakob Nielsen; see slide 21) of the Nielsen Norman Group, Norman, 74, recently announced his retirement from Northwestern University. But don't count him out just yet. He recently caused an uproar in the design world with his assertion that when it comes to radical innovation, design research is "essentially useless." Provocative, straightforward, and never less than insightful, Norman is currently working on an updated version of his book, The Design of Everyday Things, already a must-read for any executive looking to understand the scope of design.

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