Donald Norman
Author; Cofounder, Nielsen Norman Group; & Professor of Computer Science, Northwestern University

Donald Norman is a well-known advocate of human-centered design who helps companies make products that appeal to the emotions as well as to reason. "The well-rounded product," he says, "will enhance the heart as well as the mind, being a joy to behold, to use, and to own."

Norman brings a unique mix of social science and engineering to bear on everyday products. His books include The Design of Everyday Things; Things That Make Us Smart; The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution; and Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Norman calls himself a "user advocate." Business Week calls him a "cantankerous visionary"—cantankerous in his quest for excellence. Upside magazine named him one of the "Elite 100" for 1999.

Norman is cofounder of the Nielsen Norman Group, an executive consulting firm that helps companies produce human-centered products and services, and a Professor of Computer Science, Psychology, and Cognitive Science at Northwestern University.

Norman received a B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania, both in electrical engineering. His doctorate, from the University of Pennsylvania, is in psychology. He also holds an honorary degree from the University of Padua (Italy).