A lot of the interfaces that designers create are digital interfaces for screens and pages, or auditory interfaces. There is also a specialty area in human factors and interface design that is all about interfaces that people physically touch. This is called “haptics”. K.E. MacLean…

If you think about why people think, feel, and behave in certain ways, you probably think about what’s going on in their brains. You might not realize how much people’s bodies influence their behavior. The field of “embodied cognition” is gaining more ground in cognitive…

It’s my opinion (uncorroborated by any science that I know about) that people who are drawn to design tend to be perfectionists. Being a designer, and being creative, means that you have an idea in your head about how something should be, and you work…

I tend toward introversion. When I tell people that, they usually don’t believe me. I like being on stage: giving talks at conferences, performing in local community theater productions, singing as a jazz vocalist with a small ensemble. So when I tell people I’m an…

Before you continue in this chapter, I’d like you to do a short exercise. Do not read ahead. Do Step 1 first before reading any further: Step 1: Get a pen or pencil and a piece of paper, and take up to 30 seconds to…

A lot of my work involves activities for which I need a very quiet environment, but when I’m writing, I’m more creative and more productive when I have some amount of visual and/or auditory stimulation. For example, I found that when writing this book I…

You’ve learned about the positive effect that daydreaming has on creativity. The same is true for sleep, but it works on the brain in a different way than daydreaming. Boost Your Creativity By At Least 33 Percent If I told you that there’s a way…

Now that you know about the three brain networks that are involved in the creative process, there’s some related research to be aware of. Some of this research focuses on daydreaming. Daydreaming refers to the thoughts and images people have when their attention turns inward—when…

We’ve all had the experience: you’re trying to solve a problem or come up with a new idea. You’ve been sitting at your desk, or discussing it in meetings, but you haven’t come up with a solution or the right idea. Then you step away—go…