In search of clickable dons: learning about HCI through interacting with Norman's CD-ROM

As part of a university HCI course, masters students used and evaluated Norman's CD-ROM Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine [1]. This paper reports on the advantages and disadvantages of the CD-ROM from the students'perspective, and reflects on the learning benefits of using this kind of interactive media. Problems with adapting existing books from paper to CD-ROM are discussed, and a number of suggestions are put forward of ways in which the interactivity of electronic media could be further exploited for teaching HCI and interface design.