Knowledge in the Head and in the World

I go about completing my daily tasks without really thinking about them too much. Thats because of the four reasons precise behavior is possible discussed in this chapter; information is in the world, great precision is not required, natural constraints are present, and cultural constraints are present. These factors reduce possible alternatives, and lead us to completing our actions properly. These four ideas are something I am going to keep in mind when it comes to interface design, as to expedite the user's experience as much as possible. However, the parts about memory seemed much longer than they had to be, I took away a few main points from that section. First off, memory is made up of knowledge in the head, and knowledge in the world. Knowledge in the head is personal memory, whereas knowledge in the head is interpersonal memory that we are reminded of in our everyday world (i.e. - mappings such as the stove controls shown in the book). The thing in this chapter I found most helpful was the table at the end. The table made me realize that when designing, it is important to keep both types of memory in mind, and design the interface as well as possible to cater to them, but working with "Knowledge in the World" is the most difficult.