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Strategic insights
Jef Raskin dies at 61

Written by on February 27, 2005

Jef RaskinI just received the awful news that Jef Raskin has passed away, and I want to express my condolences to his family and friends.

My interest in usability, and the success I enjoy with it, was largely started by the books of two persons. "The Inmates are running the Asylum" by Alan Cooper and "The Humane Interface" by Jef Raskin. These two books profoundly change my views of information technology. Jef's book in particular introduced me to concepts like GOMS, FITTS and HICKS which I use everyday.

Jef also changed the way I identify locus of attention and gave me a much better understanding of the way people use interfaces. Not to mention his continued talks about breaking the rules to create better products.

He was an important person in my life, and will continue to be in my mind.

If you have not encountered Jef Raskin I recommend the following destinations:

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Thomas Baekdal

Thomas Baekdal

Founder of Baekdal, author, writer, strategic consultant, and new media advocate.

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