Patrick W. Jordan
Encyclopedia
Patrick W. Jordan is a British/American writer, consultant and professional speaker. He advises many of the world’s leading companies on design, marketing and brand strategy and has also undertaken a variety of policy and strategy projects for the UK Government. He is best known for his book Designing Pleasurable Products, which is considered a pioneering work in the area of emotional design.
, England
to an American father and British mother. He grew up in Somerset
in the South West of England.
After leaving school Jordan trained as an apprentice with Rolls-Royce Plc
. He has also worked as an adventure sports instructor, a motorcycling instructor and served briefly in both the British Army and Royal Navy.
He gained a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering
from the University of Bristol
in 1989, a Master’s in Design and Ergonomics from the University of Birmingham
in 1990 and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Glasgow
in 1993.
in The Netherlands where he specialised in user research and trend analysis. In 2000 he was appointed Head of User Research at Symbian
, later becoming Vice-President and Head of Design.
In 2002 he was awarded the Nierenberg Chair of Design at Carnegie-Mellon University, claimed to be the most prestigious appointment in US design education. He was the youngest person ever to have held this Chair.
He started his own consulting firm, The Contemporary Trends Institute in 2001 while still at Symbian. This company, which he ran until 2007, had a number of high profile clients including Starbucks
, Gillette, Nokia
and Microsoft
.
From 2005 to 2006 he was Chair of Design and Marketing at the University of Leeds
. He now operates as an independent consultant.
Designing Pleasurable Products
His best-known book is Designing Pleasurable Products (Taylor and Francis
, 2000). This has become one of the most widely read and referenced books in the field.
In the book Jordan identifies four types of human motivation (‘pleasures’). He claims that success in the marketplace is dependent on connecting with users in one or more of these ways.
The four pleasures are:
Other Books
Jordan’s other books are:
or Universal Design
. This conference is hosted bi-annually by the Royal College of Art
Biography from Usability Professionals Association
Carnegie-Mellon News Article on Patrick W. Jordan
The Pleasure of Pleasure in Use
Early life
Jordan was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to an American father and British mother. He grew up in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
in the South West of England.
After leaving school Jordan trained as an apprentice with Rolls-Royce Plc
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
. He has also worked as an adventure sports instructor, a motorcycling instructor and served briefly in both the British Army and Royal Navy.
He gained a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
in 1989, a Master’s in Design and Ergonomics from the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in 1990 and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
in 1993.
Career
From 1993 to 2000 Jordan worked at Philips DesignPhilips Design
Philips Design is a global design agency. Headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, the agency also has offices in Amsterdam, Andover, Atlanta, Gurgaon , Hong Kong, and Singapore...
in The Netherlands where he specialised in user research and trend analysis. In 2000 he was appointed Head of User Research at Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
, later becoming Vice-President and Head of Design.
In 2002 he was awarded the Nierenberg Chair of Design at Carnegie-Mellon University, claimed to be the most prestigious appointment in US design education. He was the youngest person ever to have held this Chair.
He started his own consulting firm, The Contemporary Trends Institute in 2001 while still at Symbian. This company, which he ran until 2007, had a number of high profile clients including Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, Gillette, Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
and Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
.
From 2005 to 2006 he was Chair of Design and Marketing at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
. He now operates as an independent consultant.
Books
Pat Jordan has written or edited 6 books.Designing Pleasurable Products
His best-known book is Designing Pleasurable Products (Taylor and Francis
Taylor and Francis
Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in the United Kingdom which publishes books and academic journals. It is a division of Informa plc, a United Kingdom-based publisher and conference company.- Overview :...
, 2000). This has become one of the most widely read and referenced books in the field.
In the book Jordan identifies four types of human motivation (‘pleasures’). He claims that success in the marketplace is dependent on connecting with users in one or more of these ways.
The four pleasures are:
- Physio – to do with the body and the senses.
- Psycho – to do with the mind and the emotions.
- Socio – to do with relationships and status.
- Ideo – to do with tastes and values.
Other Books
Jordan’s other books are:
- Usability Evaluation in Industry (edited with Bruce Thomas, Bernhard A. Weerdmeester and Ian McClelland), Taylor and Francis 1996
- Introduction to Usability, Taylor and Francis 1998
- Human Factors in Product Design (edited with William S. Green), Taylor and Francis 1999
- Pleasure with Products: Beyond Usability (edited with William S. Green), Taylor and Francis 2002
- How to Make Brilliant Stuff that People Love and Make Big Money Out of It, Wiley 2002
Include Conference
In 2001 Jordan co-founded Include, an international conference on InclusiveInclusive
Inclusive may refer to:* Inclusion * inclusive disjunction, A or B or both* inclusive fitness, in evolutionary theory, how many kin are supported including non-descendants* inclusive interval includes its endpoints...
or Universal Design
Universal design
Universal design refers to broad-spectrum ideas meant to produce buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to both people without disabilities and people with disabilities....
. This conference is hosted bi-annually by the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
External links
Patrick W. Jordan – Patrick W. Jordan’s official website.- http://www.patrickwjordan.com
Biography from Usability Professionals Association
- http://ukupa.org.uk/events/archives/000370.html
Carnegie-Mellon News Article on Patrick W. Jordan
- http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/020411/020411_pjordan.html
The Pleasure of Pleasure in Use
- http://www.freegorifero.com/weblog/2003_03_01_weblog_archive.html