Foreword by Dex Smith

I am delighted to see this book. Consumers certainly want things to be simpler so they can focus more on life and less on technology. Businesses want work simplified because productivity and less rework goes directly to the bottom line.

Hayes-Roth and Amor describe a compelling vision of the future where technology serves humans. However, they pick up where other visionaries and futurists leave off and outline how it can be done. They begin to describe, in a structured and realistic way, the technical approaches and architectures that will enable simple, intelligent appliances to be conceived and built.

Making an experience simpler for a customer is good business. Making it radically simple could disrupt a market in your favor. Whether you are a designer, a technologist or a marketer, this book will undoubtedly become a valuable handbook for helping you realize a me-centric future for the people that use your products and services.

Dex Smith
Director, Experience Strategies & Architectures
Hewlett-Packard Company